Condemning targeted terrorist attacks against members of the Sikh, Hindu, and other religious minority communities in Afghanistan and supporting refugee protection for Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan in recognition of the systematic religious persecution, discrimination, and existential danger faced by the members of these communities.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1085 Condemning targeted terrorist attacks against members of the Sikh, Hindu, and other religious minority communities in Afghanistan and supporting refugee protection for Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan in recognition of the systematic religious persecution, discrimination, and existential danger faced by the members of these communities. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AUGUST 14, 2020 Ms. SPEIER (for herself, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. COX of California, Mr. COSTA, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. LOFGREN, and Mr. RASKIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Condemning targeted terrorist attacks against members of the Sikh, Hindu, and other religious minority commu- nities in Afghanistan and supporting refugee protection for Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan in recognition of the systematic religious persecution, discrimination, and existential danger faced by the members of these commu- nities. Whereas Sikhs and Hindus are indigenous but endangered minorities in Afghanistan, numbering approximately 700 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Aug 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1085.IH HR1085 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1085 IH out of a community that recently included over 8,000 members; Whereas members of the Islamic State-Khorasan, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) affiliate in Afghani- stan, attacked a Sikh temple in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 25, 2020, killing 25 worshipers, including Tanya Kaur, a four-year-old girl; Whereas Islamic State-Khorasan militants made further at- tempts on the lives of the survivors before and after the funeral ceremony held for the victims; Whereas the Islamic State-Khorasan claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on July 1, 2018, which took the lives of 19 people, including most of the senior leadership of the Sikh and Hindu commu- nities in Afghanistan, who had assembled to meet the Af- ghan President; Whereas these acts of violence follow a greater pattern of tar- geted violence against Sikhs, Hindus, and other religious minorities in Afghanistan in recent years; Whereas the Department of State and United States Com- mission on International Religious Freedom have docu- mented systemic discrimination against Sikhs and Hin- dus in Afghanistan, including restrictions on religious practices, illegal seizure of property, the inability to send their children to public schools due to harassment, judi- cial bias against religious minorities, and constitutional limitations on the political rights of religious minorities; Whereas the former Taliban-led government routinely per- secuted and discriminated against the Afghan Sikh com- munity, restricting their funeral rites and forcing the VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Aug 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1085.IH HR1085 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1085 IH community to publicly identify themselves by wearing yel- low armbands; and Whereas the President of the United States has proposed re- settling up to 18,000 refugees pursuant to section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) for fiscal year 2020, in contrast to the Obama administra- tion’s proposal of 110,000 refugees for fiscal year 2016: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) expresses concern for the safety of Sikhs 2 and Hindus in Afghanistan; 3 (2) condemns all terrorist attacks, religious per- 4 secution, and discrimination against members of the 5 Sikh and Hindu religious minority communities in 6 Afghanistan; 7 (3) recognizes that members of the Sikh and 8 Hindu communities face existential danger in Af- 9 ghanistan; and 10 (4) supports resettling Sikhs and Hindus from 11 Afghanistan in the United States under the United 12 States Refugee Admissions Program pursuant to 13 section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 14 (8 U.S.C. 1157). 15 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Aug 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1085.IH HR1085 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS