House Bill Secures US Role as Defender of Religious Freedom

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has adopted a bill that better equips diplomats to fight international Christian persecution and anti-Semitism.

The bill expands training on international religious freedom for all State Department diplomats and ensures that religious freedom policies are integrated into U.S. foreign policy.

It also creates a tier system to identify which countries are the most severe abusers of religious freedom.

"The world is experiencing an unprecedented crisis of international religious freedom, a crisis that continues to create millions of victims; a crisis that undermines liberty, prosperity and peace; a crisis that poses a direct challenge to the U.S. interests in the Middle East, Russia, China and sub-Saharan Africa,” said bill author Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J.

A press release from the congressman's office lists some key priorities for the bill, specifically empowering future administrations to take action:

-The bill requires annual presidential designations and actions on countries with severe religious freedom abuses;

-It gives the president the authority to designate 'non-state actors' as severe violators of international religious freedom;

-It requires that the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom will report directly to the Secretary of State.

The measure is expected to be reviewed by the House of Representatives in the coming weeks.