International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 Amendment

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of H.R. 4028, the Protect Cemeteries Act, which I authored.

This resolution amends the International Religious Freedom Act to include the desecration of cemeteries among the forms of violations of the right to religious freedom.

I would like to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for helping to craft and advance this bipartisan resolution and for recognizing the seriousness of cemetery desecration. There is truly a bipartisan and collaborative spirit on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and that is a testament to its excellent leadership.

I would also like to thank Congressman Doug Collins for his partnership here and valuable contributions to the bill, and thank you to both Republican and Democratic committee staffs for recognizing the value of this resolution and working so hard to bring it to the floor today.

I would particularly like to thank Janice Kaguyutan, Jessica Kahan, and Doug Campbell for all their help and great work. Thanks as well to Agudath Israel and to Dr. Bernard Fryshman for his dogged advocacy on this issue over many years.

The resolution is short, but--I believe--very significant. We are strengthening the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 by addressing the sanctity of burial grounds. Pursuant to this act, the United States can impose penalties on countries that obstruct religious freedom. These include, but are not limited to cutting foreign aid, imposing trade sanctions, and canceling cultural and scientific exchanges.

There are two related problems we seek to address through this legislation. One is the religiously motivated vandalism of cemeteries that occurs with alarming regularity. The second is the building and development over cemeteries in places where there are no communities remaining to protect and look out for the cemeteries. H.R. 4028 will give our diplomats a new tool they can use to protect our interests.

H.R. 4028 also empowers the commissions on International Religious Freedom and on the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. The latter commission was established in the 1980s through legislation introduced by the late Congressman Stephen Solarz.

It works to identify and preserve cemeteries, memorials, and buildings in foreign countries that are associated with the cultural heritage of Americans, and it does much work in areas of the former Soviet Union, where Jewish communities were destroyed by the Holocaust and where power subsequently passed to atheistic, communist regimes.

It is essential that we act to protect religious freedom in these areas where, as we know, political instability and anti-Semitism are widespread. The genocides of the 20th century destroyed communities and left their burial grounds uncared for and unpreserved.

The preservation of cemeteries often reflects the religious tolerance and freedom of the countries in which they are located. It is my hope that this resolution will help promote such preservation and greater tolerance, respect, and empathy around the world, as well as honest assessments of history. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4028.

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