hearing transcript (pdf - 690 kb) - House Foreign Affairs Committee ...

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we have observed when we have traveled abroad. I daresay that
many countries to which I have been privileged to go and people
that I have been able to meet there, time and time again you see
in their eyes and you hear in their voices this desperate plea for
help in order to pursue the most basic human freedom, and that
is the freedom to worship in their own way.
It is to our great credit in the United States, frankly, that we do
not see that here. There may have been a time even in our history
when religious freedom was curtailed, but certainly thank God that
it has not been an aspect of our national character for a long, long,
long time, and—I don’t know where anyone else goes in this country
and what they see, but I have never seen that look in anyone’s
eyes here. I have never heard that in anyone’s voice here, this desperate
need for help in order to achieve this basic human freedom,
and that is to worship as they please. To the extent that we can
and that we legitimately hold ourselves up as a model, I think it
is well deserved.
That does not mean that we should avoid criticism or that it is
not due, it is just that I think the work of this Committee, especially
Madam Chairman and also my good friend and colleague Mr.
Smith, in and of itself is exemplary, frankly. I can’t think of another
group of people, I can’t think of other individuals who have
contributed more to this basic freedom around the world than
Madam Chairman and Mr. Smith. I am personally—I will tell you,
I am proud and always flattered to be able to sit on the same dais
with you, both of you, and I think the world owes you a debt of
gratitude. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you, Mr. Tancredo.
Mr. Pitts.
Mr. PITTS. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for holding this
important hearing on the international religious freedom report. As
the witnesses will share, religious freedom violations are rampant
around the world. Every day I receive reports in my office detailing
atrocities experienced by religious minorities at the hands of their
governments and/or communities in other parts of the world. In
Nepal, in Burma, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Vietnam,
Laos, Turkmenistan, North Korea, Sudan, China, Saudi Arabia,
Belarus and numerous other countries, religious freedom is under
attack today. The State Department’s Annual Report on International
Religious Freedom—and I want to thank all of the personnel
in the State Department for all the work that went into preparing
this report in addition to the annual country reports on
human rights—is an important part of raising religious freedom
concerns so that light shines on the dark deeds committed against
these peaceful religious believers.
I would like to take the opportunity today to applaud the courageous
men and women of the human rights community around the
world and their work to fight against injustice and for the protection
of fundamental human rights, such as religious freedom for
the people of their nations.
Earlier this summer I met with a delegation composed of an academic,
a Catholic priest, and a Hindu human rights activist from
India. They visited in our office and shared horrifying reports of
the attacks on the Dalit, Christian and Muslim communities by
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