From Tony Perkins at the Family Research Council:
Most conservatives can probably count on one hand the number of times a Republican bill has gotten 100% Democratic support. Yesterday was one of those rare moments, as Senators on both sides of the aisle embraced Sen. Roy Blunt's (R-Mo.) bill to protect religious liberty abroad. While Iraq, Syria, and Egypt explode in faith-based turmoil, the plight of Jews, Catholics, and Christians has gone virtually unnoticed by the Western World (with the exception of the occasional hashtag campaign).
As tragic as Meriam Ibrahim's story has been, her imprisonment has helped raise the urgency of America's involvement overseas. With the State Department slow to respond to her crisis -- which until recently, included a death sentence and flogging for her Christian faith -- the void once filled by the U.S. is painfully apparent. As FRC's Leanna Baumer explains, the Senate took an encouraging step forward in forcing the State Department to prioritize the freedom of religion in diplomatic efforts by passing its Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act.
After a year of idling in the Senate, conservatives finally broke through the negotiations and resolved any concerns about cost. By creating a special envoy, Congress is cutting through some of the State Department's bureaucracy and providing the rapid response necessary to beat back these attacks on human rights. Passing this measure was a priority for FRC as we explained the importance in a letter to members of Congress, "Providing a representative to the Near East and South Central Asia who focused exclusively on these issues, is a direct way to communicate that these egregious acts of religious violence are morally unacceptable and at odds with the strategic interests of the United States."
The bills of Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Va.), who led this campaign to passage in the House, and Sen. Blunt would take a critical step toward protecting the vulnerable religious minorities in each of these volatile countries. In reopening the debate last year, Rep. Wolf pointed back to the President's own comments on religious persecution. "We can't say 'never again' and then allow it to happen again, and as a president of the United States, I don't intend to abandon people or turn a blind eye to slaughter.'" "I wish," Wolf added, "and more importantly the suffering people of [the world] wish, we had seen an ounce of that moral clarity and conviction since you took office."
Never has there been a greater need for freedom's voice to speak into the darkness of religious oppression. We're grateful that members of both parties see the need to push for that moral clarity -- before it's too late.