Chris Dodd: “I rise to support H.R. 2431--the International Religious Persecution Act of 1998--as amended by the substitute offered…”

“I rise to support H.R. 2431--the International Religious Persecution Act of 1998--as amended by the substitute offered by Senator Nickles and others. I believe that the changes that this amendment makes to the underlying bill vastly improve the effectiveness of this legislation in promoting religious freedom around the world and in better responding to actions that would deny people such freedom, regardless of where they reside. Mr. President, we in the United States are very fortunate. Our Founding Fathers recognized the importance of religious freedom as a bedrock issue. That they did so is not surprising. It was borne out of their personal experiences having been forced to flee their countries because of religious intolerance and outright persecution. For that reason, religious freedom was given a prominent place by the drafters of the Constitution--in the Bill of Rights as the first amendment to the Constitution. We as Americans are not the only ones who cherish and hold dear our religious freedom. This important and unalienable right is also a part of the universal collection of rights that people around the globe hold sacred. It is recognized in both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights.”