Chris Smith: “Eighteen years ago, Congress had the foresight to pass the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. That landmark…”

“Eighteen years ago, Congress had the foresight to pass the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. That landmark bill made advancing the right to religious freedom a U.S. foreign policy priority. The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 needed to be upgraded to meet some of the new challenges of the 21st century. This bill, the Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2016, accomplishes that goal by integrating international religious freedom into U.S. foreign policy; improving the ability of the U.S. government to advance religious freedom globally through enhanced diplomacy, training, counterterrorism, and foreign assistance efforts; and giving the Secretary of State stronger and more flexible political responses to growing religious freedom violations. Religion is an even more relevant foreign policy issue today than it was eighteen years ago. From China and Vietnam to Syria and Nigeria, we are witnessing a tragic, global crisis in religious persecution, violence and terrorism, with dire consequences for religious minorities and for U.S. national security. The biggest threats to our nation often come from those most violently opposed to religious freedom. Thus, the promotion of religious liberty is not an isolated human rights concern, but a fundamental component of our national security.…”