On the recordDecember 13, 2011
I thank the gentleman from California and also the gentleman from Kentucky for yielding to me. I rise in support of the resolution. Mr. Speaker, I have become increasingly concerned with the direction of Turkey in the past few years. It has elected an Islamist government which has pushed the country toward Iran and into conflict with Israel. While I am relieved that Ankara is now taking a strong stand against the repression in Syria, finally, much needs to change in Turkey. In particular, Turkey, which has such a profound connection with the birth and growth of Christianity, has today expropriated church properties, harassed worshipers, and refused to grant full legal status to some Christian groups. In fact, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom placed Turkey on its watch list for the third straight year, and concluded that ``the Turkish Government continues to impose serious limitations on freedom of religion or belief, thereby threatening the continued vitality and survival of religious communities in Turkey.'' I, therefore, rise in strong support of H. Res. 306, which urges Turkey to return stolen Christian churches to the Armenian, Greek, Assyrian and Syriac communities and to end discrimination against surviving Christians.
