Congressman Moore, Senator Hawley Introduce Resolution Condemning International Persecution of Christians

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Riley M. Moore and Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri introduced a resolution on Thursday condemning the persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority countries across the globe.

In April, Congressman Moore gave a speech on the House Floor highlighting the rampant violence and martyrdom many Christians are facing simply for proclaiming their faith in Jesus Christ.

The bill is endorsed by ADF International, Heritage Action for America, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, In Defense of Christians, Global Christian Relief, CatholicVote, Advancing American Freedom, Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE), Family Policy Alliance, Christians Engaged, and Save the Persecuted Christians.

Lawmakers joining on as original co-sponsors included: Greg Steube (FL-17); Michael Guest (MS-3); Glenn Grothman (WI-6); Addison McDowell (NC-6); Brandon Gill (TX-26); Pat Harrigan (NC-10); and Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13) .

Congressman Moore issued the following statement:

“Around the world, our brothers and sisters in Christ face rampant persecution for simply acknowledging the name of Jesus. That is unacceptable.

“In Nigeria alone, more than 50,000 Christians have been martyred and more than 5 million have been displaced simply for professing their faith. During a Divine Liturgy in Damascus last month, an islamic jihadist opened fire on worshippers and detonated an explosive device — killing at least 30 and wounding dozens more. These examples illustrate the violence and death Christians face on a daily basis.

“Unfortunately, decades of U.S. foreign policy blunders have exacerbated this crisis, with ethno-religious cleansing accelerating in Iraq after our failure to stabilize the country following the 2003 invasion.

“We as lawmakers cannot continue to sit idly by. I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning the persecution of Christians across the globe.”

Senator Hawley added:

“Our country was founded on religious liberty. We cannot sit on the sidelines as Christians around the world are being persecuted for declaring Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We must condemn these heinous crimes. Year after year, the number of Christians murdered by extremists in Nigeria has numbered in the thousands. Millions more have been displaced. We cannot allow this to continue. I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning the persecution of Christians around the world by supporting this resolution.”