[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 4] [Senate] [Pages 4845-4846] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]PROMOTING FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN AFGHANISTAN Mr. BENNETT. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 421, which was submitted earlier today. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: A resolution (S. Res. 421) calling on the government of Afghanistan to uphold freedom of religion and urging the Government of the United States to promote religious freedom in Afghanistan. There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution. Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in the past week, the world has witnessed the arrest, the imprisonment, the threatened execution, and eventually the release of a man in Afghanistan named Abdul Rahman. His so-called crime? Apostasy. He was threatened with capital punishment because 16 years ago, while working on a humanitarian mission in Pakistan, he converted to Christianity. Abdul Rahman has thankfully been released, and charges against him have been dropped. However, religious freedom remains in jeopardy in Afghanistan as do those who might choose to practice it. I have great respect for President Karzai and the state he is trying to build. I respect the right of Afghanistan to its own laws and legal system. But it will be a great tragedy if the overthrow of the Taliban government results in its replacement by a state that professes democracy but falls so far short of such an essential democratic standard: the freedom of belief. We have over 22,000 troops in Afghanistan. Two hundred and eighty-two Americans have given their lives in that country since Operation Enduring Freedom began. [[Page 4846]] Freedom must, by definition, include freedom of religion, It is our responsibility to make that utterly clear. As President Bush has stated, ``We expect [the government of Afghanistan] to honor the universal principle of freedom. It is deeply troubling that a country we helped liberate would hold a person to account because they chose a particular religion over another.'' The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom raised concerns during the drafting of Afghanistan's constitution that it opened the door for cases such as this. Those concerns extend to both members of religious minorities and to members of the country's majority Muslim community who might dare to express an interpretation of Islam that differs from the prevailing orthodoxy. Sadly, these apprehensions have been borne out. The State Department's International Religious Freedom Report for 2005 noted that conversion from Islam is ``in theory'' punishable by death in Afghanistan. Although charges against Mr. Rahman were fortunately dropped, clearly such a punishment is more than simply theoretical. Afghanistan is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which reads in part, ``Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.'' Today, I am introducing a resolution calling on the Government of Afghanistan to live up to the principles it has endorsed in that covenant. This resolution also urges the Government of Afghanistan to consider the importance of religious freedom for the broader relationship between our two countries, and it expresses the sense of Congress that the President and his representatives should raise these human rights issues both publicly and privately. In 1864, Abraham Lincoln wrote a grieving mother who had lost 5 sons in a single day in battle. He sought to offer her consolation for ``so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.'' Two hundred and eighty- two Americans have made that sacrifice in Afghanistan. Countless Afghans died in the struggle against Soviet invaders and others in resistance against the brutal regime of the Taliban. It is my fervent hope that Afghanistan lives up to the promise of its own pledge to uphold human rights: freedom of worship must be part of any true enduring freedom. Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record as if read. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The resolution (S. Res. 421) was agreed to. The preamble was agreed to. The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows: S. Res. 421 Whereas under the Taliban Government of Afghanistan, individuals convicted of promoting faiths other than Islam, or expressing interpretations of Islam differing from the prevailing orthodoxy, could be imprisoned and those converting from Islam could be tortured and publicly executed; Whereas the United States has more than 22,000 members of the Armed Forces stationed in Afghanistan and whereas 282 members of the Armed Forces have given their lives in Afghanistan since Operation Enduring Freedom began in that country; Whereas Abdul Rahman, a citizen of Afghanistan, was arrested and accused of apostasy for converting to Christianity 16 years ago and threatened with execution; Whereas the prosecutor in this case, Abdul Wasi, stated in court that Abdul Rahman ``is known as a microbe in society, and he should be cut off and removed from the rest of Muslim society and should be killed.''; Whereas, while it was a welcome development that charges against Abdul Rahman were dropped, he was forced to seek asylum in Italy; Whereas, despite his release, religious freedom and those who would practice it in Afghanistan remain in jeopardy; Whereas religious freedom is a fundamental principle of democracy; Whereas the Constitution of Afghanistan does not fully guarantee freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or belief; Whereas, on several occasions throughout Afghanistan's constitution drafting process, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom raised concerns that the constitution's ambiguity on issues of conversion and religious expression could lead to unjust criminal accusations against Muslims and non-Muslims alike; Whereas charges of blasphemy since 2002 have justified those concerns; Whereas the International Religious Freedom Report 2005 published by the Department of State does not list Afghanistan among those countries cited for ``State Hostility Toward Minority or Nonapproved Religions'', ``State Neglect of Societal Discrimination or Abuses Against Religious Groups'', or ``Discriminatory Legislation or Policies Prejudicial to Certain Religions'' and notes that ``[t]he new Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respected this right in practice''; Whereas the International Religious Freedom Report 2005 states that conversion from Islam is ``in theory - punishable by death'' in Afghanistan; Whereas the case of Abdul Rahman, other instances of religious persecution or discrimination against minorities, and ambiguities within the Constitution of Afghanistan appear to warrant closer scrutiny in the International Religious Freedom Report 2006; and Whereas Afghanistan is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which reads in part, ``Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.'': Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That-- (1) the Senate-- (A) recognizes freedom of religion as a central tenet of democracy; (B) respects the right of the people of Afghanistan to self-government, while strongly urging the Government of Afghanistan to respect all universally recognized human rights; (C) condemns the arrest of Abdul Rahman and other instances of religious persecution in Afghanistan; (D) commends the dropping of charges against Abdul Rahman; and (E) strongly urges the Government of Afghanistan to consider the importance of religious freedom for the broader relationship between the United States and Afghanistan; and (2) it is the sense of the Senate that the President and the President's representatives should-- (A) in both public and private fora, raise concerns at the highest levels with the Government of Afghanistan regarding the violations of internationally recognized human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief, in Afghanistan; and (B) ensure that the International Religious Freedom Report 2006 for Afghanistan fully addresses the issue of religious persecution in that country, including the arrest of Abdul Rahman. ____________________