Mr. BONKER. It has been moved and seconded. All in favor will signify by saying "Aye." Those opposed, "No." Mr. BONKER. The resolution is adopted.1 Mr. FRANK. Thank you. Mr. BONKER. Thank you, Mr. Frank. We will now move the second resolution before the subcommittee, House Resolution 269, offered by Mr. Smith from New Jersey. Are there any amendments? Is there a motion to adopt the resolution? Mr. LEACH. I move adoption of the resolution. Mr. GEJDENSON. I second the motion. Mr. BONKER. It has been moved and seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will say "Aye." Those opposed, "No." The subcommittee has adopted the resolution.2 Mr. Smith, I want to thank you. We will report both of the resolutions to the full committee. Mr. SMITH. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. BONKER. We will now begin the hearing on religious persecution. Beginning in the early 1970's, the Congress developed a human rights policy through a series of amendments to the Foreign Assistance Act. That act provides the basis for a human rights policy as envisioned by the Congress. The law can be found in sections 116 and 502(B) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended. Therein lies the description of human rights violation. That includes "torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without charges, causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction and clandestine detention of those persons or other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, and the security of person The Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations has conducted a number of hearings to make sure that successive administrations comply with the letter and the spirit of the law. Today, many innocent people around the world are also victims of a special kind of human rights violation-religious persecution. The phenomenon of religious persecution is not limited to any particular political system or region of the world. Unfortunately, it occurs too often, and people are made to suffer because of their religious beliefs and ethical convictions. The subcommittee has before it a map that is put out by Christian Solidarity International, which indicates where religious persecution exists in the world today. One is amazed by the number of countries that engage in this activity. 1 H. Con. Res. 100 passed the Foreign Affairs Committee on March 16, 1982, and the markup was printed in "Soviet Occupation of Afghanistan and Certain Other Human Rights Matters.' The resolution passed the House of Representatives on March 23, 1982, and passed the Senate on March 25, 1982. 2 H. Res. 269 passed the Foreign Affairs Committee on April 1, 1982, and the markup was printed in "Human Rights-Soviet Union." The resolution pass the House of Representatives on May 4, 1982. In Albania and North Korea-officially atheistic states-religion of any kind is outlawed. In Africa, the Falasha Jews are relentlessly persecuted in Ethiopia. In South Africa, antiapartheid religious believers, both black and white, are harassed and jailed or banned. In many Latin American countries, Jews, Catholic priests, nuns, and lay leaders, as well as those who work with Protestant mission groups, are tortured, jailed, or assassinated for their witness on behalf of the poor, the silenced, and the suffering. In Asia, the Moslems are fighting a bitter war in the Philippines; In Taiwan, South Korea, and other countries, the Presbyterians and other Christians suffer harsh treatment because of their beliefs. In the U.S.S.R. and other East European countries, both Christians and Jews are harshly persecuted for their beliefs, and most of them are denied the right to immigrate to countries where their freedom of worship is secure. In the Middle East, similar repressions can be found. In Iran, the situation is desperate as the Baha'i community has been singled out for extermination by the Islamic authorities solely because of their faith; in Egypt many of the Coptic Christians languish in jails. When President Mubarak met with the committee last week, I raised the question of the Coptic Pope who is also being held in detention. The list goes on. What is interesting to note is that this is an issue that transcends all national boundaries. It doesn't matter whether the countries are authoritarian or totalitarian or capitalistic or socialistic, or African, Asian, Latin American, or European, religious persecution is a phenomenon that is widespread in the world today. The sad truth is that few countries in the world enjoy the religious freedoms that are so treasured in the United States. All available evidence presented to the subcommittee indicates that the free exercise of religion is limited, at least to a degree, in most regions of the world. Religious freedom is a human rights issue. As a people who profess to be "God fearing," the United States ought to give special attention to the question of religious persecution. The Bible speaks out plainly about this subject. [Mr. Bonker's prepared opening statement follows:] PREPARED OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DON BONKER, CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS This hearing is the first in a series of hearings the Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations is holding on the subject of religious persecution as a violation of human rights. It is an issue of particular concern to me, and one which I look forward to investigating in greater depth in the course of these hearings. Beginning in the early 1970's, the Congress developed a human rights policy through a series of amendments to the Foreign Assistance Act. The basis of that policy is the description of violations of human rights as found in sections 116 and 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 as amended. This includes, "torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without charges, causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction and clandestine detention of those persons or other flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, and the security of person.' The Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations has conducted a number of hearings to make sure that successive administrations have complied with the letter and spirit of the human rights laws. Today, many innocent people around the world are also victims of a special kind of human rights violation-religious persecution. The phenomenon of religious persecution is not limited to any particular political system or region of the world. Unfortunately, it occurs too often and people are made to suffer because of their religious and ethical convictions. In Albania and North Korea-officially atheistic states-religion of any kind is outlawed. In Africa, the Falasha Jews are relentlessly persecuted in Ethiopia; in South Africa, anti-apartheid religious believers-both black and white-are harassed, jailed, or banned. In many Latin American countries, Jews, Catholic priests, nuns, and lay leaders, as well as those who work with Protestant mission groups, are tortured, jailed, or assassinated for their witness on behalf of the poor, the silenced, and the suffering. In Asia, the Moslems are fighting a bitter war in the Philippines; in Taiwan, South Korea and other countries, the Presbyterians and other Christians suffer harsh treatment because of their beliefs. In the U.S.S.R. and other East European countries, both Christians and Jews are harshly persecuted for their beliefs, and most of them are denied the right to immigrate to countries where their freedom of worship is secure. In the Middle East, similar repressions can be found. In Iran, the situation is desperate as the Baha'i community has been singled out for extermination by the İslamic authorities solely because of their faith; in Egypt many of the Coptic Christians languish in jails. The list goes on-the sad truth is that few countries in the world enjoy the religious freedoms that are so treasured in the United States. All available evidence presented to the subcommittee indicates that the free exercise of religion is limited, at least to a degree, in most parts of the world. And discrimination, imprisonment, torture and death are often the price paid for one's religious belief. Religious freedom is a human rights issue. As a people who profess to be "God fearing," the United States ought to give special attention to the question of religious persecution. The Bible speaks plainly about this subject. Jesus said of victims of persecution, "Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. At today's hearing, we have several excellent witnesses who will give us the definition, scope and historical aspects of religious persecution. In subsequent hearings we will focus on specific instances of religious persecution in the Middle East and Europe, in Latin America, in Asia, and in Africa. Mr. BONKER. The subcommittee intends to have two such sessions in which we can hear from experts in this field and to get an idea of the scope of this very important problem. Subsequently, the subcommittee will have hearings on specific examples of religious persecution so that we can focus exclusive attention on more acute cases of persecution of religious freedoms. At this time, I would like the three witnesses to come to the witness table, and we will hear from each of you before we open for questions and comments. While they are approaching the table, I would like to call on the ranking minority member of the subcommittee, Mr. Jim Leach, for comments. Mr. LEACH. Mr. Chairman, I just want to congratulate you for holding these hearings on this very important subject. First, I would like to note that Congressman Porter had requested the opportunity to testify. I understand that the feeling was that because his resolution might be more appropriately dealt with at a later date, he could testify then. Second, I would like to note that I have had the privilege of working for Dean Ernest Gordon at the Princeton University Chapel as a young chapel deacon. He brings before the subcommittee a background of a different type of persecution that I think all of us should contemplate. He was a prisoner of war at the location called the River Kwai. Mr. BONKER. The River Kwai, yes. Mr. LEACH. I read his book many years ago. In fact, I read it before a final exam. I was inspired, but not too knowledgeable. In any respect, for those of you who have ever seen the movie about the River Kwai, Dean Gordon was a Scottish captain who was among those held at the famous prisoner-of-war camp there. I might add that Professor Clark has an esteemed background, as well, as a former teacher at the University of Iowa, which I currently have the privilege of representing in this Congress, and brings before us a New Zealand accent. We are blessed with an international perspective. Mr. BONKER. You can see who had influence on the selection of our witnesses this morning. [Laughter.] But we recognize each of you as authorities on this subject, and we are very anxious to hear from you. For the benefit of the record, the three witnesses are Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, who is the director of the Office of International Justice and Peace, U.S. Catholic Conference; Prof. Roger Clark, professor of law, Rutgers University Law School; and Dr. Ernest Gordon, president of CREED, the Christian Rescue Effort for Emancipation of Dissidents. I have also had the opportunity to work with Dr. Gordon. His organization is set up to focus attention on human rights problems around the world, and this subcommittee has worked very closely with him on a number of occasions. At least one of our colleagues here is on the advisory board of CREED. I believe we will start with Dr. Gordon, and then go to Professor Clark, and then to Reverend Hehir. Dr. Gordon, it is a privilege to have you before the subcommittee. We have had to reschedule on several occasions, as you know. We are pleased that, at last, we are beginning these hearings, and that you are our leadoff witness. STATEMENT OF ERNEST GORDON, PRESIDENT, CHRISTIAN RESCUE EFFORT FOR EMANCIPATION OF DISSIDENTS Mr. GORDON. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen. It is a great pleasure to be here. I am indeed glad that this Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations exists to deliberate on the subject of human rights and religious persecution. The awareness of the need to consider such a subject is comparatively new. It didn't appear to be a concern of the Western democracies in the years of the Third Reich, from 1933 to 1945. The Nuremberg laws of September 15, 1935, for example, were the evidence of a nation's decision to eliminate a religious community to the extent that 6 million Jews were sacrificed. This persecution was not limited to the Jews. The Catholic Youth League, for example, was dissolved by government action. Eric Klausner, head of Catholic Action, was murdered by government agents in 1934, an act indicative of a policy of control and destruction. For opposing the nazification of the Protestant churches, over 800 pastors of the Confessional Church were arrested in 1937, and hundreds more within the next 2 years. It is only recently that the West has taken seriously the record of religious persecution in the Soviet Union. The premise for this religious persecution is stated in section 13 of the Communist Party Constitution, which demands that every member must be an atheist and engage in antireligious propaganda. Malcolm Muggeridge reports that he wrote about religious persecution in the Soviet Union when he was in Moscow as a correspondent of the Manchester Guardian in 1935. He was ridiculed for doing so by the press of that time. It wasn't until the fall of 1963 that the persecution of believers was documented in a letter smuggled out of the country and written by a distinguished group of believers. It was Solzhenitsyn, however, who has documented the horror and extent of this persecution. In 60 years of the Soviets' existence, 70 million people have been exterminated. I know of no golden age in the past. Yet, this may be the worst stage of all, so far as the people of the world is concerned. The witness of Solidarity and the people of Poland tells us that the record of punishment and imprisonment is no mere accident, but the deliberate policy of tyrannical forms of government stretching from our neighbor, Cuba, around the planet. James H. Billington, director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at the Smithsonian Institution here in Washington, maintains in his recent book, "Fire in the Minds of Men," that the political revolutions, from the time of the French Revolution on, are the direct consequence of ideologies which have been and are being given ultimate worth. I believe this to be the case. The most powerful of these, of course, has been Marxism, with its threefold expression of negativism, materialism, and atheism. It is this ideology which has done so much to destroy the civilization of the West, one which was at least 1,500 years in maturing. The irony is that this ideology has dominated most where Marx expected it least; namely, in the nontechnological countries of Russia, Africa, and Asia. Why is it that this ideology has flourished like a weed in the countries that are classified under the heading of Third World? The only answer I can think of, and I am sure there is a better one, is that the collective consciousness of the controlled society is not too different from the cosmic consciousness of the Oriental religions and their derivative cultures. Both reject the existence of individuals in their freedom and responsibilities. For the Communists, for example, man qua man does not exist except as a classless society. Thus, responsible individuals in community are replaced by an all-embracing ideology which demands total obedience. To abbreviate the statement of Martin Buber, those who of the left without memory, and those of the right who control memory, march together into the common abyss. The agony of the Third World seems to be that of a catastrophic revolution from a tribal to a collective society which attempts to enforce a barely understood ideology upon the people in the name |