USCIRF Preparing To Shut Down, Again…
Posted Monday, December 12, 2011 in Persecuted Christians, Top Religion News
Full Article: Persecution
12/12/2011 United States (ONN) - The 2-year reauthorization bill is still held up in the Senate, so unless Congress takes action, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) will go out of business on Friday.
CQ Weekly reports that HR 2867 has been placed on "hold" by Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin (D) because of an unrelated matter. Durbin wants Congress to appropriate funds for the government to purchase a prison in his district and turn it into a federal facility.
Last week, the Government Services Administration instructed staff to begin archiving records and getting set to close operations. USCIRF Chair Leonard Leo tells OneNewsNow the U.S. has always stood for international religious freedom.
"We've always believed as a country that freedom of religion is essential to maintaining the individual worth and dignity of every human person, and that's been a very important part of our foreign policy," he explains. "If we close our doors, that will send a very strong signal to human rights-abusing countries around the world that we don't place a premium on freedom of religion."
And he says it will concern religious minorities around the world, including Christians who are "relying on the Commission as a beacon of hope."
"One would hope that an appeal to conscience, an appeal to the fact that America has an exceptional and important role in defending religious and ethnic minorities around the world would be enough," Leo notes. "My hope is that the Commission doesn't need to be a political football, and then on principal, everyone can come together."
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