Recommended

3 Things You Should Know About the New International Religious Freedom Bill

The bill is backed by Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim leaders, and Republicans and Democrats

Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-California, and Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Virginia, meet with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Jan. 28, 2014.
Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-California, and Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Virginia, meet with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Jan. 28, 2014. | (Photo: Anna Eshoo's office)

In a nation where bitter political divisions are becoming the norm, many are hailing the political and religious unity found in this legislation.

Writing in The Hill Dec. 5, former White House counsel to Bill Clinton Lanny Davis called this new bill's deeper protections for international religious liberty a "golden opportunity" for unity in a polarized country and represents a "bipartisan purple moment."

The bill's two original co-sponsors are Congressman Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican famous for his defenses of the unborn and political prisoners in repressive countries, and Rep. Anna Eshoo, a liberal Democrat from California who co-chairs the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus.

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

"[T]he importance of religious freedom is interwoven in the history of my family as it is in the history of the United States. The freedom of religion embodied in the First Amendment is one of the most important and foundational rights in our country and it is what makes our nation a shining beacon of freedom and tolerance for the entire world," Eshoo said in a press release Tuesday, herself the daughter of Middle Eastern Christians who fled persecution.

Among the bills supporters outside of the government are a smattering of prominent religious and civil society leaders including Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, D.C.; David Novak, president of the Union for Traditional Judaism; and Imam Talal Y. Eid of the Islamic Institute of Boston.

Follow Brandon Showalter on Twitter: @BrandonMShow Follow Brandon Showalter on Facebook: @BrandonMShow

Was this article helpful?

Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone.

By making a recurring donation or a one-time donation of any amount, you're helping to keep CP's articles free and accessible for everyone.

We’re sorry to hear that.

Hope you’ll give us another try and check out some other articles. Return to homepage.

Most Popular

More Articles