By Victor Ochieng
Why it didn’t generate so much online debate isn’t known, but last week something noteworthy happened. The United States Congress unanimously supported an amendment to the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, a far reaching amendment to the international religious freedom law. And on Friday, President Barack Obama signed the bill into law.
What’s Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act about? Well, it stemmed from a bill that successfully amended the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), an act that demands the establishment of the International Religious Freedom Office (IRFO). The office will operate within the Department of State and the independently run United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The fundamental reasons why the movers of the motion sought the creation of these offices included condemning acts that threaten religious freedom and channeling support to international governments that uphold the religious rights of their citizens.
Why is the act named after Frank R. Wolf and who is he? To begin with, Wolf is the person who sponsored the original bill in 1998. Wolf, a recently retired Virginia congressman, is known to have been among the most vocal congressmen on matters of religious right throughout his 17 terms.
The intention of the amendment, according to Rep. Chris Smith, who cosponsored the bill, is to strengthen IRFA to enable it to effectively tackle religious persecution that’s showing its horns in different countries across the globe. It seeks to give the State Department teeth to better respond to religious extremism globally.
The new law will go a long way in championing religious freedom and diplomacy globally. It will help diplomats to better counter extremist acts, religious persecution, as well as the rising cases of anti-Semitism and sectarian discord.
There are several specific roles the law proffers on different state agencies, including asking for “more frequent presidential actions to counter severe religious freedom violations globally.”
Passing the amendment received bipartisan support from both political players and ecumenical organizations.
“The passage of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act shows a strong coalition working together for the cause of international religious freedom,” said Russell Moore, a member of the TGC Council. “The bipartisan nature of this passage shows us that religious freedom does not have to be a partisan issue but is rooted in our deepest commitments as Americans, and I hope that persecuted religious minorities around the globe will see that they have not been forgotten. While the passage of this act by no means solves the religious freedom crisis around the world, it is a step in the right direction.” Moore is also the president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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