LITTLE ROCK, AR – Rep. French Hill (AR-02) today issued the following statement on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) recent report on religious freedom in Egypt.
“As I have said for years, Egypt is an ally and friend of the United States and the Egyptian government continues to do and say the right things at the top to promote religious inclusion and tolerance. While I am pleased the USCIRF’s updated assessment on Egypt shows that religiously motivated violence in rural areas has declined, discrimination against Christians and other religious minorities is still predominant in society.
“It is also concerning that while the area of religious tolerance gradually improves, other areas of human rights continue to decline. Egypt’s arrest and indefinite pre-trial detention of journalists and religious and civil activists continues. The Egyptian government must release these prisoners of conscience and end the perpetual loop of pre-trial detention these individuals face. In my view, these are reasonable and constructive steps for Egypt to achieve, thus better anchoring our friendship and long partnership in the region.”
Further Background:
In February, Rep. Hill and Rep. David Cicilline (RI-01) introduced H.Res. 117, Supporting Coptic Christians in Egypt. The resolution calls on the Egyptian government to take further action to promote religious tolerance and end religious discrimination against Egypt’s Christian population.
