,,iii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #fi  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of
 ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march #g1    
#bjac ,mr4 ,inhofe submitted the        
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,foreign          
,relations  ,,resolution  ,calling for  
the protection of religious minority    
rights and freedoms in the ,arab world4 
,whereas1 on ,january #be1 #bjaa1 in    
,tahrir ,square1 ,egyptian protestors   
found their voice when they successfully
 ended the #cj-plus year rule of        
,president ,mubarak and began the work  
of creating a true democratic           
government1 a government that supports  
and protects inalienable rights and     
freedoms1 including the freedom of      
religion2 ,whereas the fervor and spirit
 of these revolutions have taken wing in
 other ,arab nations such as ,tunisia1  
,libya1 and ,syria2 ,whereas1           
reminiscent of the #aifh ,prague ,spring
 in the former ,czechoslovakia1 many    
have called this revolutionary period an

 ,arab ,spring1 where ordinary citizens 
have taken to the streets demanding an  
end to corruption1 political cronyism1  
and government repression2 ,whereas1 in 
the midst of newly acquired freedoms1   
including those of speech1 press1 and   
assembly1 it is extremely important that
 religious minorities in these countries
 be protected from violence and         
guaranteed the freedom to practice their
 religion and to express religious      
thought2 ,whereas ,article #ah of the   
,universal ,declaration of ,human       
,rights recognizes that everyone has the
 right to freedom of thought1           
conscience1 and religion2 this right    
includes freedom to change his religion 
or belief1 and freedom1 either alone or 
in community with others and in public  
or private1 to manifest his religion or 
belief in teaching1 practice1 worship1  
and observance2 ,whereas the freedom to 
worship by minority religious           
communities in ,arab nations has come   
under repeated and deadly attack in     

recent months2 ,whereas1 on ,november   
#a1 #bjaj1 the deadliest ever recorded  
attack on ,iraqi ,christians occurred at
 the ,sayidat al-,nejat ,catholic       
,cathedral located in central ,baghdad1 
where militants stormed the church and  
detonated #b suicide vests filled with  
ball bearings1 killing #eh and wounding 
#gh parishioners2 ,whereas1 on ,january 
#a1 #bjaa1 a suicide bomber blew himself
 up in front of the ,saint ,george and  
,bishop ,peter ,church in ,cairo1       
killing #ba ,egyptian ,coptic           
,christians1 a ,christian minority group
 that accounts for #i percent of        
,egypt's population of #hj1jjj1jjj2     
,whereas the freedom to proselytize by  
minority religious communities in ,arab 
nations has also come under repeated and
 deadly attack in recent months through 
so-called blasphemy laws that are       
punishable by death2 ,whereas1 on       
,january #d1 #bjaa1 ,governor ,salman   
,tasser1 who courageously sought to     
release ,aasia ,bibi1 a ,christian woman

 and mother of #e who was sentenced to  
death under ,pakistan's blasphemy laws1 
was gunned down by his own security     
guard because of his support for        
reforming the blasphemy laws2 ,whereas1 
on ,march #b1 #bjaa1 ,shahbaz ,bhatti1  
,pakistan's only ,christian cabinet     
member and passionate supporter of      
interfaith tolerance and repeal of      
,pakistan's blasphemy law1 was          
assassinated by multiple gunmen1 leaving
 his body and vehicle riddled with #hj  
bullets and anti-,christian pamphlets   
strewn over his body2 and ,whereas1 on  
,february #ba1 #bjac1 ,sherry ,rehman1  
,pakistan's ,ambassador to the ,united  
,states1 and a vocal proponent of       
repealing ,pakistan's blasphemy law1 was
 herself accused of blasphemy1 and the  
,supreme ,court of ,pakistan ordered    
police in the central ,pakistani city of
 ,multan to investigate3 ,now1          
therefore1 be it  ,that the ,senate--   
7#a7 recognizes1 in this spirit of ,arab
 ,spring revolution1 that religious     

minority freedoms and rights must be    
protected2 and  7#b7 urges in the       
strongest terms that the ,united ,states
 ,government lead the international     
effort to repeal existing blasphemy     
laws4