,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #afj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,february #bh1      
#bjai,mr4 ,banks submitted the following
 resolution2 which was referred to the  
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs         
,,resolution  ,expressing concern about 
the threat posed to democracy and human 
rights by theocratic groups operating in
 ,south ,asia4  ,whereas ,bangladesh    
achieved independence in #aiga and      
established a secular democratic state1 
which is home to over #afc million      
,muslims1 ,hindus1 ,buddhists1          
,christians1 and atheists2 ,whereas this
 freedom was won at the cost of         
approximately #c1jjj1jjj deaths1 more   
than #aj1jjj1jjj displaced1 and #bjj1jjj
 women raped1 many at the hands of      
,islamist militants led by              
,jamaat-e-,islami2 ,whereas ,bangladesh 
plays a critical role in the safe and   
voluntary repatriation of over #hjj1jjj 
,rohingya ,muslims who have taken refuge
 in ,bangladesh from religious and      

political persecution in ,myanmar2      
,whereas religious minorities1 including
 ,hindus1 ,buddhists1 ,christians1 and  
,ahamadi ,muslims1 have been attacked by
 ,jamaat-e-,islami1 and their subsidiary
 ,islami ,chhatra ,shibir1 as a result  
of which hundreds of homes have been    
damaged1 shops damaged or looted1 and   
temples vandalized2 ,whereas            
,jamaat-e-,islami applauded the         
assassination of ,punjab ,governor      
,salmaan ,taseer for defending the      
rights of ,asia ,bibi1 a ,christian     
woman accused of blasphemy in ,pakistan2
 ,whereas ,jamaat-e-,islami led funeral 
prayers for the terrorist who           
assassinated ,salmaan ,taseer1 during   
which they prayed for the strength and  
power to enforce ,shariah throughout the
 world2 ,whereas ,jamaat-e-,islami has  
refused to accept the acquittal of ,asia
 ,bibi on blasphemy charges and worked  
to prevent her from leaving ,pakistan   
where she faces mortal danger2 ,whereas 
,jamaat-e-,islami members have been     

linked with al-,qaida and the ,taliban2 
,whereas ,jamaat-e-,islami and          
affiliated theocratic extremist groups  
pose an immediate and ongoing threat to 
stability and secular democracy in      
,south ,asia1 leaving religious         
minorities at grave risk of continuing  
violence2 ,whereas the ,european        
,parliament adopted a resolution urging 
the ,bangladesh ,nationalist ,party to  
unequivocally distance itself from      
,jamaat-e-,islami2 ,whereas respected   
,bangladeshi jurist and political       
opposition leader ,kamal ,hossain has   
publicly called for the ,bangladesh     
,nationalist ,party to sever its ties   
with ,jamaat-e-,islami2 ,whereas various
 organizations in the ,united ,states   
that receive ,federal funds1 such as the
 ,islamic ,circle of ,north ,america1   
share leadership and are openly         
affiliated with ,jamaat-e-,islami2      
,whereas ,helping ,hand for ,relief and 
,development1 a registered charitable   
organization in the ,united ,states1    

openly partnered in #bjag with          
,pakistan's ,falah-e-,insaniat          
,foundation1 which the ,united ,states  
,government designated as a terrorist   
organization in #bjaf2 ,whereas repeated
 attacks on religious minorities1       
expanding religious extremism1 and      
growing destabilization caused by       
radical groups1 including               
,jamaat-e-,islami and its affiliates1   
undermine ,united ,states economic and  
strategic interests in ,bangladesh2 and 
,whereas there is a growing trend of    
,islamic extremism in ,south ,asia tied 
to pro-,islamic ,state of ,iraq and     
,syria activity1 with several arrests of
 ,islamists linked with the terrorist   
group made in recent years3 ,now1       
therefore1 be it  ,that the ,house of   
,representatives-- 7#a7 expresses its   
sense that the ,united ,states should   
more actively engage with the           
,government of ,bangladesh regarding    
shared interests in safeguarding human  
rights1 religious freedom1 and secular  

democracy in ,bangladesh1 while         
preventing the growth of religious      
extremism and militancy2  7#b7 calls on 
the ,governments of ,bangladesh and     
,pakistan to deny1 disrupt1 and         
dismantle the ability of                
,jamaat-e-,islami and its affiliates to 
continue posing an immediate and ongoing
 threat to religious freedom and        
regional stability2  7#c7 urges the     
,bangladesh ,nationalist ,party and all 
political parties to unequivocally      
distance themselves from                
,jamaat-e-,islami and other extremist   
organizations2  7#d7 calls on the       
,united ,states ,agency for             
,international ,development1 the        
,department of ,state1 the ,department  
of ,homeland ,security1 and other       
relevant agencies1 to halt all          
partnerships and funding arrangements   
with groups affiliated with             
,jamaat-e-,islami and its domestic      
affiliates1 including the ,islamic      
,circle of ,north ,america1 ,,icna      

,relief1 ,helping ,hand for ,relief and 
,development1 and the ,muslim ,ummah of 
,north ,america2 and  7#e7 calls on law 
enforcement to investigate the          
activities of ,helping ,hand for ,relief
 and ,development in ,pakistan and      
,kashmir1 including reported            
collaboration with components of the    
,pakistani terrorist network1           
,lashkar-e-,taiba4