,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #di  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of 
,,representatives  ,january #af1        
#bjai,mr4 ,hill of ,arkansas 7for       
himself1 ,mr4 ,cicilline1 ,mr4 ,barr1   
,mr4 ,correa1 ,mr4 ,bost1 ,mrs4         
,walorski1 ,mr4 ,bilirakis1 ,mr4        
,lipinski1 ,mr4 ,david ,p4 ,roe of      
,tennessee1 ,mr4 ,moolenaar1 ,mr4       
,shimkus1 ,mr4 ,rouzer1 and ,mr4 ,babin7
 submitted the following resolution2    
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,foreign ,affairs  ,,resolution         
,supporting ,coptic ,christians in      
,egypt4  ,whereas ,st4 ,mark brought    
,christianity to ,egypt1 where ,coptic  
,christians have been one of the        
indigenous people of ,egypt for over    
#b1jjj years2 ,whereas there are over   
#aj1jjj1jjj ,copts in ,egypt1 making the
 ,copts the largest ,christian and the  
largest non-,muslim community in the    
,middle ,east2 ,whereas ,copts and other
 ,christians have been targets of       
societal aggression resulting in the    

loss of life1 property1 and the         
destruction of churches2 ,whereas1 in   
,january #bjae1 ,president ,abdel       
,fattah el-,sisi was the first ,egyptian
 ,president to make an appearance at a  
,coptic ,christian ,christmas liturgy2  
,whereas1 in ,august #bjaf1 ,egypt      
passed ,law #hj to streamline the church
 construction process2 ,whereas1 as of  
,november #bjah1 of the approximately   
#c1hjj unlicensed churches awaiting     
legalization1 authorities have          
conditionally recognized only #fbg2     
,whereas there are #ci members of       
,egypt's ,parliament that are ,coptic2  
,whereas1 in #bjah1 ,president el-,sisi 
appointed the first ,coptic female      
,governor1 ,dr4 ,manal ,awad ,mikhael1  
to ,damietta ,governorate and a ,coptic 
man1 ,dr4 ,gamal ,gad ,saad as ,governor
 of ,daqahleya ,governorate2 ,whereas   
previously there were no ,copts among   
the #bg ,governors and #ah ,deputy      
,governors in the entire country2       
,whereas ,coptic ,christians face       

discrimination in ,egypt's public-sector
 employment1 including the police force1
 armed services1 education1 the         
judiciary1 and the foreign service2     
,whereas ,islamic ,state of ,iraq and   
,syria 7,,isis7 released a video calling
 ,copts their favorite prey and warning 
of increased attacks2 ,whereas violence 
against ,coptic ,christians1            
particularly in local villages1 is      
rarely punished1 making ,copts more     
susceptible to attacks2 ,whereas        
,egyptian ,government officials         
frequently participate in informal      
reconciliation sessions to address      
incidents of sectarian violence or      
tension1 saying that such sessions      
prevented further violence2 ,whereas    
according to human rights groups1 the   
reconciliation sessions have regularly  
led to outcomes unfavorable to religious
 minorities and precluded recourse to   
the judicial system by such minorities2 
,whereas1 in the summer of #bjag1       
,egypt's security apparatus warned      

churches against attacks and urged them 
to cancel their summer activities for   
fear of attacks by ,islamists2 ,whereas 
civil society institutions1 women's     
rights organizations1 nongovernmental   
organizations 7both national and        
foreign7 have been shut down or their   
activities severely curtailed2 ,whereas 
journalists1 thinkers1 and dissenters   
have been silenced or imprisoned2       
,whereas ,united ,states diplomatic     
leadership contributes meaningfully and 
materially to the international         
protection of religious minorities and  
their faith-based practices and places  
of worship2 ,whereas the ,united ,states
 has a strong interest in combatting the
 threat of ,islamic terrorism and       
ensuring the stability of the region2   
and ,whereas religious freedom and human
 rights are an essential cornerstone of 
democracy that promotes respect for     
individual liberty and contributes to   
greater stability and are priority      
values for the ,united ,states in       

promoting its engagement with other     
countries3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that
 the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7  
acknowledges the central and historic   
importance of the ,united ,states-,egypt
 partnership in advancing the common    
interests of both countries2  7#b7      
appreciates ,egypt's regional role as a 
partner in the fight against terrorism  
and violent extremism2  7#c7 recognizes 
the necessity for ,egypt's leaders to   
take steps toward education reform that 
prioritize impartial instruction of all 
religions and political reform that     
prioritizes human rights1 fundamental   
freedoms1 and the rule of law2  7#d7    
urges the ,government of ,egypt to enact
 serious and legitimate reforms to      
ensure ,coptic ,christians are given the
 same rights and opportunities as all   
other ,egyptian citizens2 and  7#e7     
urges the ,government of ,egypt to take 
additional steps to end the culture of  
impunity for attacks on ,christians1 to 
continue to undertake the arrest1       

prosecution1 and conviction of          
individuals who carry out attacks on    
,copts and other ,christians in ,egypt1 
and to hold accountable ,government     
officials who fail to enforce the law4