Response from Senator Portman

Another martyr for Yeshua is pictured above

Friends, I rec’d the following letter from my neighbor Senator Rob Porrtman.

Dear Alan,

Given your support for religious freedom in the United States and around the world, I wanted to update you on my recent work in the United States Senate.

Last week, my resolution (S.Res. 530) condemning the violence and persecution of Iraqi Christians and other religious minorities by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) unanimously passed the United States Senate.   My resolution urges President Obama to reaffirm America's commitment to religious liberty by leading an international effort to provide safety for refugees fleeing persecution, ensuring timely processing of visa applications from religious minorities, and working with the Iraqi government to strengthen protections for religious minorities.

The Islamic State has forced Christians in the territory it controls to flee their homes, convert to Islam, or face execution.   With over one million people displaced by the violence in Iraq, the situation remains critical, and the targeted harassment, persecution, and killings of Iraqi religious minorities by the Islamic State continues.  

The United States must stand up for religious freedom not only at home, but also in regions of the world experiencing turmoil like the Middle East. As we execute the U.S. strategy to defeat ISIS, it's important that we stand up and say we will not tolerate targeted violence against Christians, Yazidis, or any other religious minority in Iraq and that terrorists committing these brutal acts must be stopped.

I have consistently stood up for religious freedom around the world, and the United States must be more aggressive on these issues. Whether it is Pastor Saeed, an American imprisoned in Iran, or Ohioan Jeffrey Fowle who is languishing in a North Korean prison camp, apparently for leaving a Bible in a hotel room, we must support persecuted Christians around the world, and I will continue to do so.

Thank you again for contacting my office, I will continue to work to protect religious minorities in Iraq and around the world. For more information you can visit my website at  www.portman.senate.gov . Please keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Rob Portman
U.S. Senator