[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6204 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6204
To establish in the Department of State the Office to Monitor and
Combat Islamophobia, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 9, 2021
Ms. Omar (for herself, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Carson, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Kim
of New Jersey, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Rush, Ms. Bass, Ms. Jackson
Lee, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Grijalva, Mrs.
Dingell, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Ms. Jacobs of California,
Ms. Newman, Mr. Lowenthal, Ms. Norton, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr.
Sires, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Dean, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Correa, Mr. Pocan,
Mr. Payne, Mr. Jones, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Phillips, Mr. McGovern, Ms.
Williams of Georgia, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Pascrell, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Danny
K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Sanchez, Mr.
Quigley, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Evans, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Trone, Mr.
Blumenauer, Mr. Sarbanes, Ms. Chu, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Malinowski,
Ms. Wild, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Brown of Maryland,
Ms. McCollum, and Ms. Johnson of Texas) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish in the Department of State the Office to Monitor and
Combat Islamophobia, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Combating International Islamophobia
Act''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT
ISLAMOPHOBIA.
Title I of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22
U.S.C. 2651a et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new
section:
``SEC. 64. MONITORING AND COMBATING ISLAMOPHOBIA.
``(a) Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia.--
``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary of State shall
establish within the Department of State an Office to Monitor
and Combat Islamophobia (in this section referred to as the
`Office').
``(2) Head of office.--
``(A) Special envoy for monitoring and combating
islamophobia.--The head of the Office shall be the
Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Islamophobia
(in this section referred to as the `Special Envoy').
``(B) Appointment of special envoy.--The Secretary
of State shall appoint the Special Envoy. If the
Secretary determines that such is appropriate, the
Secretary may appoint the Special Envoy from among
officers and employees of the Department of State. The
Secretary may allow such officer or employee to retain
the position (and the responsibilities associated with
such position) held by such officer or employee prior
to such appointment.
``(b) Purpose of Office.--Upon establishment, the Office shall
assume primary responsibility for the following:
``(1) Monitoring and combating acts of Islamophobia and
Islamophobic incitement that occur in foreign countries.
``(2) Coordinating and assisting in the preparation of that
portion of the reports required by paragraph (9) of section
116(d) and subsection (k) of section 502B of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d) and 2304) relating
to an assessment and description of the nature and extent of
acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement.
``(3) Coordinating and assisting in the preparation of that
portion of the report required by clause (viii) of section
102(b)(1)(A) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998
(22 U.S.C. 6412(b)(1)(A)) relating to an assessment and
description of the nature and extent of acts of Islamophobia
and Islamophobic incitement.
``(c) Consultations.--The Special Envoy shall consult with domestic
and international nongovernmental organizations and multilateral
organizations and institutions, as the Special Envoy considers
appropriate, to carry out this section.''.
SEC. 3. INCLUSION IN DEPARTMENT OF STATE ANNUAL REPORTS OF INFORMATION
CONCERNING ACTS OF ISLAMOPHOBIA IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
(a) Inclusion in Annual Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices.--The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.)
is amended--
(1) in section 116(d) (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d))--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (9), (10), (11),
and (12), as paragraphs (10), (11), (12), and (13),
respectively; and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following
new paragraph:
``(9) wherever applicable, a description of the nature and
extent of acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement that
occur during the preceding year, including descriptions of--
``(A) acts of physical violence against, or
harassment of, Muslim people, and acts of violence
against, or vandalism of, Muslim community
institutions, including schools, mosques, and
cemeteries;
``(B) instances of propaganda in government and
nongovernment media that attempt to justify or promote
racial hatred or incite acts of violence against Muslim
people;
``(C) the actions, if any, taken by the government
of the country to respond to such violence and attacks
or to eliminate such propaganda or incitement;
``(D) the actions taken by such government to enact
and enforce laws relating to the protection of the
right to religious freedom of Muslim people; and
``(E) the efforts of such government to promote
anti-bias and tolerance education;''; and
(2) in section 502B (22 U.S.C. 2304), by--
(A) redesignating the second subsection (i)
(relating to child marriage status) as subsection (j);
and
(B) by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(k) Information Concerning Acts of Islamophobia in Foreign
Countries.--The report required by subsection (b) shall include,
wherever applicable, a description of the nature and extent of acts of
Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement that occur during the
preceding year, including descriptions of--
``(1) acts of physical violence against, or harassment of,
Muslim people, and acts of violence against, or vandalism of,
Muslim community institutions, including schools, mosques, and
cemeteries;
``(2) instances of propaganda in government and
nongovernment media that attempt to justify or promote racial
hatred or incite acts of violence against Muslim people;
``(3) the actions, if any, taken by the government of the
country to respond to such violence and attacks or to eliminate
such propaganda or incitement;
``(4) the actions taken by such government to enact and
enforce laws relating to the protection of the right to
religious freedom of Muslim people; and
``(5) the efforts of such government to promote anti-bias
and tolerance education.''.
(b) Inclusion in Annual Report on International Religious
Freedom.--Section 102(b)(1)(A) of the International Religious Freedom
Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412(b)(1)(A)) is amended--
(1) in clause (vi), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in clause (vii)(II), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new clause:
``(viii) wherever applicable, an assessment
and description of the nature and extent of
acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic
incitement that occur in that country during
the preceding the year, including--
``(I) acts of physical violence
against, or harassment of, Muslim
people, acts of violence against, or
vandalism of, Muslim community
institutions, instances of propaganda
in government and nongovernment media
that incite such acts, and statements
and actions relating thereto; and
``(II) the actions taken by the
government of that country to respond
to such violence and attacks or to
eliminate such propaganda or
incitement, to enact and enforce laws
relating to the protection of the right
to religious freedom of Muslims, and to
promote anti-bias and tolerance
education.''.
(c) Effective Date of Inclusions.--The amendments made by
subsections (a) and (b) shall apply beginning with the first reports
required under sections 116(d) and 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151n and 2304) and section 102(b)(1)(A) of the
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6312(b)(1)(A))
that are submitted after the date that is 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act.
<all>