[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 841 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 841
Recognizing Bahrain on the 50th anniversary of its independence.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 7, 2021
Ms. Malliotakis (for herself, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. Meuser,
Mr. Cole, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Issa, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, and Mrs.
Rodgers of Washington) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing Bahrain on the 50th anniversary of its independence.
Whereas five decades ago, the people of Bahrain voted ``to gain recognition of
their identity in a full independent and sovereign State free to decide
for itself its relations with other States'' in the United Nations
independence survey;
Whereas, on May 11, 1970, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed
Resolution 278, ending the British Protectorate in Bahrain;
Whereas, on August 15, 1971, the independent state of Bahrain was established;
Whereas, on December 16 of each year, the people of Bahrain celebrate their
National Day to honor the anniversary of Emir Isa bin Salman al
Khalifa's coronation on December 16, 1961;
Whereas the Constitution of Bahrain, promulgated in 2002, establishes a
government with powers divided among the executive, legislative, and
judicial branches;
Whereas the Constitution establishes a bicameral National Assembly elected by
the people through universal suffrage;
Whereas the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, expression, and the
press;
Whereas Article 22 of the Constitution provides that ``freedom of conscience is
absolute'' and guarantees ``the inviolability of worship, and the
freedom to perform religious rites and hold religious parades and
meetings in accordance with the customs observed in the country'';
Whereas King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa wrote: ``Ignorance is the enemy of peace,
it is, therefore, our duty to learn, to share, and to live together, by
the tenets of faith in the spirit of mutual respect and love'';
Whereas King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa authored the Kingdom of Bahrain
Declaration on July 3, 2017, which offered ``the centuries-old
traditional Bahraini way of life as an example to inspire others around
these principles''--
(1) that ``religious faith and expression are basic inalienable rights
. . . We declare that when extremist clergy preach hatred, violence and
seek to sow the seeds of discord, that they are inciting the desecration of
the name of God'';
(2) that ``God instructs us to exercise the divine gift of freedom of
choice . . . Therefore, we unequivocally reject compelled observance'' and
``declare that every individual has the freedom to practice their
religion'';
(3) that ``all enlightened religions reject invoking His name to
legitimize violence against innocent people'' and therefore ``call upon all
good people of Faith to disown practices such as sowing the seeds of
terror, the encouragement of extremism and radicalization, suicide bombing,
promotion of sexual slavery, and the abuse of women and children'';
(4) that ``people of all faiths should be accorded the right to
congregate to worship, educate, celebrate, and practice the requirements of
their respective faiths'' and that ``it is the responsibility of
governments to respect and protect equally, both religious minorities and
majorities''; and
(5) that the Kingdom of Bahrain will ``do all within our power to
ensure that religious faith is a blessing to all mankind and the foundation
for peace in the world'';
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
participated in the 200th anniversary celebration of Bahrain's Hindu
community in March 2019;
Whereas Bahrain is home to a thriving Jewish community, descended from Jewish
Iraqi traders who settled in Bahrain in the late 19th century;
Whereas the Jewish community in Bahrain lives openly and practices their faith
freely;
Whereas the Jewish community has integrated into Bahraini society and is
represented in high offices of the state;
Whereas Bahrain has promoted peace in the region by recognizing the State of
Israel's right to exist in May 2018 and establishing full diplomatic
relations with Israel on September 11, 2020;
Whereas Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullatif Al Zayani and Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed the Declaration of Peace,
Cooperation, and Constructive Diplomatic and Friendly Relations Between
Israel and Bahrain on September 15, 2020;
Whereas Bahrain has served as a strategic partner and ally of the United States
since the United States diplomatic recognition of Bahrain as a sovereign
state in 1971;
Whereas the United States designated Bahrain as a major non-NATO ally on March
14, 2002;
Whereas Bahrain has contributed to bringing political stability to the Middle
East and North Africa, providing a United States naval base in the Gulf
since 1947;
Whereas Naval Support Activity Bahrain served as the primary base in the region
for United States Armed Forces naval and marine activities during
Operation Enduring Freedom and continues to provide operation support to
United States Armed Forces and Coalition Forces and home to United
States Naval Forces Central Command and the United States 5th Fleet;
Whereas Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, based in Bahrain, serves as a critical
duty station for the United States Coast Guard in the Gulf;
Whereas Bahrain, as a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and the Gulf
Cooperation Council, has worked with the United States to increase
cooperation on border security, maritime security, military
preparedness, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism;
Whereas Bahrain provided critical assistance to the United States in a time of
need by helping evacuate United States citizens from Afghanistan in the
final days of the withdrawal and accepting to host United States-bound
Afghan refugees for processing;
Whereas Bahrain is a significant partner in free trade, with bilateral trade
reaching $1,900,000,000 in 2017;
Whereas Bahrain has made significant advancement towards gender equality by
acceding to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2002;
Whereas women in Bahrain have the right to vote and stand for election, the
right to inheritance, freedom of movement, access to financial credit,
and protection from child marriage;
Whereas Bahrain established the Supreme Council for Women on August 22, 2001, to
``empower Bahraini women'', ``to consolidate the principle of equal
opportunities'', and ``to enhance the status of women''; and
Whereas the Bahraini Shura Council is comprised of 27.5 percent women while
women comprise only 15.2 percent of parliaments in the larger Arab
region, indicative of the Bahraini Government's effort to encourage
women's political participation: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) extends warm congratulations and best wishes to the
people of Bahrain as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of the
independence of Bahrain;
(2) expresses support for the principles and freedoms upon
which the nation of Bahrain is founded, as protected by the
Constitution; and
(3) recognizes the importance of the alliance between the
United States and Bahrain to the stability of the region and
the prosperity of both countries.
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