[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 959 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 959
To establish in the Department of State the Office to Monitor and
Combat Islamophobia, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 4, 2025
Ms. Omar (for herself, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Casar, Ms. Dean
of Pennsylvania, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Jacobs, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms.
McCollum, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Sanchez, and Mr. McGovern) 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. 66. MONITORING AND COMBATING ISLAMOPHOBIA.
``(a) Office to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia.--
``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 120 days after the
date of the enactment of this section, 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')
who shall be appointed by the Secretary of State.
``(B) Appointment of special envoy.--The Secretary
may--
``(i) if considered appropriate by the
Secretary, appoint the Special Envoy from among
officers and employees of the Department of
State; and
``(ii) allow any such officer or employee
appointed as Special Envoy 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.--The Office shall be responsible 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 sections 116(d)(9) and
502B(k) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C.
2151n(d), 2304(k)) 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 section 102(b)(1)(A)(viii) of
the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C.
6412(b)(1)(A)(viii)) 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) in paragraph (11), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) in paragraph (12), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(13) wherever applicable, a description of the nature and
extent of acts of Islamophobia and Islamophobic incitement that
occurred during the preceding year, including descriptions of--
``(A) acts of physical violence against, or
harassment of, members of the Muslim community, 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
members of the Muslim community;
``(C) the actions, if any, taken by the government
of that 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 members of the Muslim
community; 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 occurred during the
preceding year, including descriptions of--
``(1) acts of physical violence against, or harassment of,
members of the Muslim community, 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 members of the Muslim
community;
``(3) the actions, if any, taken by the government of that
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 members of the Muslim community; 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 occurred in that country during
the preceding the year, including--
``(I) acts of physical violence
against, or harassment of, members of
the Muslim community, 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 members of the
Muslim community, and to promote anti-
bias and tolerance education.''.
(c) Effective Date of Inclusions.--The amendments made by
subsections (a) and (b) shall apply on the date that is 180 days after
the date of the enactment of this Act.
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