BY SUCCESS KANAYO UCHIME
The decision by the United States (U.S.) Congress to cut-down on its congregational budget, a program that rescues persecuted Christians from Iran may affect Christians in that country, as the debate is ongoing in the Congress.
This revelation is part of a report by the Regional Manager for the Middle East, International Christian Concern (ICC) (http://www.persecution.org/), Aidan Clay adding that the program is set to be chopped just days after reports surfaced that an Armenian Christian and his Jewish wife were executed in Tehran.
(Barack Obama, the U.S President)
He noted that the Lautenberg Amendment was established in 1989 to offer U.S. refugee status to persecuted Jews and Christians from the former Soviet Union and was expanded in 2003 to assist Christians, Baha’is and Jews in Iran.
According to Clay, without the program, persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in Iran will be denied the opportunity to apply for the same refugee status in the U.S. that is offered to persecuted religious minorities throughout the world.
He said the program is not included in any resolutions that carried over into the New Year and its renewal has been delayed due to the current budget standoff in the U.S. Congress and that Rep. Lamar SmithLamar Smith, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has proposed overseeing all existing immigration related programs prior to being passed by Congress.
He noted that this means that the program will suffer further deferment, delay and possible rejection by the committee. Since its enactment 22 years ago, this noncontroversial humanitarian program has received nothing but widespread support in Congress.
Clay said as the program’s renewal hangs on a thread, persecution in Iran increases and that on March 14, a Jewish-Armenian couple and three others were secretly executed in Tehran’s Evin Prison. Moreover, Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani awaits the same fate after being convicted of apostasy last September and issued the death sentence by hanging.
He is of the view that without the Lautenberg Amendment, imprisonments and executions of Iranian Christians and other religious minorities will heighten. “Without the assurance of the Lautenberg amendment, Iranian Christians who have fled to neighboring countries face potential deportation back to Iran.”
He noted that for them, returning to Iran means immediate imprisonment, and potential execution, upon arrival stressing that this program assures religious minorities that their applications to receive refuge in the U.S. from religious persecution will be reviewed and processed.
“We urge the U.S. Congress, particularly Representative Lamar Smith, to save countless lives by immediately renewing the Lautenberg amendment. Please call Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, to express your concern: (202) 225-4236,” Clay urged.
For more articles from this writer, click here: http://www.allvoices.com/users/success4u
The decision by the United States (U.S.) Congress to cut-down on its congregational budget, a program that rescues persecuted Christians from Iran may affect Christians in that country, as the debate is ongoing in the Congress.
This revelation is part of a report by the Regional Manager for the Middle East, International Christian Concern (ICC) (http://www.persecution.org/), Aidan Clay adding that the program is set to be chopped just days after reports surfaced that an Armenian Christian and his Jewish wife were executed in Tehran.
(Barack Obama, the U.S President)
He noted that the Lautenberg Amendment was established in 1989 to offer U.S. refugee status to persecuted Jews and Christians from the former Soviet Union and was expanded in 2003 to assist Christians, Baha’is and Jews in Iran.
According to Clay, without the program, persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in Iran will be denied the opportunity to apply for the same refugee status in the U.S. that is offered to persecuted religious minorities throughout the world.
He said the program is not included in any resolutions that carried over into the New Year and its renewal has been delayed due to the current budget standoff in the U.S. Congress and that Rep. Lamar SmithLamar Smith, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has proposed overseeing all existing immigration related programs prior to being passed by Congress.
He noted that this means that the program will suffer further deferment, delay and possible rejection by the committee. Since its enactment 22 years ago, this noncontroversial humanitarian program has received nothing but widespread support in Congress.
Clay said as the program’s renewal hangs on a thread, persecution in Iran increases and that on March 14, a Jewish-Armenian couple and three others were secretly executed in Tehran’s Evin Prison. Moreover, Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani awaits the same fate after being convicted of apostasy last September and issued the death sentence by hanging.
He is of the view that without the Lautenberg Amendment, imprisonments and executions of Iranian Christians and other religious minorities will heighten. “Without the assurance of the Lautenberg amendment, Iranian Christians who have fled to neighboring countries face potential deportation back to Iran.”
He noted that for them, returning to Iran means immediate imprisonment, and potential execution, upon arrival stressing that this program assures religious minorities that their applications to receive refuge in the U.S. from religious persecution will be reviewed and processed.
“We urge the U.S. Congress, particularly Representative Lamar Smith, to save countless lives by immediately renewing the Lautenberg amendment. Please call Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, to express your concern: (202) 225-4236,” Clay urged.
For more articles from this writer, click here: http://www.allvoices.com/users/success4u
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