Christian Minorities Under Attack - Iraq and Egypt
Announcement
Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on the increased sectarian violence in Iraq and Egypt.
Last October, at least 70 people were killed during a siege on Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad making it the worst massacre of Iraqi Christians since 2003. The Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaeda affiliate, claimed the attacks were in response to actions by the Coptic Church in Cairo. Less than two months later, extremists bombed the homes of more than a dozen Christian families throughout Baghdad. On New Year’s Eve in Alexandria, Egypt, at least 21 people were killed by a suicide bomber while leaving a Coptic Church following a worship service. It was the worst violence against the country’s Christian minority in a decade.
Witnesses
Panel I:
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The Honorable Anna Eshoo, Member of Congress
Written testimony
Panel II:
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The Honorable Tamara Cofman Wittes, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Panel III:
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Nina Shea, Commissioner, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Written testimony -
Sister Rita, Order of Preachers
Written testimony -
Michele Dunne, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Written testimony -
Dina Guirguis, Keston Family Research Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Written testimony