{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400793", "Congressional Hearing to Examine How Smiths Religious Freedom Law Helps Counter Violent Extremism", "2017-12-01", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Next Wednesday, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House panel on global human rights, will be chairing a hearing entitled \u201cAdvancing Human Rights to Combat Extremism.\u201d The hearing will explore the best strategies to counter violent extremism in the Islamic world, including by promoting religious freedom.\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Smith\u2019s bill which was signed into law last year, the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act (H.R. 1150), provided specific tools and resources for the State Department to implement religious freedom into U.S. diplomacy and all aspects of foreign policy, helping to counter violent extremism abroad. That law built upon existing law, the landmark International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 The new law required religious freedom training for all Foreign Service Officers; allowed the President to designate \u201cviolent non-state actors\u201d for particularly severe violations of religious freedom, and sanction individuals for those abuses; strengthened the investigations into and monitoring of religious persecution; created a \u201cDesignated Persons List\u201d for violators of religious freedom who have been sanctioned for their abuses; strengthened the Special Advisor for religious freedom position at the National Security Council; set up a comprehensive religious prisoners list of persons detained, imprisoned, tortured, and subject to forced renunciation of faith; required that the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom report directly to the Secretary of State; elevated the position of ambassador within the department; and set up a \u201cSpecial Watch List\u201d in the existing \u201cCountries of Particular Concern\u201d list.  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cThe advancement of fundamental human rights \u2013 in particular, freedom of religion \u2013 should be a core objective of US foreign policy,\u201d Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, stated.  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cBy emphasizing such principles, we counter extremist messaging, support moderate voices, and promote the popular aspirations of people around the world who wish to live in freedom and peace,\u201d Smith, author of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, said. \u201cWe need to encourage such voices of moderation in the Islamic world, while waging a full-throated war of ideas with radical extremists such as ISIS.\u00a0 The ideological battlefield is just as important as the territorial one.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0  \r\n\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Witnesses will discuss the best strategies to counter violent extremism in the Islamic world by promoting religious freedom and\u00a0 by empowering moderate Muslims to speak out against Islamist extremism. They will also discuss how the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act has impacted these efforts since the law\u2019s enactment.  \r\n\r\n\r\nWho:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0  \r\n\r\n  \r\nChairman Smith (NJ-04), Senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations; other members of the Committee  \r\n\r\n\r\nWitnesses:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0  \r\n\r\n  \r\nThomas Farr, Ph.D.  \r\n\r\nPresident, Religious Freedom Institute \r\nDirector, Religious Freedom Research Project \r\nGeorgetown University \r\n\u00a0\r\nJohn Lenczowski, Ph.D. \r\nFounder and President \r\nThe Institute of World Politics \r\n\u00a0\r\nSayyid Syeed, Ph.D. \r\nSenior Advisor \r\nOffice of Interfaith and Community Alliances \r\nIslamic Society of North America \r\n\u00a0\r\nWhat: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0House hearing on advancing human rights to combat extremism\r\n\r\nWhen: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Wednesday, December 6, 2017 10 AM  \r\n\r\n\r\nWhere: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2172 (first floor)", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400793"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9240400977432728, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}