H.R. 959

[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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