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RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Speaker
C001056
Subject
C001056
Source
Congressional Record · original
Chamber
senate
Published
Thursday, May 14, 2026
Sentiment
negative (score -0.80)

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Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S2291-S2292] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, this year, as we all know, we are celebrating America's 250th anniversary. This, of course, is an opportunity for all of us to reflect with gratitude on the many liberties and freedoms that we enjoy--fundamental freedoms not enjoyed by most of the rest of the world--all of which help make America an exceptional nation. America is a country envied by millions or perhaps billions of people around the world who long to experience the liberties we too often take for granted here at home. But it…

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Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S2291-S2292] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, this year, as we all know, we are celebrating America's 250th anniversary. This, of course, is an opportunity for all of us to reflect with gratitude on the many liberties and freedoms that we enjoy--fundamental freedoms not enjoyed by most of the rest of the world--all of which help make America an exceptional nation. America is a country envied by millions or perhaps billions of people around the world who long to experience the liberties we too often take for granted here at home. But it is also true that many countries do not share [[Page S2292]] our values. Instead, they impose authoritarian or theocratic rules on their own citizens, as we have witnessed in recent years. Even on continents like Africa, countries like Nigeria have come under international scrutiny for violating the rights and freedoms of Christians and other religious groups as their legal system has become more and more entwined with theocratic rule--in this case, Sharia law. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a report last July detailing some of these abuses. The report found that Nigeria's enforcement of so-called blasphemy laws has created restrictions on the religious freedom of Christians and other faith groups. Nigeria's Constitution grants authority to local governments to adjudicate their laws through Sharia, or religious, courts. In some states, this has resulted in the charging, fining, and imprisonment of non-Muslims. Twelve states in Northern Nigeria have been permitted to implement laws derived from a Sharia framework criminalizing blasphemy. They have also enforced Sharia-based code punishment that utilizes corporal punishment, including amputation and stoning, for certain offenses. Some state governments in Nigeria have thrown several people into prison for violating blasphemy laws, including a Christian nurse and a humanist, who were both released last year. Several more remain in prison to this day under similar charges, with some even sentenced to the death penalty. In Europe, as a result of massive migration from Middle Eastern countries, there has been an increase in the practice of Sharia law in various Muslim enclaves--frequently, pockets of parallel legal norms in some urban centers. While we as Americans allow freedom of speech and expression and religion, it is hard to imagine a judge in another country imposing the death penalty on someone for having different beliefs or for a judge to throw someone in jail for sending a message online that a religious judge finds offensive, which, of course, would never happen in America because of the First Amendment in part, which protects religious freedom. But this is a road that America could go down if we do not remain vigilant and committed to the foundational principles of individual liberty, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion enshrined in our Constitution. These incidents occurring in Nigeria may seem far away, but they underscore the dangers of what can happen in a country that is not guided by the values that we hold dear here in America, and they offer a glimpse of what could happen in free Western countries like the United States if Sharia law became entwined in a nation's governing philosophy. As I mentioned, because of massive Muslim immigration from the Middle East into Europe, this is happening right now in many enclaves across Europe. Back home in Texas, my constituents have become increasingly alarmed at immigrant enclaves that seek to adopt Sharia law right here in the United States. Last summer, a group of individuals attempted to create a Sharia law compound in Josephine, TX, known as the East Plano Islamic Center, otherwise known as EPIC City. This complex would have been a planned community strictly for Muslims centered around a mosque and a private Islamic grade school. The developers planned to have homes available for sale to noncitizens but restricted to those who would supposedly ``contribute to the overall makeup of [the] community.'' In other words, they would seek to bar people not sharing their same beliefs. This is clearly a very lightly veiled attempt at religious discrimination and, of course, is prohibited by Federal law, including the Fair Housing Act, among other civil rights laws. Naturally, many of my constituents were concerned, as was I. There is something so alarming about this planned community where only residents of a particular faith are welcome and allowed to purchase a home and where principles of religious law like Sharia law would govern daily life, education, and commerce. I wrote a letter to the Department of Justice asking them to investigate EPIC City for potential violations of Federal civil rights laws. Governor Abbott has been instrumental in making sure that this planned community will never come to fruition, and I am thankful for his leadership and remain committed to ensuring that Texas does not ever allow such a community to be created. Furthermore, I plan to introduce legislation here in the Senate to ensure that any attempts to impose or adopt religious law, including Sharia, never become realized. Our country was founded on principles of liberty, equality, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. We cannot shrink from these ideals by allowing certain individuals to advocate or embrace Sharia law, nor can we allow advocates for Sharia law to enter our country and actively work to undermine our Constitution. We welcome legal immigrants from around the world, regardless of religious belief, who want to become Americans through a legal, orderly process, but we want Americans not just in name only but in terms of their willingness to embrace the very values ensconced and protected by our Constitution. We want them to become fully assimilated as Americans, as America always has. By recommitting ourselves to our Constitution and to our founding principles, our country will see another 250 years of liberty and justice for all. I yield the floor. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Vermont. ____________________

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