Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, will co-chair a congressional hearing on Wednesday, February 4th, to address the issue of religious persecution around the world. Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, will also chair the joint hearing.
The session will focus on religious persecution in countries such as Nigeria, China, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, and North Korea. Lawmakers plan to assess U.S. initiatives aimed at promoting religious freedom in these nations and globally.
The hearing is scheduled for 10:30 AM in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Witnesses include Mark Walker, Principal Advisor for Global Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State; Sam Brownback, former Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom; Grace Drexel, daughter of Pastor Ezra Jin; and Dr. Stephen F. Schneck, former Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Chairman Chris Smith has served in Congress since 1981 and represents New Jersey’s 4th district after succeeding Frank Thompson that year. He was born in Rahway, New Jersey in 1953 and currently lives in Manchester Township. Smith graduated from The College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1975.
