Trump Signs Bill
to Protect Religious Institutions
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By JNS October 4, 2018 , 10:26 am
Though I walk in
the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against
the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. (Psalm 138:7)
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the 73rd United
Nations General Assembly. (Credit: Richard Drew/AP/ABC Screen capture)
U.S.
President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill on Tuesday to
strengthen protections for religious groups and their properties against
government persecution.
This legislation modifies the federal criminal code to
reflect prohibitions regarding intentionally damaging, defacing or destroying
religious property. It establishes a criminal penalty—a fine, a prison term of
up to five years, or both—for a violation that results in damage or destruction
to religious property, in addition to expanding the definition of “religious
real property” to include real property owned or leased by a nonprofit,
religiously affiliated organization.
“Crimes targeting religious institutions pose a danger to
the religious freedom and security of all Americans,” Sen. Orrin Hatch
(R-Utah), who introduced the measure, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Jewish groups like the American
Jewish Committee, which advocated for the bill, applauded its
enactment.
“This important law, which provides for new and
strengthened measures to deter, as well as punish, perpetrators of attacks on
religious institutions, will provide a much-needed sense of comfort and
security,” said Jason Isaacson, AJC associate executive director for policy.
“The solid bipartisan support for the Protecting
Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2018 is a reaffirmation of our
freedom, enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, to exercise religion, to practice
one’s faith unhindered and without fear,” said Isaacson. “The increasing
attacks and threats against churches, synagogues and mosques disgrace our
nation’s most fundamental values, and demand the firm response offered by the
new law.”
Jews
are the leading target of hate crimes annually in the United States,
according to the FBI.
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