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Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, with the rise of ISIS--or ISIL--in Syria and
Iraq, we have seen the brutality of Islamic extremism to an extent
previously unimaginable.
In just the last week, ISIL beheaded two Japanese citizens and
revealed that a Jordanian pilot had been burned alive in a cage. This
is why it is more critical than ever that we support our moderate
allies in the region and praise their efforts to protect religious
minorities.
In Egypt, President el-Sisi recently became the first modern leader
in the country's history to visit a Coptic Christian church on
Christmas Eve. The cathedral he visited had been attacked just 2 years
earlier by Islamic extremists. By contrast, in regions controlled by
ISIL, groups that have lived in the same community for more than 1,000
years have been killed or have fled for their lives.
We must never forget that the mission of the extremists is not
regional but global dominance, and it is aimed at all who refuse to
submit to their harsh interpretation of their religion. We must stand
together with leaders like the King of Jordan and the President of
Egypt, who speak up and act to defeat Islamic extremism, and give them
our strong support.
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