E1386 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks October 9, 2018 On December 2nd and 9th of 2015, Brother RECOGNITION OF REV. ALPHONSO IRAN IS MAKING A MOCKERY OF Shakoor’s bookshop was raided by the WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL LAW Counter Terrorism Department of the Punjab police and the counterterrorism focused Elite HON. DAVE BRAT HON. TED POE Force. He and his assistant, Mazhar Abbas, a OF TEXAS OF VIRGINIA Shia Muslim, were arrested for the crime of IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES distributing Ahmadiyya commentaries on the IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Qur’an. Brother Shakoor was charged with Tuesday, October 9, 2018 Tuesday, October 9, 2018 violating both the Anti-Terrorism Act, for ‘‘dis- Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, earlier this seminating any material to incite hatred,’’ and Mr. BRAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate week, Secretary of State Pompeo announced the Pakistani Penal code for committing acts the 105th year of life of the Reverend the U.S. was ending the 1955 Treaty of Amity, or speech that insult a religion or defile the Alphonso Washington. Rev. Washington was Economic Relations, and Consular Rights with Qur’an or the Prophet Muhammad. raised by his grandparents in Hume, Virginia. Iran. This justified decision comes after three Brother Shakoor was brought to trial within He attended the Mount Morris Primitive Baptist decades of Iran blatantly violating its terms. a month before the Anti-Terrorism Court in Church (later called Mount Morris Baptist No other state has defied international norms Faisalabad, Punjab. The only witnesses at the Church), where his grandfather served as the to such severity as Iran. The terrorist regime trial were the officers who raided his bookstore pastor. He went to school while also working in Tehran has no respect for international law who entered into evidence a letter supposedly odd jobs to help his mother and stepfather. or multilateral agreements, and thus should recovered during the December 9 raid. The Beyond working on the family farm, he also not be shown the respect responsible nations letter, purportedly from the Ahmadiyya Director took on plumbing and construction jobs. In No- are afforded. of Public Affairs, notified Brother Shakoor that vember 1942, he received a letter from ‘‘your Just earlier this week, a German court ruled some Ahmadiyya literature had been banned uncle’’ . Uncle Sam, stating Alphonso that an Iranian diplomat violated his diplomatic and he should neither display nor sell it. How- Washington had been drafted into the U.S. immunity for participating in an attempted ter- ever, the literature cited in the letter, and for Army. He was sent to Fort Meade, MD, for rorist operation in France. Meanwhile, Iranian which Brother Shakoor was prosecuted, was about a week, and then traveled by train to proxies fired rockets at U.S. diplomatic out- not banned until January 20, 2016, after the the new Air Navigation School in San Marcos, posts in Iraq. But this was nothing new. Since trial had concluded. Obviously, religious lit- Texas. The U.S. Army was still segregated at the founding of the Islamic Republic, Iran has erature cannot be banned under international that time, and while the white barracks had flouted all diplomatic protocol to pursue its human rights law in any case. been built on the new base, there were no murderous agenda. Its diplomats use their Brother Shakoor contended at trial, and black barracks yet. He and his fellow soldiers special status to facilitate terrorism, assas- maintains the position, that while he was in slept on the train and then in tents until the sinate dissidents, and pursue sanctions bust- possession of the literature, he did not dis- black barracks were completed. ing schemes. For example, in the early 1990s tribute it. Yet, the anti-terrorism court Judge Since there were no black chaplains, and he Iranian diplomats in Argentina were deeply in- Raja Parvaiz Akhtar announced Brother had preaching experience, Alphonso was as- volved in the terrorist bombings of the Israeli Shakoor’s conviction under the Anti-Terrorism signed to the base Chaplain Corp. It was dur- embassy and AMIA Jewish center. This clas- Act and Sentenced him to eight years impris- ing this timeframe Rev. Washington made a sic Iranian behavior continues around the onment for his alleged crimes, dealing a ter- truly risky stand for God. While praying for globe today. rible blow to the local Ahmadiyya community. troops that were heading out to war, a new Despite these outrageous acts, Iran has the The shop assistant, Mr. Abbas, was convicted Chaplain Officer, Major Dunn, stated: ‘‘I will audacity to pursue legal action against the under the Anti-Terrorism Act as well and was not swear to you there is a God, because I U.S. based on the 1955 treaty, claiming U.S. sentenced to five years in prison. have not seen Him. .’’ Thinking those sanctions violate its terms. Yet, the Islamic Republic ignores the fact that it terminated the Since his conviction, Brother Shakoor has troops definitely needed their faith strength- treaty the day it raided the U.S. Embassy in appealed the verdict and petitioned for bail on ened, not reduced, Private First Class Wash- Tehran and held U.S. diplomats hostage. That appeal to the Lahore High Court, but he has ington stood up and challenged the Major re- day in 1979 the mullahs in Iran replaced amity remained in jail. The case has been listed on garding God’s existence. For this, he was with hostility. Nevertheless, Iran’s Foreign Min- the Lahore High Court’s daily docket on sev- charged with insubordination, and ‘‘black- ister blames the U.S., calling us an ‘‘outlaw re- eral occasions, but it has been repeatedly balled’’ from promotion in lieu of Court Mar- gime.’’ Why any nation takes Iran’s govern- postponed. The last postponed hearing date is shall. After the war, Rev. Washington re- ment seriously is beyond logical explanation. believed to have been June 22, 2017, and the mained in the San Marcos area for nearly 60 By enabling Iran’s duplicitous and evil be- matter has not been noticed since to the best years with his first wife, Rosa Mae. havior, organizations like the International of our knowledge. Brother Shakoor remains in When Rev. Washington moved back to Vir- Court of Justice undermine their own legit- prison and is suffering from medical conditions ginia in the early 2000s, he returned to Mount imacy. What justice are the Iranian people which we cannot say are being attended to, Morris Baptist Church and served as an asso- shown when they are beat and murdered by including hernia and severe weakness owing ciate minister, traveling to preach in local regime thugs in their own streets? What jus- to old age. For example, the distance within churches, perform marriages, funerals, and tice is shown to the victims of Iranian sup- the jail facility between the daily meeting point counseling. He was later appointed to the po- ported terrorism around the globe? The ICJ’s and his cell is very long, and so he needs to sition of Senior Statesman, where he con- decision is a joke where only the murderers in be transported with help from a warden be- tinues to serve through preaching, committee Tehran are laughing. It is time for our partners cause he cannot even make that basic walk appointments, the Sunday School Conference, in the international community to grow a spine by foot. the Women’s Auxiliary and Ministers and Dea- and stand up to the illegal behavior of the Ira- cons Conference. In 2002, he married his cur- When anti-terrorism statutes are used to nian regime. No nation is safe so long as we rent wife and former secretary of the church, persecute practitioners of minority religious allow the mullahs in Iran to mock justice rather Carol Whitmore. communities who have done nothing but ob- than be held to it. serve their faith, they are obviously illegitimate In 2009, he wrote an autobiography called, f instruments of tyranny and threaten public ‘‘All in God’s Time’’ and has held book support for legitimate anti-terrorism policies. signings and been the keynote speaker RECOGNIZING INTERNATIONAL Brother Shakoor’s imprisonment is a scan- throughout Fauquier and Culpeper Counties. PLASMA AWARENESS WEEK dalous abuse of an anti-terror law and de- The book contains his memoirs from his early mands international condemnation. He should days in Hume through his marriage to Carol at HON. DORIS O. MATSUI be freed immediately. the time he wrote the book. He has served as OF CALIFORNIA As the world’s first constitutional democracy, an American Legion Chaplain since 1946 and IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES America must defend the freedoms of speech, has been preaching the Word of God for over expression, and religion against state persecu- 83 years. Rev. Washington and his wife Carol Tuesday, October 9, 2018 tion everywhere. So today, I ask my col- currently reside in Culpeper, VA. I’m happy to Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, ‘‘How is Your leagues to join me in standing with Brother honor Rev. Alphonso Washington on 105 Day?’’ For all of us, this is an ordinary ques- Shakoor and calling for his release, as well as years of life and know he will continue to do tion we ask others—and are asked by oth- that of Mr. Abbas. great things. ers—every day. But for so many people VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:06 Oct 10, 2018 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A09OC8.007 E09OCPT1 dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with REMARKS October 9, 2018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1387 around the world living with rare diseases and communities and was the site for a public unteers to develop and run what would even- who rely on the availability of plasma protein school.