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Congress gives Egypt a pass on religious rights violations

Lawmakers praise Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as a far better alternative than the Muslim Brotherhood.
A visitor passes an image of the Virgin Mary, as thousands of Egyptian Copts celebrate the Feast of Assumption at the Virgin Mary Church in Mostorod, east of Cairo, August 22, 2014. The Feast of Assumption marks the Virgin Mary's ascension into heaven.  REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY) - RTR43DVG

Congress is giving short shrift to a federal commission’s conclusion that religious freedom in Egypt remains in jeopardy one year after Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won the presidency.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom for the fifth year in a row is recommending that the State Department categorize Egypt as a “country of particular concern” subject to sanctions. The Obama administration has repeatedly ignored that advice, and even those lawmakers most invested in the issue of religious freedom hope to keep it that way.

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