IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1467 

Expressing the concern of the House of Representatives for the plight of 

Iraq’s vulnerable ethno-religious minorities, and urging greater measures 

to protect the members of such minorities who have become refugees, 

asylum seekers, or internally displaced persons. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 

Ms. ESHOO (for herself, Mr. WOLF, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr. FORTENBERRY, 

and Mr. MCCOTTER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the concern of the House of Representatives for 

the plight of Iraq’s vulnerable ethno-religious minorities, 

and urging greater measures to protect the members 

of such minorities who have become refugees, asylum 

seekers, or internally displaced persons. 

Whereas vulnerable ethno-religious minority groups in Iraq, 

including Armenians, Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christians, Jewish Iraqis, Mandaeans, and Yazidis, have suffered from persecution, discrimination, and ostracism 

since the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003; 

Whereas, since then, over 40 churches and monasteries in 

Iraq have been looted and firebombed; 


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•HRES 1467 IH 

Whereas priests and nuns in Iraq have been kidnapped and 

killed, including— 

(1) Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of the Chaldean 

Catholic Church in Mosul, who was kidnapped and, on 

March 13, 2008, found killed; and 

(2) Father Youssef Adel of the Syriac Orthodox 

Church in Baghdad, who was fatally shot in a drive-by 

attack in Karrada in April 2008; 

Whereas 2,400,000 refugees and asylum seekers have fled 

Iraq since the invasion, and there are 2,700,000 internally displaced persons in Iraq; 

Whereas many of the refugees, asylum seekers, and internally 

displaced persons of Iraq are members of vulnerable 

ethno-religious minorities fleeing persecution, discrimination, and ostracism; 

Whereas the population of Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christians in Iraq has fallen from an estimated population of 

1,300,000 before the invasion to about 700,000 in 2008; 

Whereas Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christians have fled from 

all other parts of Iraq to the Nineveh Plains region— 

their historic homeland for thousands of years; and 

Whereas the refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons of Iraq face overwhelming hardship in the 

form of basic needs that are not being met, particularly 

security, housing, food, health care, and education: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) expresses— 

3 (A) concern for the plight of Iraq’s vulner4 able ethno-religious minorities; and 


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•HRES 1467 IH 

1 (B) particular concern for the Assyrian/ 

2 Chaldean/Syriac Christians, who face ethno-reli3 gious cleansing; and 

4 (2) urges— 

5 (A) the Government of Iraq to commit 

6 adequate resources to address the humanitarian 

7 crisis of the refugees and internally displaced 

8 persons of Iraq; and 

9 (B) the United States Department of State 

10 to adopt development strategies that promote 

11 security, self-sustaining communities, and local 

12 government control, in order to address the 

13 plight of the members of vulnerable ethno-reli14 gious minority groups in Iraq who have become 

15 refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced 

16 persons. 

Æ 


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