III 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 530 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on the current situation in Iraq and 

the urgent need to protect religious minorities from persecution from 

the terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 30, 2014 

Mr. PORTMAN (for himself, Mr. ALEXANDER, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BARRASSO, 

Mr. BLUNT, Mr. BOOZMAN, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. ENZI, Mrs. FISCHER, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. HELLER, Mr. HOEVEN, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. 

JOHANNS, Mr. KIRK, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. LEE, Mr. 

LEVIN, Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. MORAN, Mr. 

RISCH, Mr. JOHNSON of Wisconsin, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. SESSIONS, Mrs. 

SHAHEEN, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. THUNE, Mr. WICKER, Mr. HATCH, Mr. 

DURBIN, Mr. VITTER, Ms. AYOTTE, Mr. KAINE, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. COONS, 

Mr. ROBERTS, and Mr. BURR) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble and an amendment to the title 

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 

Considered, amended, and agreed to with an amended preamble and an 

amendment to the title 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on the current situation 

in Iraq and the urgent need to protect religious minoriVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:01 Sep 19, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\SR530.ATS SR530

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•SRES 530 ATS 

ties from persecution from the terrorist group the Islamic 

State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). 

Whereas Iraq is currently embroiled in a surge of violence 

arising from an ISIL-led offensive that began in Anbar 

province and has spread to key locations such as Mosul, 

Tikrit, and Samarra and continues to engulf the region 

in violence and instability; 

Whereas, on June 29, 2014, ISIL leader Abu Bakr alBaghdadi renamed the group the Islamic State and pronounced himself Caliph of a new Islamic caliphate encompassing the areas under his control, and Mr. al-Baghdadi 

has a stated mission of spreading the Islamic State and 

caliphate across the region through violence against Shiites, non-Muslims, and unsupportive Sunnis; 

Whereas Iraq’s population is approximately 31,300,000 people, with 97 percent identifying themselves as Muslim 

and the approximately 3 percent of religious minorities 

groups comprising of Christians, Yezidis, SabeanMandaeans, Bahais, Shabaks, Kakais, and Jews; 

Whereas the Iraqi Christian population is estimated to be between 400,000 and 850,000, with two-thirds being 

Chaldean, one-fifth Assyrian, and the remainder consisting of Syriacs, Protestants, Armenians, and Anglicans; 

Whereas the Iraqi constitution provides for religious freedom 

by stating that ‘‘no law may be enacted that contradicts 

the principles of democracy,’’ ‘‘no law may be enacted 

that contradicts the rights and basic freedoms stipulated 

in this Constitution,’’ and ‘‘[this Constitution] guarantees 

the full religious rights to freedom of religious belief and 


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•SRES 530 ATS 

practice of all individuals such as Christians, Yazidis, and 

Mandean Sabeans’’; 

Whereas the fall of Mosul in particular has sparked enough 

anxiety among the Christian population that, for the first 

time in 1,600 years, there was no Mass in that city; 

Whereas over 50 percent of Iraq’s Christian population has 

fled since the fall of Saddam Hussein, and the government under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki did not uphold its commitment to protect the rights of religious minorities; 

Whereas the United States Government has provided over 

$73,000,000 of cumulative assistance to Iraq’s minority 

populations since 2003 through economic development, 

humanitarian services, and capacity development; 

Whereas 84,902 Iraqis have resettled to the United States 

between 2007 and 2013 and over 300,000 Chaldean and 

Assyrians currently reside throughout the country, particularly in Michigan, California, Arizona, Illinois, and 

Ohio; and 

Whereas President Barack Obama recently declared on Religious Freedom Day, ‘‘Foremost among the rights Americans hold sacred is the freedom to worship as we choose 

. . . we also remember that religious liberty is not just 

an American right; it is a universal human right to be 

protected here at home and across the globe. This freedom is an essential part of human dignity, and without 

it our world cannot know lasting peace.’’: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) reaffirms its commitment to promoting and 

3 to protecting religious freedom around the world; 


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•SRES 530 ATS 

1 (2) calls on the Department of State to work 

2 with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Re3 gional Government, neighboring countries, the dias4 pora community in the United States, and other key 

5 stakeholders to address the urgent plight of those 

6 Iraqi minority groups seeking safety and protection 

7 from persecution in Iraq; 

8 (3) respectfully requests the Government of 

9 Iraq to prioritize the issue of protecting religious mi10 norities and take concrete action to enact and en11 force laws protecting religious freedom; and 

12 (4) urges the President to ensure the timely 

13 processing of visas for Iraq’s minority groups fleeing 

14 religious persecution, in accordance with existing 

15 United States immigration law and national security 

16 screening procedures. 

Æ 


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