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 Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist group the Islamic State, 

formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), 

as it expands its control over areas in northwestern Iraq. 

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, and Ms. AYOTTE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on the current situation 

in Iraq and the urgent need to protect religious minorities from persecution from the Sunni Islamist insurgent 

and terrorist group the Islamic State, formerly known 

as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), 

as it expands its control over areas in northwestern Iraq. 

Whereas Iraq is currently embroiled in a surge of violence 

arising from an Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 530 IS 

(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. alBaghdadi 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 

practice of all individuals such as Christians, Yazidis, and 

Mandean Sabeans’’; 

Whereas over 1,000,000 people have been displaced by violence in Iraq, and reports have surfaced of targeted harVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:18 Jul 31, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR530.IS SR530

smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 530 IS 

assment, persecution, and killings of Iraqi religious minorities by the Islamic State with little to no protection 

from the Government of Iraq and other security forces; 

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 has not 

upheld 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— 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 530 IS 

1 (1) reaffirms its commitment to promoting and 

2 protecting religious freedom around the world and 

3 providing relief to minority groups facing persecu4 tion; 

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

6 with the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Gov7 ernment of Iraq, neighboring countries, the diaspora 

8 community in the United States, and other key 

9 stakeholders to help secure safe havens for those 

10 seeking safety and protection from religious persecu11 tion in Iraq; 

12 (3) respectfully requests the addition of a Spe13 cial Representative for Religious Minorities to be in14 cluded in Iraq’s government; and 

15 (4) urges the President to ensure the timely 

16 processing of visas for Iraq’s minority groups fleeing 

17 religious persecution, in accordance with existing 

18 United States immigration law and national security 

19 screening procedures. 

Æ 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS