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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1725 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1725

Condemning and deploring the murderous attacks, bombings, kidnappings, 
   and threats against vulnerable religious communities in Iraq, in 
 particular the attack against Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad 
              on October 31, 2010, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 18, 2010

 Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Wolf, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Kirk, 
    Mr. Peters, Mr. Franks of Arizona, and Mr. Pitts) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
   Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Condemning and deploring the murderous attacks, bombings, kidnappings, 
   and threats against vulnerable religious communities in Iraq, in 
 particular the attack against Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad 
              on October 31, 2010, and for other purposes.

Whereas, on October 31, 2010, gunmen stormed Our Lady of Salvation (Sayidat al-
        Nejat) Church in an historic neighborhood in Baghdad, Iraq, and took 
        hostage more than 100 Catholic men, women, and children worshipping 
        inside;
Whereas over the course of the hostage crisis and rescue operation, 52 police 
        officers and worshippers, including 2 priests, were killed and 75 people 
        were wounded;
Whereas the Islamic State of Iraq, an al Qaeda affiliated group, claimed 
        responsibility for the attack;
Whereas, the Iraqi Human Rights Minister, Wijdan Michael, reportedly said at the 
        scene of the attack, ``What happened was more than a catastrophic and 
        tragic event. In my opinion, it is an attempt to force Iraqi Christians 
        to leave Iraq and to empty Iraq of Christians.'';
Whereas, on November 9, 2010, and November 10, 2010, more than a dozen homes 
        inhabited by Christians in Baghdad were targeted in coordinated bomb and 
        mortar attacks, killing at least 4 people and wounding dozens more;
Whereas the victims of the November 9, 2010, and November 10, 2010, attacks 
        included at least one family of a victim of the Our Lady of Salvation 
        attack, whom terrorists may have identified by funeral signs hanging 
        outside the home;
Whereas these attacks are only the latest instances of violence directed against 
        Iraq's vulnerable religious communities, including Assyrians, Chaldeans, 
        Mandeans, Syriacs, Yazidis, and other religious communities;
Whereas Iraq's ancient and once vibrant Christian population that numbered an 
        estimated 1,500,000 out of a total population in Iraq of 30,000,000 in 
        2003 has been reduced by at least one half, due to Christians fleeing 
        the violence;
Whereas most of Iraq's ancient Jewish community also has fled out of fear and 
        the community has almost disappeared;
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom noted in 
        its 2010 Annual Report that, ``despite the overall drop in violence in 
        the country, violence against religious minorities and their religious 
        sites continued in 2009 and 2010, particularly in the Northern disputed 
        regions.'';
Whereas vulnerable religious communities have been subjected to a specific 
        pattern of violence and discrimination, and as such, require a 
        comprehensive and cohesive strategy for their protection and 
        preservation;
Whereas the survival and prosperity of vulnerable religious communities is 
        critical for the long-term stability of Iraq;
Whereas in fiscal years 2008, 2009, and 2010, Congress appropriated funding 
        specifically for the protection and development of efforts aimed at 
        Iraq's minority populations, with a particular focus on the Nineveh 
        Plains region; and
Whereas H. Res. 944, passed by the House of Representatives on February 24, 
        2010, requested that the Secretary of State develop and report to 
        Congress on a comprehensive strategy to encourage the protection of the 
        rights of members of vulnerable religious and ethnic minority 
        communities in Iraq: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the United States Government should--
            (1) continue to clearly and forcefully denounce any form of 
        violence and other human rights violations committed against 
        vulnerable religious communities in Iraq;
            (2) assist the Government of Iraq in developing and 
        implementing a comprehensive plan to ensure security at places 
        of worship and other sites where vulnerable religious 
        communities congregate and to include measures to increase the 
        representation of vulnerable religious communities in the 
        Government of Iraq, including the security forces, and the 
        inclusion of vulnerable religious communities in economic, 
        social, and political aspects of Iraqi society;
            (3) assist the Government of Iraq in establishing, funding, 
        training, and deploying police units that include officers 
        representative of vulnerable religious communities for the 
        protection of vulnerable religious communities;
            (4) strongly urge the Government of Iraq to undertake 
        prompt, transparent, and thorough investigations of all 
        allegations of human rights abuses against vulnerable religious 
        communities, including those stemming from sectarian, 
        religiously motivated, or other violence by Iraqi security 
        forces, political factions, militias, or any other para-state 
        actors;
            (5) strongly encourage the Government of Iraq to secure the 
        prosecution of those who perpetrate religiously motivated 
        violence;
            (6) continue to process Iraqi refugees for resettlement to 
        the United States, taking into account the recent and continued 
        targeted violence against members of Iraq's vulnerable 
        religious communities and the P2 designation in the Refugee 
        Crisis in Iraq Act of 2007; and
            (7) ensure that members of Iraq's vulnerable religious 
        communities scheduled to be resettled to the United States are 
        not delayed unnecessarily by providing adequate personnel to 
        conduct background screening procedures and by enforcing proper 
        application of the existing waiver of the material support bar 
        to those forced to provide support to terrorists under duress.
                                 <all>
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