IV 

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; 


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•HRES 1725 IH 

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; 


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•HRES 1725 IH 

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 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that the United States Government should— 

3 (1) continue to clearly and forcefully denounce 

4 any form of violence and other human rights violaVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:45 Nov 19, 2010 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1725.IH HR1725

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•HRES 1725 IH 

1 tions committed against vulnerable religious commu2 nities in Iraq; 

3 (2) assist the Government of Iraq in developing 

4 and implementing a comprehensive plan to ensure 

5 security at places of worship and other sites where 

6 vulnerable religious communities congregate and to 

7 include measures to increase the representation of 

8 vulnerable religious communities in the Government 

9 of Iraq, including the security forces, and the inclu10 sion of vulnerable religious communities in economic, 

11 social, and political aspects of Iraqi society; 

12 (3) assist the Government of Iraq in estab13 lishing, funding, training, and deploying police units 

14 that include officers representative of vulnerable reli15 gious communities for the protection of vulnerable 

16 religious communities; 

17 (4) strongly urge the Government of Iraq to un18 dertake prompt, transparent, and thorough inves19 tigations of all allegations of human rights abuses 

20 against vulnerable religious communities, including 

21 those stemming from sectarian, religiously moti22 vated, or other violence by Iraqi security forces, po23 litical factions, militias, or any other para-state ac24 tors; 


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•HRES 1725 IH 

1 (5) strongly encourage the Government of Iraq 

2 to secure the prosecution of those who perpetrate re3 ligiously motivated violence; 

4 (6) continue to process Iraqi refugees for reset5 tlement to the United States, taking into account 

6 the recent and continued targeted violence against 

7 members of Iraq’s vulnerable religious communities 

8 and the P2 designation in the Refugee Crisis in Iraq 

9 Act of 2007; and 

10 (7) ensure that members of Iraq’s vulnerable 

11 religious communities scheduled to be resettled to 

12 the United States are not delayed unnecessarily by 

13 providing adequate personnel to conduct background 

14 screening procedures and by enforcing proper appli15 cation of the existing waiver of the material support 

16 bar to those forced to provide support to terrorists 

17 under duress. 

Æ 


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