[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1467 Introduced in House (IH)]







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;
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
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses--
                    (A) concern for the plight of Iraq's vulnerable 
                ethno-religious minorities; and
                    (B) particular concern for the Assyrian/Chaldean/
                Syriac Christians, who face ethno-religious cleansing; 
                and
            (2) urges--
                    (A) the Government of Iraq to commit adequate 
                resources to address the humanitarian crisis of the 
                refugees and internally displaced persons of Iraq; and
                    (B) the United States Department of State to adopt 
                development strategies that promote security, self-
                sustaining communities, and local government control, 
                in order to address the plight of the members of 
                vulnerable ethno-religious minority groups in Iraq who 
                have become refugees, asylum seekers, or internally 
                displaced persons.
                                 <all>