[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 763 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 763

     Condemning the targeted violence of vulnerable minority faith 
  communities in Syria and calling on the United States Government to 
        prioritize the safety and security of these communities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 2, 2012

  Mr. Bilirakis (for himself, Mr. Shuler, Mr. Franks of Arizona, Mr. 
   Wolf, and Mr. West) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Condemning the targeted violence of vulnerable minority faith 
  communities in Syria and calling on the United States Government to 
        prioritize the safety and security of these communities.

Whereas unrest in the region following the Arab Spring fueled antigovernment 
        protests in Syria beginning in March 2011;
Whereas these Syrian antigovernment protests have been followed by increasing 
        violence throughout Syria;
Whereas the Strategic Research and Communication Centre estimates that as of 
        July 2012, over 18,000 Syrians have been killed as a result of the 
        unrest since March 2011;
Whereas the United Nations High Commission for Refugees reports that they have 
        registered over 119,000 Syria refugees in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, 
        Jordan, and Iraq;
Whereas the Syrian Arab Red Crescent estimates that over 1,000,000 people are 
        internally displaced people in Syria;
Whereas the violence in Syria has led to the targeting or massive displacement 
        of religious minorities residing in the large, religiously diverse 
        cities of Aleppo and Damascus, as well as smaller towns in the provinces 
        of Homs and Hama;
Whereas the Syrian population is about 70 percent Sunni and also includes large 
        minorities of Alawites and Christians (including Greek Orthodox, Syriac 
        Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, and Eastern Rite Catholics), as well as 
        smaller numbers of Shia (including Ismailis), Druze, Ezidi, Mandaean, 
        and Jewish communities with long standing ancient and indigenous ties to 
        the area;
Whereas the Christian, Jewish, Ezidi, and Mandaean communities, which number 
        about 10 percent of the population, lack their own militias and regional 
        protectors;
Whereas these minority faith communities are vulnerable to pressure from all 
        sides of the conflict and have been the target of retaliatory attacks, 
        displacement, and the threat of ethnic cleansing for suspicion of 
        allying with either side of the violence;
Whereas the majority of the Christian population of Homs has left the city due 
        to threats against their safety;
Whereas in the town of Qusayr, where different religious groups have lived as 
        neighbors for centuries, mosque loudspeakers have repeatedly ordered 
        Christians to leave the town;
Whereas at least 200 al Qaeda operatives are estimated to have entered Syria 
        since December 2011 to fight the Assad regime and those perceived to be 
        regime supporters, sometimes solely by their religious minority 
        identity;
Whereas some of the Christian, Ezidi, and Mandaean communities are already 
        refugees from violence in Iraq; and
Whereas human rights abuses and religiously motivated crimes contribute to 
        regional instability and endanger future peace: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls on all parties in the conflict to respect the 
        dignity, human rights, and religious freedom of Syrian 
        citizens, regardless of their religion or ethnicity;
            (2) calls on the United States Secretary of State to 
        predicate future discussions with all Syrian groups on their 
        obligation to respect the rights of all Syrians, regardless of 
        their religion, ethnicity, or similar status;
            (3) calls for future aid to Syria to be preconditioned on 
        the Syrian Government's fulfillment of its obligation to 
        protect religious minorities and human rights;
            (4) calls on the United States Commission on International 
        Religious Freedom to monitor the situation in Syria and report 
        on the status of religious minorities in Homs, Aleppo, and 
        throughout the country; and
            (5) calls on the United States Commission on International 
        Religious Freedom to meet with the Secretary of State and to 
        offer policy recommendations on how to ensure the protection of 
        religious freedom and human rights for all Syrians, regardless 
        of their religion or ethnicity.
                                 <all>