[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 17, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E393-E394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NOWRUZ AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF IRANIAN-
                               AMERICANS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 15, 2010

  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support H. 
Res. 267 ``Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of 
Nowruz, expressing appreciation to Iranian-Americans for their 
contributions to society, and wishing the Iranian-Americans and the 
people of Iran a prosperous new year.''
  As a cosponsor of this resolution, I am proud to recognize the 
contributions of Iranian Americans on their day of celebration. Nowruz 
is celebrated by nearly 300 million Iranians and other peoples all over 
the world, including in the United States, Iran, and other countries in 
Central Asia, South Asia, Caucasus, Crimea, and Balkan Regions. Nowruz, 
which means new day, is celebrated on 21 March, the day of the vernal 
equinox. Nowruz is celebrated by more than 1,000,000 Iranian-Americans 
of all backgrounds, including those with Baha'i, Christian, Jewish, 
Muslim, Zoroastrian, and non-religious backgrounds. The people of Iran 
have a long history of celebrating Nowruz--a holiday that embodies the 
tradition that each individual's thinking, speaking, and conduct should 
always be virtuous, and the ideal of compassion for our fellow human 
beings regardless of ethnicity or religion, and symbolizes a time of 
renewal and community.
  This resolution not only reminds us all of the contributions made by 
our Iranian constituents, but also of the trying times faced by 
Iranians in Iran and in the Iranian diaspora. During this time of 
renewal, my thoughts are with the residents of Camp Ashraf and their 
families--some of whom reside in my district.
  Late last year, three months after U.S. forces turned over control of 
Camp Ashraf, Iraqi security forces violated the human rights of the 
People's Mujahideen of Iran (PMOI). Camp Ashraf detains over 3,400 
exiled Iranian political dissidents, who are members of the PMOI, 
including over 1,000 women. The PMOI opposes the current Iranian 
regime, and for their political beliefs they have been exiled from Iran 
and sequestered in Camp Ashraf. Several women detained at Camp Ashraf 
have reported acts of intimidation and threats of physical and sexual 
violence by members of the Iraqi security forces.
  On July 28, 2009, Iraqi security forces conducted a raid on the 
detainees at Camp Ashraf. The raid occurred fewer than three months 
after the U.S. passed control of Camp Ashraf to the government of Iraq. 
The raid began on Tuesday, July 28th when Iraqi armored vehicles began 
attacks against the Iranian prisoners. The attacks continued for two

[[Page E394]]

full days and resulted in the death of 11 exiles and the injury of over 
400 more. As a result of the raid on Camp Ashraf, 36 men were arrested 
under allegations of violent behavior. The 36 arrested Camp Ashraf 
residents have since been freed, but the United States has a continuing 
interest in ensuring that the events of July 28th never occur again.
  The Iraqi government's treatment of the camp's residents sets a 
dangerous precedent for future treatment of minority groups. In recent 
years, there have been alarming numbers of religiously motivated 
killings, abductions, beatings, rapes, threats, intimidation, forced 
conversions, marriages, and displacement from homes and businesses, and 
attacks on religious leaders, pilgrims, and holy sites, in Iraq, with 
the smallest religious minorities in Iraq having been among the most 
vulnerable, although Iraqis from many religious communities, Muslim and 
non-Muslim alike, have suffered in this violence. In summary, members 
of small religious minority communities in Iraq do not have militia or 
tribal structures to defend them, do not receive adequate official 
protection, and are legally, politically, and economically 
marginalized.
  Madam Speaker, as 300 million people worldwide celebrate the start of 
a new year, it is my hope that Iranians around the world find peace and 
prosperity.

                          ____________________