[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 134 (Thursday, September 18, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S5878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON THE CURRENT SITUATION IN IRAQ
Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 575, S. Res. 530.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 530) expressing the sense of the
Senate on the current situation in Iraq and the urgent need
to protect religious minorities from persecution from the
Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist group the Islamic
State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL), as it expands its control over areas in
northwestern Iraq.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution, which was reported from the Committee on Foreign Relations
with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble and an amendment to
the title.
(Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part
printed in italic.)
(Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic.)
Whereas Iraq is currently embroiled in a surge of violence
arising from an ISIL-led offensive that began in Anbar
province and has spread to key locations such as Mosul,
Tikrit, and Samarra and continues to engulf the region in
violence and instability;
Whereas, on June 29, 2014, ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
renamed the group the Islamic State and pronounced himself
Caliph of a new Islamic caliphate encompassing the areas
under his control, and Mr. al-Baghdadi has a stated mission
of spreading the Islamic State and caliphate across the
region through violence against Shiites, non-Muslims, and
unsupportive Sunnis;
Whereas Iraq's population is approximately 31,300,000
people, with 97 percent identifying themselves as Muslim and
the approximately 3 percent of religious minorities groups
comprising of Christians, Yezidis, Sabean-Mandaeans, Bahais,
Shabaks, Kakais, and Jews;
Whereas the Iraqi Christian population is estimated to be
between 400,000 and 850,000, with two-thirds being Chaldean,
one-fifth Assyrian, and the remainder consisting of Syriacs,
Protestants, Armenians, and Anglicans;
Whereas the Iraqi constitution provides for religious
freedom by stating that ``no law may be enacted that
contradicts the principles of democracy,'' ``no law may be
enacted that contradicts the rights and basic freedoms
stipulated in this Constitution,'' and ``[this Constitution]
guarantees the full religious rights to freedom of religious
belief and practice of all individuals such as Christians,
Yazidis, and Mandean Sabeans'';
Whereas the fall of Mosul in particular has sparked enough
anxiety among the Christian population that, for the first
time in 1,600 years, there was no Mass in that city;
Whereas over 50 percent of Iraq's Christian population has
fled since the fall of Saddam Hussein, and the government
under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki did not uphold its
commitment to protect the rights of religious minorities;
Whereas the United States Government has provided over
$73,000,000 of cumulative assistance to Iraq's minority
populations since 2003 through economic development,
humanitarian services, and capacity development;
Whereas 84,902 Iraqis have resettled to the United States
between 2007 and 2013 and over 300,000 Chaldean and Assyrians
currently reside throughout the country, particularly in
Michigan, California, Arizona, Illinois, and Ohio; and
Whereas President Barack Obama recently declared on
Religious Freedom Day, ``Foremost among the rights Americans
hold sacred is the freedom to worship as we choose . . . we
also remember that religious liberty is not just an American
right; it is a universal human right to be protected here at
home and across the globe. This freedom is an essential part
of human dignity, and without it our world cannot know
lasting peace.'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
That the Senate--
(1) reaffirms its commitment to promoting and to protecting
religious freedom around the world;
(2) calls on the Department of State to work with the
Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government,
neighboring countries, the diaspora community in the United
States, and other key stakeholders to address the urgent
plight of those Iraqi minority groups seeking safety and
protection from persecution in Iraq;
(3) respectfully requests the Government of Iraq to
prioritize the issue of protecting religious minorities and
take concrete action to enact and enforce laws protecting
religious freedom; and
(4) urges the President to ensure the timely processing of
visas for Iraq's minority groups fleeing religious
persecution, in accordance with existing United States
immigration law and national security screening procedures.
Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee-
reported substitute amendment be agreed to, the resolution, as amended,
be agreed to, the committee-reported amendment to the preamble be
agreed to, the preamble, as amended, be agreed to, and the title
amendment be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the
table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute was
agreed to.
The resolution (S. Res. 530), as amended, was agreed to.
The committee-reported amendment to the preamble in the nature of a
substitute was agreed to.
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
The title amendment was agreed to, as follows:
Amend the title so as to read: ``A resolution expressing
the sense of the Senate on the current situation in Iraq and
the urgent need to protect religious minorities from
persecution from the terrorist group the Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).''.
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