,h4 ,,res4 #fhc  ,in the ,house of      
,representatives1 ,u4 ,s41  ,august #a1 
#bjad  ,,resolution  ,whereas ,iraq is  
currently embroiled in a political and  
religious insurrection stemming from an 
,islamic ,state in ,iraq and ,levant    
7,,isil7-led offensive that began in the
 ,anbar province and has spread to key  
locations such as ,mosul1 ,tikrit1 and  
,samarra and continues to engulf the    
region in violence and instability2     
,whereas ,,isil is a transnational      
,sunni insurgency whose ideological and 
organizational roots lie in both al     
,qaeda in ,iraq and the ,syria-based    
,jabhat al ,nursa and has a stated      
mission of establishing an ,islamic     
state and a caliphate across the ,levant
 through violence against ,shiites1     
non-,muslims1 and unsupportive ,sunnis2 
,whereas ,iraq's population is          
approximately #ca1cjj1jjj with #ig      
percent identifying themselves as       
,muslim and the approximately #c percent
 of religious minorities groups         

comprising of ,christians1 ,yezidis1    
,sabean-,mandaeans1 ,bahais1 ,shabaks1  
,kakais1 and ,jews2 ,whereas the ,iraqi 
,christian population is estimated to be
 between #djj1jjj and #hej1jjj with     
two-thirds being ,chaldean1 one-fifth   
,assyrian1 and the remainder consisting 
of ,syriacs1 ,protestants1 ,armenians1  
and ,anglicans2 ,whereas the ,iraqi     
constitution provides for religious     
freedom by stating--  7#a7 no law may be
 enacted that contradicts the principles
 of democracy2  7#b7 no law may be      
enacted that contradicts the rights and 
basic freedoms stipulated in this       
,constitution2 and  7#c7 ,this          
,constitution guarantees the full       
religious rights to freedom of religious
 belief and practice of all individuals 
such as ,christians1 ,yazidis1 and      
,mandean ,sabeans2  ,whereas over       
#ejj1jjj people have been displaced by  
the current situation in ,iraq and      
reports have surfaced of targeted       
harassment1 persecution1 and killings of

 ,iraqi religious minorities by ,,isil  
with little to no protection from the   
,iraqi ,government and other security   
forces2 ,whereas the fall of ,mosul in  
particular has sparked enough anxiety   
among the ,christian population that for
 the first time in #a1fjj years there   
was no ,mass in the city2 ,whereas over 
#ej percent of ,iraq's ,christian       
population has fled since the fall of   
,saddam ,hussein1 #a1ajj1jjj people of  
diverse religious backgrounds remain    
internally displaced and the government 
under ,prime ,minister ,nouri al-,maliki
 has not upheld its commitment to       
protect the rights of religious         
minorities2 ,whereas the ,united        
,nations ,high ,commissioner for        
,refugees reports as of ,january #bjad a
 total population of concern in ,iraq   
numbering #a1ebb1hee people1 including  
refugees and internally displaced       
persons1 many of whom face grave        
deprivation and imminent threats to     
life1 health1 and safety2 ,whereas the  

,united ,states has provided over       
#gc1jjj1jjj of cumulative assistance to 
,iraq's minority populations since #bjjc
 through economic development1          
humanitarian services1 and capacity     
development2 ,whereas #hd1ijb ,iraqis   
have resettled to the ,united ,states   
between #bjjg and #bjac and over        
#cjj1jjj ,chaldean and ,assyrians       
currently reside throughout the country1
 particularly in ,michigan1 ,california1
 ,arizona1 ,illinois1 and ,ohio2 and    
,whereas ,president ,barack ,obama      
recently declared on ,religious ,freedom
 ,day1 ,foremost among the rights       
,americans hold sacred is the freedom to
 worship as we choose 99 99 99 we also  
remember that religious liberty is not  
just an ,american right2 it is a        
universal human right to be protected   
here at home and across the globe4 ,this
 freedom is an essential part of human  
dignity1 and without it our world cannot
 know lasting peace3 ,now1 therefore1 be
 it  ,that the ,house of                

,representatives--  7#a7 deplores and   
condemns the religious bigotry1         
vandalism and destruction of property1  
and violent attacks on and intimidation 
of innocent ,iraqi civilians by armed   
extremists2  7#b7 calls on the ,united  
,states ,department of ,state to work   
with the ,kurdistan ,regional           
,government1 the ,iraqi central         
government1 neighboring countries1 the  
diaspora community in the ,united       
,states1 the ,united ,nations ,high     
,commissioner for ,refugees1 and other  
key stakeholders to help secure safe    
havens for those claiming amnesty in    
,iraq2  7#c7 calls on the ,united       
,states ,permanent ,representative to   
the ,united ,nations to work with the   
,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for
 ,refugees on a sustained basis to      
document human rights abuses against    
,iraqi civilians and develop an         
immediate plan to facilitate safe       
humanitarian access to potable water1   
health care1 fuel1 electricity1 and     

basic security for the most vulnerable  
civilian populations2  7#d7 calls upon  
the ,government of ,iraq to take        
immediate steps to protect the safety   
and constitutional rights of all ,iraqi 
citizens2  7#e7 respectfully requests   
the addition of a ,special              
,representative for ,religious          
,minorities to be included in the newly 
reconstructed government of ,iraq2 and  
7#f7 reaffirms its commitments to       
promoting and protecting religious      
freedom around the world and providing  
relief to minority groups facing        
persecution4  ,clerk4