[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 22, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S86-S87]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
(At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to
be printed in the Record.)
IRAQ'S RELIGIOUS MINORITIES
Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I wrote to Secretary Rice on
September 11, 2007, out of concern for Iraq's Christian and other non-
Muslim religious minorities who appear to be targeted by Sunni, Shiite,
and Kurdish militants. The severe violations of religious freedom faced
by members of these indigenous communities, and their potential
extinction from their ancient homeland, is deeply alarming in light of
our mission to bring freedom to the Iraqi people.
In addition, such violence may be an indicator of greater sectarian
violence. Such rising violence and the Iraqi internally displaced
people and refugee crises potentially could serve as catalysts for
wider regional instability. These crises demand an urgent response from
our Government.
On January 11, 2008, I received a response from the Department of
State to the questions I posed in my letter. I ask to have my original
letter and the response from the Department of State printed in the
Congressional Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC, September 11, 2007.
Hon. Condoleezza Rice,
Secretary, Department of State,
Washington, DC.
Dear Secretary Rice: I am writing out of concern for Iraq's
Christian and other non-Muslim religious minorities,
including Catholic Chaldeans, Syriac Orthodox, Assyrian,
Armenian and Protestant Christians, as well as smaller Yazidi
and Sabean Mandaean communities. I know that the fate of
these communities was the subject of a recent letter to you
from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
These communities appear to be targeted by Sunni, Shiite
and Kurdish militants. The U.N. High Commissioner for
Refugees reports that Christians, now less than 4 percent of
Iraq's population, make up 40 percent of its refugees. And
according to the United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom, ``violence against members of Iraq's
Christian community occurs throughout the country, and the
Commission has raised particular concern about reports from
Baghdad, Mosul, Basra, and the north Kurdish regions.''
Such violence bespeaks a humanitarian crisis of grave
proportions. The severe violations of religious freedom faced
by members
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of these indigenous communities, and their potential
extinction from their ancient homeland, is deeply alarming in
light of our mission to bring freedom to the Iraqi people. In
addition, such violence may be an indicator of greater
sectarian violence. Such rising sectarian violence and the
Iraqi internally displaced people and refugee crises
potentially could serve as catalysts for wider regional
instability. These crises demand an urgent response from our
government.
In that regard. I request that you provide responses to the
following questions:
(1) Is it the State Department's view that Iraq's Christian
and other non-Muslim minorities face particular threats
because of their religion? Do they face a level of threat and
abuse disproportionate to their representation in the Iraqi
population?
(2) Has the State Department or our embassy in Baghdad
sought out members of these communities to inquire as to what
the United States could do to enhance their protection?
(3) What steps, if any, has the State Department taken to
urge the Iraqi government to provide protection to Iraq's
Christian and other non-Muslim religious minorities?
(4) Has the Iraqi government been responsive to requests
for such protection?
(5) Do you have reason to believe that any Iraqi security
forces or other government forces or personnel are involved
in violence against such vulnerable populations?
(6) What mechanisms are in place to ensure that U.S.-
trained and equipped Iraqi Security Forces do not use U.S.-
provided assistance for sectarian purposes?
(7) What plans have the Agency for International
Development and State Department developed to increase
humanitarian assistance to Iraq's internally displaced?
I thank you in advance for the consideration of these
questions, and I look forward to your prompt reply.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama,
United States Senator.
____
U.S. Department of State,
Washington, DC., January 11, 2008.
Hon. Barack Obama,
U.S. Senate,
Dear Senator Obama: Thank you for your letter regarding the
status of Iraq's religious minorities. We regret the delay in
sending you this response, but we wanted to provide you with
a reply that was both comprehensive and accurate.
We share the concerns you express in your letter and assure
you the Department of State takes matters relating to the
safety of Iraq's ethnic and religious minorities very
seriously.
Iraqis from all ethnic and religious communities suffer
from the sectarian and general violence in Iraq. While it is
true that in some cases religious minorities, such as
Christians, are targeted due to their religion, the threat to
Iraq's religious minorities is not unique to them; Shi'a in
Sunni majority areas face much the same situation, and vice
versa. In fact, Muslim citizens generally who do not support
the actions of militants within their region are subject to
similar threats. The assassination in Anbar of Sunni Sheikh
Abdul Sattar Bezia al-Rishawi, who rejected extremist
ideologies and sectarianism, and the murders of associates of
the Shi'a Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani are recent examples
of how violence impacts all of Iraq's communities, not just
Christians or other non-Muslims.
Unfortunately, given the difficulty of compiling accurate
data in Iraq, it is not possible to determine through
statistical analysis whether violence against specific groups
is disproportionate to their representation in the
population. However, communities that are isolated or small
in number and that lack the means of providing for their own
protection are particularly at risk.
The Department of State is coordinating closely with
several U.S. Government agencies, as well as the Government
of Iraq, religious leaders, and local ethnic and religious
organizations in Iraq, to help alleviate the plight of
minority groups. Moreover, the Embassy and Provincial
Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), together with Coalition Forces,
are working at the national and provincial level to help the
Iraqi Government provide the necessary protection and safety
for all of its citizens, including Iraqi religious
minorities. And the Government of Iraq continues to improve
its capacity and capability to improve the overall security
situation and, thereby, protect Iraq's minority communities.
We would also note that while we have seen reports of
violence against Iraqi non-Muslims, we have not seen evidence
showing these acts were part of an orchestrated effort by
Iraqi government forces.
As part of our efforts to help improve the situation for
minority groups in Iraq, State Department and Embassy
officials meet regularly with representatives of Iraq's
ethnic and minority groups and raise their concerns with the
appropriate Iraqi Government officials at all levels. The
PRTs located in Ninewa province and the Kurdish region--areas
with large Christian and other non-Muslim communities--also
meet regularly with representatives from these communities
and work to ensure that their concerns are heard at the
provincial government level.
The status of religious minorities in Iraq will become more
secure as groups representing them develop the capability to
advocate on their own behalf and participate actively in the
political system. To that end, U.S. Government-sponsored
programs offer assistance to such groups upon request in
areas such as conflict resolution, political party
development, and human rights. In conjunction with these
efforts, the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) and the Department of State's Bureau of Population,
Refugees, and Migration (PRM) are supporting capacity-
building programs for the Government of Iraq's Ministry of
Displacement and Migration at both the local and national
levels. While PRM focuses primarily on assisting refugees and
facilitating entry into the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program
for the most vulnerable Iraqi refugees, it coordinates its
programs with those of USAIP to ensure that as many
vulnerable Iraqis as possible receive essential services as
quickly as possible.
USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) has
five implementing partner organizations presently working
with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in all 18 of Iraq's
provinces. For 2007, assistance has been targeted to reach
approximately 550,000 of the most vulnerable IDP
beneficiaries. OFDA plans to obligate an additional $26
million by December 31, 2007, and has requested an additional
$80 million for Iraqi IDP in FY 2008. USAID is also funding
humanitarian organizations to collect data on IDP movements
and needs to prioritize humanitarian assistance.
USAID's understanding of the current breakdown in IDP
accommodation is that 56 percent are renting accommodations,
19 percent are living with host families, 25 percent are
living in abandoned buildings such as former military sites
(barracks, etc.), and less than one percent are living in
tented camps. This indicates that coping mechanis remain for
the majority of IDPs, although threats and vulnerabilities
still exist, including a continuing need for access to food
and potable water, adequate shelter and sanitation, and
health care and other social services. In addition, IDPs are
faced with border crossing closures; restrictions on their
abilities to register as IDPs, and the upcoming winter. USAID
is prepared to help IDPs respond to these vulnerabilities
with existing resources and partners, and plans to continue
responding with additional resources expected to be obligated
by the end of calendar year 2007.
The Secretary of Defense could best address your question
about mechanisms to ensure that U.S.-trained and equipped
Iraqi Security Forces do not use U.S.-provided assistance for
sectarian purposes.
We hope this information is helpful to you. Please do not
hesitate to contact us if we can be of further assistance on
this or any other matter.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey T. Bergner,
Assistant Secretary, Legislative Affairs.
____________________