Religious Persecution
Floor Speech
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I thank the gentleman from Georgia, Representative Doug Collins, for his opening remarks and especially for his courage to speak out for religious freedom around the world and also for his courage serving our Nation in uniform.
At this moment, religious freedom around the world is in a state of emergency. The recently released International Religious Freedom annual report describes ``humanitarian crisis fueled by waves of terror, intimidation, violence,'' and ``the horrific loss of human life, freedom, and dignity that has accompanied the chaos.''
From the brutality of ISIL in Iraq and Syria to Boko Haram's mass murders at mosques and churches and the displacement of over 140,000 Rohingya Muslims and 100,000 Kachin Christians in Burma, the past year has seen unspeakable violations of the basic right to practice one's religion. Additionally, blasphemy laws, the vast displacement of religious minorities, and the persistent attacks on religious communities and places of worship should all be a cause for concern.
Today, I would like to highlight the plight of religious minorities in ISIL-held territories a year after the fall of Mosul.
The Nineveh plains have been inhabited by Christians for the past 2,000 years and was first settled in 6000 BCE. In the Bible, the Prophet Jonah was ordered by God to ``Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.''
Based in modern-day Mosul, with the Tigris River to the east, the Nineveh plains is rich in cultural history and religious diversity. Before the fall of Saddam Hussein, the number of Christians in Iraq had been estimated to be between 800,000 and 1.4 million. This included Armenian Catholics, Chaldean Christians, Assyrian Church of the East members, and Protestants. In 2013, the Christian population was estimated at 500,000 and shrinking significantly.
Last year, the world watched in horror as a transnational Sunni insurgency initiated a political and religious insurrection in the name of establishing a caliphate across Iraq and Syria.
After ISIL established its control over northwestern Iraq, these Islamist insurgents warned religious minorities living under its jurisdiction to either convert to Islam, pay a cumbersome religious tax, or be executed. These religious minorities included Christians, Yazidis, Turkmen, and Shabak, all of which have a long and rich history in the region and have historically coexisted peacefully with Muslims.
Since ISIL's declaration, thousands of families have packed their belongings and fled to neighboring communities in Kurdistan, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. Many thousands have been murdered or abducted, and an unknown number of women and girls have been sexually assaulted and forced into marriage.
We all witnessed in August 2014 thousands of Yazidis fleeing to Mount Sinjar to escape the brutality and persecution as ISIL advanced in the surrounding areas. I would like to read the testimony of a Yazidi recounting that horrible time:
Hours later, ISIS forces attacked the Yazidis in Sinjar. The Yazidis in towns and villages of the south side of Mount Sinjar had some light weapons, such as AK-47 rifles, with a small amount of ammunition. They fought against ISIS forces for 4 or 5 hours. While this minimal defense was proceeding, many Yazidis fled to Mount Sinjar.
Finally, the defenders ran out of bullets and our positions were overrun. The lucky few Yazidis who made it to Mount Sinjar stayed for several days without any food or water. Hundreds then died from starvation and dehydration, especially infants, young children, sick people, and elders.
On August 6, while ISIS forces flushed other Yazidi and Chaldo-Assyrians from their Nineveh plain homes, ISIS also advanced toward Mount Sinjar. Then the Yazidis had no choice but to flee by foot, a journey that took days.
On Friday, August 15, more than 210 Yazidi families in Kocho village, which is just south of Sinjar City, received an ISIS order to convert to Islam or be killed. In that village, the ISIS militia beheaded more than 70 young men, killed hundreds, and took all women, girls, and children to Badush Prison near Mosul. The women and children were sold as sex slaves by ISIS commanders.
While American leadership assisted in providing humanitarian relief as events unraveled, little was done to alleviate ISIL's reign of terror. Since then, over 2 million people have been displaced, and thousands continue to face crimes against humanity. These include torture, enslavement, rape, forced prostitution, imprisonment, and extermination.
Additionally, as a means to eradicate the history and heritage of these different groups, ISIS has led a campaign to destroy cultural and religious properties. Assyrians and other Christians have seen the destruction of the statue of the Virgin Mary at the Immaculate Church and the tomb of the Prophet Jonah, and numerous churches have been destroyed, looted, and burned down.
In closing, I would like to echo the words of Pope Francis, who eloquently stated: ``Our brothers are being persecuted, chased away, they are forced to leave their homes without being able to take anything with them. I assure these families that I am close to them and in constant prayer..... I know how much you are suffering. I know you are being stripped of everything.''
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Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to thank Mr. Franks from Arizona and Mr. Walker from North Carolina and especially you, Representative Collins, for your remarks and your leadership on this issue. Thank you.
I would also like to conclude my remarks today by highlighting a few other key issues. According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, there are more than 50 million refugees around the world, half of which are women and children.
Religion is a key factor in humanitarian crises worldwide, as we saw earlier this year, with a record number of refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean to seek asylum.
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