SJR 14, as introduced, Gaines. Islamic State in Iraq and Syria: religious and other persecution.
This measure would declare that there is an urgent need to protect religious minorities and other vulnerable groups from persecution by the Sunni Islamist terrorist group the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as it exercises its control over areas in Syria and Iraq. This measure would urge the President of the United States to expedite visa processing for Syria and Iraq’s minority groups and to lift the refugee quota cap in order to streamline the process of accepting them into the United States as refugees, would urge the Congress of the United States to pass House Resolution 1568, and would urge the United States Department of State to work with, among others, the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Iraqi central government, and neighboring countries to help secure safe havens for those claiming amnesty from Iraq.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, Iraq is currently embroiled in a political and
2religious insurrection stemming from an Islamic State in Iraq and
3Syria (ISIS)-led offensive that began in the Anbar Province and
4has spread to key locations such as Mosul, Tikrit, and Samarra
5and continues to engulf the region in violence and instability; and
6WHEREAS, ISIS is a transnational Sunni insurgency whose
7ideological and organizational roots lie in both al-Qaeda in Iraq
P2 1and the Syria-based Jabhat al-Nusra and has a stated mission of
2establishing an Islamic state and a caliphate across the Levant
3through violence towards Shiites, non-Muslims, and unsupportive
4Sunnis; and
5WHEREAS, ISIS has instituted a policy of suppression and
6discrimination against women and against persons based on their
7perceived sexual orientation; and
8WHEREAS, Iraq’s population is approximately 31,300,000
9with 97 percent of that population identifying themselves as
10Muslim while the approximately 3 percent of religious minorities
11groups consist of Christians, Yezidis, Sabean Mandaeans, Baha’is,
12Shabaks, Kakais, and Jews; and
13WHEREAS, The Iraqi Christian population is estimated to be
14between 400,000 and 850,000 with two-thirds being Chaldean,
15one-fifth Assyrian, and the remainder consisting of Syriacs,
16Protestants, Armenians, and Anglicans; and
17WHEREAS, The Iraqi Constitution provides for religious
18freedom by stating all of the following:
19(1) “No law may be enacted that contradicts the principles of
20democracy”;
21(2) “No law may be enacted that contradicts the rights and basic
22freedoms stipulated in this Constitution”;
23(3) “[This Constitution] guarantees the full religious rights to
24freedom of religious belief and practice of all individuals such as
25Christians, Yazidis, and Mandean Sabeans”; and
26WHEREAS, Over 500,000 people have been displaced by the
27current ongoing violence in Iraq while reports have surfaced of
28targeted harassment, persecution, and killings of Iraqi religious
29minorities by ISIS with little to no protection from the Iraqi
30government or other security forces; and
31WHEREAS, ISIS recently issued a decree to all religious
32minorities stating: “We offer them three choices: Islam; the
33dhimma contract - involving payment of jizya; if they refuse this
34they will have nothing but the sword”; and
35WHEREAS, The fall of Mosul has sparked terror among the
36Christian population because for the first time in 1,600 years there
37was no mass held in the city; and
38WHEREAS, Over 50 percent of Iraq’s Christian population has
39fled since the fall of Saddam Hussein, and 1,100,000 people of
40diverse religious backgrounds remain internally displaced while
P3 1the government under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has not
2upheld its commitment to protect the rights of religious minorities;
3and
4WHEREAS, Eighty-four thousand nine hundred two Iraqis
5resettled in the United States between 2007 and 2013 and over
6300,000 Chaldean and Assyrians currently reside throughout the
7country; especially in California; now, therefore, be it
8Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of
9California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of California,
10on behalf of its citizens, declares that there is an urgent need to
11protect religious minorities and other vulnerable groups from
12persecution by the Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist group the
13Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as it expands its control over
14areas in northwestern Iraq; and be it further
15Resolved, That the California Legislature calls on the United
16States Department of State to work with the Kurdistan Regional
17Government, the Iraqi central government, neighboring countries,
18the diaspora community in the United States, the United Nations
19High Commissioner for Refugees, Chaldean representative leaders
20in the United States, and other key stakeholders to help secure safe
21havens for those claiming amnesty from Iraq; and be it further
22Resolved, That the Legislature urges the Congress of the United
23States to pass House Resolution 1568, which also urges the United
24States to act swiftly on behalf of religious minorities that are under
25the constant threat of persecution; and be it further
26Resolved, That the Legislature urges the Congress to amend
27House Resolution 1568 to include calls for the protection of victims
28of persecution based on biological or preferred sexuality, gender,
29ethnicity, race, nationality, or religious affiliation; and be it further
30Resolved, That the Legislature urges President Barack Obama’s
31administration to expedite visa processing for Iraq’s minority
32groups and to lift the quota cap for Iraqi Christians in order to
33streamline the process of accepting refugees; and be it further
34Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
35this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
36States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the
37Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative
P4 1from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the
2author for appropriate distribution.
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