Washington, D.C. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) appeared on Fox News Channel’s
America’s Newsroom
this morning to discuss the introduction of his bipartisan Senate
resolution condemning the violence and persecution of Iraqi Christians
and other religious minorities by the Islamic State in Iraq.
Portman also wrote an op-ed in
The Daily Caller in which he
explains that the resolution reaffirms our commitment to protecting
religious freedom around the world and urges the establishment of safe
havens for those in Iraq seeking refuge from religious persecution.
The resolution is supported by the Christian Coalition of America,
the American Center for Law and Justice, and the Ohio Christian
Alliance.
Excerpts of the op-ed are below and the full piece can be viewed
here.
To watch Portman’s interview on Fox News, click
here.
America Must Stand With Iraqi ChristiansSen. Rob Portman
The Daily CallerJuly 30, 2014
Today in Iraq, we are witnessing the systematic purging of
Christians. In Mosul — Nineveh of Bible times — where Christians have
lived for nearly two thousand years, the terrorist group the Islamic
State, also known as ISIS, has declared war on non-Muslims.
The leaders of the Islamic State have issued an ultimatum to local
Christians: convert to Islam, pay a fine that few can afford, or “die by
the sword.” Many have fled and been robbed of all of their possessions
before they can get out of town. Some that remain have found their homes
stamped with a symbol denoting their religion and marking them for
death, and untold numbers have already been killed. A decade ago, 1.5
million Christians made Iraq their home. Today, fewer than 400,000
remain.
Even before the founding of our country, religious liberty has been
sacred to the American people. And when that freedom has been threatened
around the world, we have led the fight against those who would deny
it, lending spiritual, economic, and military support to oppressed
peoples. Today we must act in Iraq.
…
We cannot sit idly by as Christians in Iraq suffer. Recently,
President Obama declared on Religious Freedom Day 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.” We must put action behind
those words.
Today, I am introducing a bipartisan resolution in the United States
Senate. It reaffirms our commitment to protecting religious freedom
around the world. It calls upon the State Department to coordinate with
the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Iraqis, our allies in the region,
and the thousands of refugees who have come to our country over the
decades, to work together to secure safe havens for those in Iraq
seeking refuge from religious persecution. It demands that the Iraqi
government do more to protect religious minorities within their borders,
and it urges the administration to ensure the timely processing of
visas for Iraq’s minority groups fleeing religious persecution.
These steps will not end the violence in Iraq, but they will give
Iraqi Christians a chance to escape with their lives. Some of our allies
are already providing asylum to these persecuted Christians. The U.S.
must do more.
…
By taking steps to end the persecution of Christians and other
minorities in Iraq, we can begin to send a message to the world that we
will not stand idly by as our basic, human freedoms are violated. While
we must continue to pray for Iraqi Christians, the United States of
America — a country founded by those fleeing persecution — must also
take action to help them.
