Dear Mr. President,
As deeply committed legislators and members of parliaments from around the world, we are writing to express our concern about the ongoing persecution of religious minorities in Iraq and the wider Middle East. We do appreciate additional high-level attention and resources devoted to mitigating the ongoing and egregious persecution of Christians and other minority religious communities in Iraq, and wish to convey our pressing interest in assisting with increased efforts to reverse this devastating trend. Christians are rapidly becoming extinct in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries and this development is not in the interest of peace and stability in this troubled region.
As anyone involved with international security efforts in Iraq well knows, the severity of the persecution of the Christian community in Iraq, which Community has for centuries served an important stabilizing role both in economic and political terms, threatens not only that ancient community, but the entire foundation of Iraq’s civil democracy. Efforts to help establish and protect that democracy have cost many of our countries dearly, and these sacrifices bear silent witness to the urgency of our desire to work with you to take our mutual efforts to a new level. But it is imperative that the United States takes a leadership role in this regard.
A thriving and actively engaged Iraqi Christian community is vital to assuring the future stability of Iraq, and its presence or absence will bear heavily on future prospects for stability throughout the Middle East. We are convinced that one indispensible measure of the success of years of grueling effort to help stabilize Iraq, and indeed Iraq’s very survival as a pluralistic democracy, is the extent to which Christian and other minority religious communities are able to live and move freely without constant fear of intimidation and brutal violence. This especially concerns the freedom to worship and the freedom to express their faith publicly.
We fully appreciate all efforts, often undertaken in the midst of arduous circumstances, which are currently underway to bring relief to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and those that continue to flee their homeland at record pace to find safe refuge from terrorist attacks. However, we remain gravely concerned about the vulnerable survivors of numerous and ongoing attacks on churches, including the most recent assault on Our Lady of Deliverance Church in Baghdad, and the families devastated in October 2008 when more than 1.5 million people who were forced to evacuate from Mosul pursuant to attacks on Christians there. We are also horrified by gruesome accounts of gunmen who have broken into Christian homes to kill civilians, as well as reports of elderly Christians found strangled to death in their own homes. It is staggering to think that half of all Iraqi Christians have been forced to flee their country since 2003. And the exodus continues with thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing their country on a weekly basis.
Given the newly evolving political dynamics following recent elections and the ongoing transition of security responsibilities, we are eager to lend our voices and resources to help protect Iraq’s vulnerable minority religious communities during this fragile interim period. We are committed to working together to help ensure that our governments boost the effectiveness of mutual cooperation to defuse the ongoing crisis on the ground, and urge you and other heads of state to push the Iraqi government to prioritize and implement a strategy aimed at protecting Iraqi citizens of all religions and offer them a real future in the country. We look forward to working with you to successfully augment existing efforts to investigate religiously- motivated violence and human rights abuses, deter and disrupt attacks, protect vulnerable persons and communities, and vigorously prosecute those responsible for criminal offenses.
The United States has a unique leadership role in furthering the cause of religious freedom in Iraq and the whole of the Middle East. Please be assured of our commitment to assisting in any and all appropriate actions to secure immediate, united, transparent, and lasting relief for Iraq’s devastated Christian and other minority religious communities.
December 21st, 2010 Signed by 94 legislators from 15 nations – names printed below:
Senator José Ignacio Palacios Zuasti Spanish Senate Spain
Baroness Masham of Ilton House of Lords United Kingdom
Senator José Atarés Martínez Spanish Senate Spain
James C. J. Kim Former member National Assembly Republic of Korea
Gloria Y.A. Lee Member of the National Assembly Republic of Korea
Lourdes Méndez Monasterio Member of Parliament Spain
Senator Paul Bradford Seanad Éireann Republic of Ireland
Senator Maria Corrigan Seanad Éireann Republic of Ireland
Senator Camillus Glynn Seanad Éireann Republic of Ireland
Senator John Hanafin Seanad Éireann Republic of Ireland
Senator Nicky McFadden Seanad Éireann Republic of Ireland
Senator Brian O Domhnaill Seanad Éireann Republic of Ireland
Senator Labhras O Murchu Seanad Éireann Republic of Ireland
Senator Ronan Mullen Seanad Éireann Republic of Ireland
Senator John Paul Phelan Seanad Éireann Republic of Ireland
Senator Jim Walsh Seanad Éireann Republic of Ireland
Maria José NOGUEIRA PINTO Member of Parliament Portugal
Maria do Rosário CARNEIRO Member of Parliament Portugal
Teresa VENDA Member of Parliament Portugal
Senator Rosa Nuria Aleixandre Cerarols Spanish Senate Spain
Christine Boutin Former Minister, President of the Parti Chrétien-Démocrate France
Franck Margain Member of the regional parliament d'Ile de France, Vice President of the Parti Chrétien-Démocrate France
Catherine SOULLIÉ Member of the European Parliament France
Lord Hylton MA ARCS House of Lords United KingdomLourdes Méndez Monasterio Member of Parliament Spain
José RIBEIRO E CASTRO Member of Parliament, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Portugal
Senator Alejandro Muñoz-Alonso Spanish Senate Spain
Eugenio Nasarre Member of Parliament Spain
María Antonia Avilés Perea Member of Parliament Spain
Miguel Angel Cortes Member of Parliament Spain
Baudilio Tomé Muguruza Member of Parliament Spain
Blanca Fernandez de Capel Baños Member of Parliament Spain
Antonio Perea Member of Parliament Spain
Ignacio Astarloa Huarte-Mendicoa Member of Parliament Spain
Jose-Ignacio Echaniz-Salgado Member of Parliament Spain
Professor Lord Alton of Liverpool House of Lords United Kingdom
Francisco Javier Salazar Sáenz House of Representatives, Vice president of the Directive Board Mexico
Jaime MAYOR OREJA Member of the European Parliament Spain
Jorge Fernández Díaz. Member of Parliament, third vice president of Congress Spain
Ceslocas VYATAUTAS STANKEVICIUS, Member of Parliament, Deputy Speaker Lithuania
José Eugenio AZPIROZ VILLAR Member of Parliament Spain
Senator Jesus AGUIRRE MUÑOZ Spanish Senate Spain
Senator Alejandro Muñoz-Alonso Spanish Senate Spain
Senator Luis Peral Guerra Spanish Senate Spain
William Cash Member of Parliament United Kingdom
Johannes Singhammer Member of Bundestag, Deputy Chairman CDU Germany
Cyril Svoboda Member of Parliament Czech Republic
Jim Dobbin Member of Parliament United Kingdom
Senator Rick Santorum Former member of the Senate United States of America
Mantas Adomenas Member of Parliament Lithuania
Hon. Luca Volontè Member of Parliament, President EPP at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Italy
Hon. Luisa Santolini Member of Parliament Italy
Hon. Paola Binetti Member of Parliament Italy
Hon. Antonello Mereu Member of Parliament Italy
Hon. Renato Farina Member of Parliament Italy
Hon. Giacomo Stucchi Member of Parliament Italy
Hon. Rocco Buttiglione Member of Parliament, Deputy Speaker Italy
Hon Enzo Carra Member of Parliament Italy
Hon. Savino Pezzotta Member of Parliament Italy
Senator Maria Pia Garavaglia Italian Senate Italy
Senator Gianpiero D'Alia Italian Senate Italy
Senator Achille Serra Italian Senate Italy
Hon. Gianluca Galletti Member of Parliament Italy
Gabriella Bábiné Szottfried, Member of Parliament Hungary
Christian Vanneste Member of Parliament France
Konrad Szymánski Member of the European Parliament Poland
Carlo Pizano Salinas Mexico City representative Mexico
Rory O'Hanlon Member House of Deputies Republic of Ireland
John Pugh Member of Parliament United Kingdom
Baroness Williams of Crosby House of Lords United Kingdom
Speaker Newt Gingrich Former Speaker of the House of Representatives United States of America
Congressman Jeff Fortenberry House of Representatives United States of America
Congressman Robert B. Aderholt House of Representatives United States of America
Jaroslav Lobkowicz Member of Parliament Czech Republic
Ferenc Ivanics Member of Parliament Hungary
Paz Gutiérrez Cortina House of Representatives Mexico
Ilona Ékes Member of Parliament Hungary
Baroness Nuala O’Loan DBE House of Lords United Kingdom
Michl József Member of Parliament Hungary
Congressman Trent Franks House of Representatives United States of America
Senator Juan Van-Halen Spanish Senate Spain
Ryszard Legutko Member of the European Parliament Poland
Doraja Eberle Former elected Minister, Salzburg Regional Government Austria
Senator Bruno Retailleau French Senate France
Paul Goggins Member of Parliament United Kingdom
Jean-François CHOSSY Member of Parliament France
Jean-Pierre DECOOL Member of Parliament France
Se Youn Kim Member of the National Assembly Republic of Korea
Heung Gil Ko Member of the National Assembly Republic of Korea
Lionnel LUCA Member of Parliament, Vice Président du Conseil Général France
Inmaculada BAÑULS ROS Member of Parliament Spain
Tamás Heintz Member of Parliament Hungary
Congressman Chris H. Smith House of Representatives United States of America
Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo House of Representatives United States of America