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1 [1] (July 24, 2014)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthaaaqc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: CRS Insights Conflict in Syria and Iraq: Implications for Religious Minorities Christopher M. Blanchard, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs (cbla nchardhcrs.locaov, 7-0428) July 24, 2014 (IN10111) Conflict in Syria and Iraq is causing particular suffering for religious minorities in the countries' diverse societies, leading some Members of Congress to call for increased action by the U.S. government. Syria's civil war has displaced half the population of 22.4 million and has placed extreme pressure on inter-communal relations. For decades, the country's authoritarian government has been led in large part by members of the Alawite religious minori, who have sought to cultivate the regime's image as a guarantor of a non-sectarian society while manipulating group identities and stifling dissent to stay in power. Syria's citizenry is mostly Sunni Muslim, but it includes a multi-denomination Christian minority, smaller Druze and Shiite Muslim communities, and members of other faiths. The political uprising that preceded the conflict in 2011 started in mainly Sunni Muslim areas but was not overtly sectarian in nature. However, the government labelled activists as extremists and terrorists and has indiscriminately targeted opposition-held areas populated mainly by Sunni Muslims, exacerbating sectarian tensions. Some armed Sunni Islamist opposition groups have used vicious sectarian rhetoric and carried out in sec an tcks, driving some minority group members, including Christians, to support Asad. In some areas, violent Sunni Islamist extremist groups have imposed harsh conditions on members of religious minoritv grupsand con.inue to cl for the ructin of the countr s Alawite counit. These acts, and the lack of dependable security guarantees for civilians on all sides, have encouraged some individuals and groups to adopt more exclusive identities and prioritize their own interests, complicating efforts to resolve the conflict. In Iraq, the security and political crises triggered by the advance of forces affiliated with the extremist group known as the Islamic State (IS, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL/ISIS) are directly harming religious minorities, in addition to the groups murderous attacks on the large Shiite Arab population. Some Christians and members of other religious minority groups long resident in areas now under Islamic State control have been forced from their homes after refusing to accept demands made by IS personnel. Thousands of Christians have fled Mosul and towns in the Nineveh Plains region for the safety of Kurdish-held areas. IS fighters are reported to have kidnapped civilians and seized or demolished churches, shrines, and minorities' homes in a campaign of sectarian intimidation. Yezidis, Shabaks, and Turkoman Shiites also have been targeted and killed. The displacement and violence amplify trends over the past deca that have driven hundreds _of thsands of Christians and other minorities out of the country in search of safety and religious freedom, greatly reducing communities whose presence in Iraq pre-dates Islam. Recent Congressional Responses Many Members of Congress have Iong decried the persecution of religious minorities, especially Christians and Jews, in the Middle East, and some have called for the executive branch to reassess and recalibrate U.S. relations with governments and groups believed to be responsible for the denial of religious freedom. Section 1243 of P.L. 11.0-181 granted specific refugee resettlement status to Iraqis who are members of a religious or minority community officially identified as a persecuted group who have close family members in the United States. Appropriations committees have directed foreign assistance to aid vulnerable ethno-religious minorities in Iraq and required Administration reporting on related U.S. efforts. The 111th Congress adopted resolutions specifically on Iraqi minorities (SJes. .322 and H.Res. 944). Some related resolutions proposed in the 113th Congress include Bides.if5, which, in part, would urge the Administration to expedite visa processing for Iraq's minority groups and to alter visa allocations to accommodate more Iraqi Christians seeking refugee status; and He.s. 223, which would call on Syrian opposition groups to adopt inclusive policies and would urge the Administration to work to protect minority rights. Congressional hearings continue to focus on rights

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