Please Help the Besieged Christians of Iraq

Send the Following Report to the

The Kurdish-American Congressional Caucus

The Honorable XXXXX United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C 20515 Dear Congressman/woman xxxxx

We would like to bring to your attention an important development in the area of Northern Iraq currently under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government. The referenced area which has been the home for thousands of Assyrian Christian families for hundreds if not thousands of years, is located in the Northwestern part of Iraq. We have received accurate reporting that the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has begun a systematic and illegal confiscation of farming lands belonging to Assyrian Christian villagers from the province of Duhok (AKA Nohadra in Assyrian).

Ownership of these lands was transferred to the regional government without previously consulting their rightful owners and under the pretext they were needed for the development of a “project” by the Kurdish ministry of Tourism, which upon completion will economically benefit the whole area. The Barazani affiliates/associates aided by the Kurdish security forces (Asayesh) and under the “veil of government entities” have continued with the policies of demographic change that the regime of Saddam Hussein had used for decades until its removal in 2003.

While The US considers the Kurdish enclave to be a friendly entity within Iraq and the last two US administrations have transferred billions in US aid to promote the region as an “Oasis” of democracy and tolerance, the truth is the indigenous people of the land, the Assyrian Christians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs) and other non Kurdish ethnic and religious minorities suffer on a daily basis from “disguised and unofficial” policies of discrimination.

As of the date of this letter we have collected thousands of signatures from US citizens asking their elected officials (House, Senate and the President) to pressure the Barazani family and the KRG to return the confiscated areas to their rightful owners. We’re asking you as a member of the Kurdish American Congressional Caucus to do the same and demand they put a stop to the illegal land grab and refrain from their policies of demographic change and the Kurdification of the region.

We hope the KRG will respond in a positive manner to your request and put an end to these policies, but in case they do not cooperate, we ask you that you officially request the U.S. Department of State to put an immediate freeze on all funds allotted to the KRG and the area under their jurisdiction. We moreover ask you to suspend your membership in the Kurdish American Congressional Caucus for the KRG is an unfair government which does not uphold the principles of Human Rights in regards to its Assyrian Christian citizens.

Sincerely:

 

Replace XXX's with the name of the congessional member.

The caucus is a bipartisan organization with the goal to promote understanding of Kurdish interests, provide accurate and timely information about issues affecting the Kurdish people, and recommend initiatives which will:

HOUSE MEMBERS

1. Brian Bilbray (R-CA)
2. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
3. Jo Bonner (R-AL)
4. Russ Carnahan (D-MO)
5. Mike Coffman (R-CO)
6. Jim Cooper (D-TN)
7. Joseph Crowley (D-NY)
8. Jeff Duncan (R-SC)
9. Keith Ellison (D-MN)
10. Bob Filner (D-CA)
11. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
12. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
13. Sam Graves (R-MO)
14. Gene Green (D-TX
15. Brian Higgins (D-NY)
16. Jim Himes (D-CT)
17. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
18. Tim Holden (D-PA)
19. Steve Israel (D-NY)
20. Walter Jones (R-NC)
21. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)
22. Michael McCaul (R-TX)
23. Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
24. James Moran (D-VA)
25. Tom Petri (R-WI)
26. Joe Pitts (R-PA)
27. Mike Quigley (D-IL)
28. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
29. Steve Rothman (D-NJ), Co-Chair
30. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)
31. Pete Sessions (R-TX)
32. Christopher Van Hollen (D-MD)
33. Tim Walberg (R-MI)
34. Tim Walz (D-MN)
35. Allen West (R-FL)
36. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Co-Chair
37. Todd Young (R-IN)
Former members:
1. Michael Arcuri (D-NY)
2. Roy Blunt (R-MO)
3. Lincoln Davis (D-TN)
4. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD)
5. Bart Gordon (D-TN)
6. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)
7. Joe Sestak (D-PA)
8. John Shadegg (R-AZ) 

 

 

 

 

 

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