Coptic Solidarity issued an action alert on Feb. 22, asking its members and supporters to ensure Congress speaks out for the 21 Coptic Martyrs and leads efforts to condemn Islamic Terrorism. They were urged to send a message asking their US Legislators to enter a statement into the Congressional Record!
Here below is a note from U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein responding to messages received.
While we appreciate US efforts to provide aid and funding to those suffering at the hands of ISIS, it is worth noting that Senator Feinstein’s response does not condemn the political Islamic ideology driving the terrorist group. Being willing to name and condemn that ideology is a necessary first step. No mention is made of the 21 Coptic martyrs, beheaded by ISIS simply for being Christians. Also of note, her praise of the coalition government in Iraq fails to even mention Iraq’s Christian or Yazidi minorities who are suffering genocide and those able forced to flee their homeland. This type of response reminds us ofthe importance to communicate with federal legislators on these religious freedom and human rights issues, and to press for policies that protect the most vulnerable.
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Dear Dr. Gereis:
Thank you for contacting me regarding U.S. efforts to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). I appreciate the time you took to write, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.
Please know that while I understand the reluctance of many Americans to take steps toward any involvement in another war, I strongly believe that we must confront ISIL before it further consolidates its power in the heart of the Middle East. I therefore support President Obama's decision to directly intervene in Iraq and Syria to protect U.S. interests and to form a united international coalition to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL. We cannot allow ISIL to establish a safe haven in Iraq and Syria from which it can export terror.
With an estimated 30,000 fighters, including hundreds of foreign fighters from Western countries, this sophisticated terrorist organization finances itself through kidnappings, human trafficking, extortion, bank robberies, illegal oil proceeds, and other criminal activity. It has consolidated territory in Syria and Iraq through sheer brutality, apparently intent on reconstituting an Islamic caliphate. It has publicly beheaded innocent American, British, Iraqi, and Syrian citizens, massacred thousands of Iraqi and Syrian soldiers, displaced tens of thousands of civilians, and killed genocidal levels of Iraqi and Syrian religious and ethnic minorities, including children.
I support a holistic approach, including military and non-military action, to combat ISIL. After debate in the Senate, I voted favorably for a provision within the 2015 Continuing Appropriations Resolution (Public Law 113-164), which authorizes the Department of Defense (DoD) to train and equip a Syrian opposition force to confront ISIL on the ground in Syria. Please know that this provision will continue to be reviewed and discussed by the Congress in the coming months.
I also support efforts that include building international partnerships, preventing the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria, de-legitimizing ISIL's brutal ideology, providing humanitarian relief to civilians affected by the crisis in Iraq and Syria, and helping to rebuild communities destroyed by ISIL. The United States has provided more than $2 billion in humanitarian assistance consisting of food, clean water, shelter, medical care, and relief supplies to displaced persons within Syria and to neighboring countries hosting Syrian refugees. For fiscal year 2014, the United States also provided Iraq with more than $186 million in humanitarian aid. In August 2014, the U.S. conducted multiple airdrops of food and water to Iraqis trapped by ISIL on Sinjar Mountain and in the besieged town of Amerli. Additionally, in October 2014, U.S. forces airdropped medical supplies, weapons, and ammunition to Kurdish fighters, who have been defending the city of Kobane against a determined ISIL assault.
I also agree that there needs to be a political strategy to address the root causes of the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. In Iraq, there is no doubt that political reconciliation between Iraq's ethnic and religious communities is the ultimate solution to the conflict. To that end, I am pleased to see that Iraq's leaders have taken action to form a unity government which I hope will prove capable of governing on behalf of all Iraqis and provide for genuine Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish participation. In Syria, where the government's forces have killed hundreds of thousands, there will not be peace while President Assad remains in power.
Please know that I have taken careful note of your views, and I truly believe that the United States must unite and lead the world against ISIL's horrific actions. As the Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, be assured that I continue to closely follow events in Syria and Iraq, and I will keep your thoughts in mind as the Senate discusses U.S. assistance and policy toward both nations.
Once again, thank you for writing. I hope that you will continue to keep me informed about issues of importance to you. Should you have any further comments or questions, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C., office at (202) 224-3841 or visit my website at www.feinstein.senate.gov. ;
Best regards.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator