Christians in the Middle East are suffering genocide. This is the compelling conclusion of a report issued this past Thursday by the Knights of Columbus, written in collaboration with In Defense of Christians. The report arrives on the eve of a deadline for the U.S. State Department to issue a finding about whether ISIS is committing genocide and which groups are victims. This past October, officials at State suggested that their department might make a genocide determination on behalf of Yazidis but not of Christians.
Yazidis are suffering genocide, no doubt about it. So are Christians, though: the Knights report leaves little doubt about this. Intrepid journalist John Allen agrees. The same conclusion has been voiced by Pope Francis, the United States Commission on Religious Freedom, the European Parliament, the Government of Iraq, the governing authority of Kurdistan, German Chancellor Angela Merkl, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Let’s hope Secretary of State John Kerry joins his voice to this chorus.
But would a genocide determination change U.S. policy? Would a resolution declaring genocide being passed by the House of Representatives make a difference? John Allen posts again today on what real hope for genocide victims would look like.