A majority of Americans, including voters and top presidential candidates across party lines, recognize that Christians are experiencing a genocide in the Middle East at the hands of the Islamic State terrorist group.
Recently published statistics divulged in a Knights of Columbus-Marist poll conducted in December indicates that both Democrats and Republicans acknowledge that the war against Christians waged in the name of jihad has escalated to the point of genocide.
Going beyond calling ISIS attacks isolated acts of brutality, liberal and conservative presidential candidates, including Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee and Martin O’Malley are all labeling the jihadist killing of Christians in the Middle East as genocide.
This acknowledgement corroborates the take of most American adults on the dire situation.
“By almost 20 points, 55 percent to 36 percent, Americans agree that this targeting of Christians and other religious minorities meets the U.N. definition of genocide,” a press release issued by the Knights of Columbusannounced. “In addition, nearly 6 in 10 Americans (59 percent), say they have heard ‘a great deal’ or ‘a good amount’ about the targeting of Christians and other religious minorities in the region by ISIS.”
Pleading with the government
Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson is outraged that despite the overall acceptance of the fact that Christians are being purged by Islamic militants in the Middle East, nothing is being done.
“The American people, together with presidential candidates and elected officials of both political parties agree that Christians and other religious minorities are facing genocide in the Middle East,” Anderson declared. “With such a bi-partisan consensus, inaction on a declaration of genocide by Congress and the State Department is unconscionable.”
The leader of the New Haven, Conn.-based conservative non-profit organization insists that the United States government’s inaction must quickly come to an end.
“An entire year has gone by with their silence,” Anderson pointed out. “The time for action is now — while those being persecuted can still be saved.”
In the wake of a letter issued to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry by a large coalition of religious leaders, scholars and researchers —who pleaded with him to include Christians in any determination of genocide made by the State Department — the survey was conducted. The letter was motivated by overwhelming evidence sustaining the fact that Christians have been consistently targeted and killed by Islamists in Syria and Iraq for some time.
The State Department was also called to end its inaction on the matter by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which clearly identified the onslaught taking place in the Middle East as the genocide of religious minorities.
While recently visiting Bolivia on his South American tour, Pope Francis also referred to the extermination of Christians in the Middle East as genocide.
“Today we are dismayed to see how in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world many of our brothers and sisters are persecuted, tortured and killed for their faith in Jesus,” the Catholic leader declared. “A form of genocide is taking place, and it must end.”
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on International Justice and Peace Chair Oscar Cantú recently pushed for Congress of move the passage of H.Con.Res. 75, also known as the “Genocide” resolution. The bishop from Las Cruces, New Mexico, insists that America’s official acknowledgement of the genocide and its intervention is needed if the unprovoked Islamic slayings of multitudes of Christians is to be stopped an time soon.
—-
Copyright American Family News. Reprinted with permission.
Recent Comments