USA (MNN) – The clock is ticking. By March 17, U.S. leaders must decide if they’re going to label ISIS persecution “genocide.”
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Congressman Jeff Fortenberry used the “G-word” earlier this week in a bill that received bipartisan support.
Resolution 75 doesn’t just call on U.S. and world leaders to acknowledge the crimes as genocide. It reminds them of their duty under international law to act on the victims’ behalf.
Support for describing ISIS persecution as genocide has steadily grown, ever since the images of 21 Christians in orange jumpsuits kneeling before black jihadists hit headlines a year ago.
“But our government is refusing to call that genocide,” observes Tom Doyle, Middle East expert and author of the book, Killing Christians: Living the Faith Where It’s Not Safe to Believe. “People are questioning [that].”
The horrendous attack on Libya’s shores isn’t the only example.
On February 4, the law-making body of the European Union took a stand on the genocide debate. Members of Parliament agreed in an “overwhelming majority” that ISIS persecution should indeed be classified as genocide.
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Nonetheless, top U.S. leaders like Secretary of State John Kerry and White House press secretary Josh Earnest refuse to use the genocide label.
“Unfortunately, with this present administration, [the plight of Christians] has pretty much fallen on deaf ears,” admits Doyle. “But, there are Congressmen that are trying. So we just need to pray for our elected officials.
“[Pray for] these congressmen that are trying to get meaningful legislation out there on the floor, and for people to understand the real story of what’s happening to Christians in the Middle East.”
