Rep. Wolf: ISIS Targeting Christians 'for Extinction'
Republican Congressman Frank Wolf gave a passionate speech on the House floor on Tuesday
accusing the militant jihadist group ISIS of genocide for
"systematically targeting Christians and other religious minorities in
Iraq for extinction."
"I believe that what is happening to the
Christian community in Iraq is genocide,” said the Virginia legislator,
who is leaving office in January after 34 years in Congress. “I also
believe it is a 'crime against humanity.'"
ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has
already seized control of vast areas of the two war-torn nations. It
issued a decree that Christians had to convert to Islam, pay a tax, or
be killed.
"Last Thursday [July 17], the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria gave the few remaining Christians in Mosul until Saturday to leave or be killed," Wolf said.
"On June 16, for the first time in 1,600 years, there was no Mass said in Mosul."
Before the American invasion of Iraq in 2003,
about 130,000 Christians lived in Mosul, but only a handful remain there
now, according to CNS News.
Wolf quoted from a letter sent to the president
in June, signed by 55 members of Congress, urging Obama to "prioritize
additional security support for especially vulnerable populations,
notably Iraq's ancient Christian community."
The letter referred to a BBC article describing
"summary execution, beheadings, and even crucifixions" by ISIS, which
now calls itself simply the Islamic State.
Wolf told his House colleagues: "Absent immediate
action, we will most certainly witness the annihilation of an ancient
faith community from the lands they've inhabited for centuries.
"Where is the Obama administration?"
Iraq's ambassador to the United States is also
urging the administration to intervene, calling for air strikes to
"protect Iraqi borders against the further influx of terrorists from
Syria."
Ambassador Lukman Faily pointed to the Muslim
extremists targeting Christians, and called for strikes against
terrorist camps and supply convoys.
No comments:
Post a Comment