Don't Let The Debate over Genocide Sink Hope for Iraq's Christians
Posted: 12/12/2015 6:53 am EST Updated: 5 hours ago
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Any day now, the State Department will decide which, if any, persecuted minority in Iraq is to be designated as a victim of genocide. The leading candidate is the Yazidi people, some 30,000 members of a religion that originated from an amalgam of beliefs in the region.
In the summer of 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) drove the Yazidis from their homes in the Iraqi town of Sinjar in Nineveh Province; women were raped, men killed and boys taken into slavery.
Those horrific events made Yazidis the front-runners for designation as victims facing genocide.
But Yazidis weren't the only ones who suffered the Islamic State's cruel and systematic onslaught. Christian communities were similarly driven from the city of Mosul and other towns in Nineveh. But they don't seem due the same consideration. For now, thousands Iraqi Christians are encamped in church yards and abandoned buildings in Kurdistan.
Christian advocates are keen on getting recognition that the Christians faced genocide. They think it is the only way to get relief for Iraqi Christians, mainly through resettlement asylum outside the region. They are asking Secretary of State John Kerry to meet with them and hear their argument.
It is sad that it has come to this.
Christians and the other beleaguered minorities in Iraq should have received special attention long before now. It was clear that, as the Islamic State marched through Nineveh, these groups, and especially Christians and Yazidis, required urgent asylum. Their persecution had gone on almost from the day the US-led invasion forces ousted Saddam Hussein from power in 2013--long before the birth of the Islamic State.
Here is the International Criminal Court definition of genocide:
US federal immigration law precisely tracks that language: asylum requests can cover someone who experiences "persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion." In Nineveh, Christians were given a choice--convert, pay up and live under restrictive rules or leave. That is a pretty clear indication of persecution based on religion.
President Obama's recent contention that the US has no "religious tests" for admitting someone on the basis of their faith was manifestly wrong. Taking religion under consideration is a tradition that predates the founding of the American republic. You'd think that Obama, who made his national mark by opposing the Iraq invasion, might want to at least make amends for one of its egregious byproducts.
The excuses one hears for exclusion of Christians are varied, but none hold water. One is: you can't pick and choose among the many who suffer-- you have to take everyone threatened everywhere. But such reasoning did not, in the past, inhibit the United States (or for that matter, European countries) from accepting threatened communities, including Jews from the Soviet Union or Muslims from Bosnia and Kosovo.
Granting asylum has always been a choice, one that is in the hands of both President Obama, who has wide powers to decide who is let in, and leaders of a host of other countries To say one can't do something for everyone should not be an excuse to do nothing at all.
No country or even group of countries is going to be able to take in the millions suffering from warfare in Iraq and Syria (See: Angela Merkel, who invited Syrian refugees to come to Germany, until the flood became unmanageable). The displaced need proper refuge out of the war zones--up until now, refugee programs in bordering states have been woefully underfunded. Even the United States, the biggest international donor, has not given its proper share.
Certainly, the anti-immigration mood in both the US and Europe threatens to suffocate concern for refugees from anywhere. GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump furthered poisoned the climate by his insistence that Muslims, no matter what their circumstances, should be barred entry to the United States. Unfortunately, it is likely that those who advocate refugee status for Iraqi Christians will be labeled exclusionary Trumpistas.
Countering such attitudes is where the leadership to educate comes in, and that has been sorely lacking. Relief for Christians, as well as Yazidis, requires simple acknowledgement that chronic their persecution in Iraq has gone on for 12 years and running: clerics and worshippers alike have been killed and kidnapped, churches vandalized, extortion demanded, neighborhoods emptied.
Recognition that Iraqi Christians face genocide would be useful in righting these wrongs, but their fate ought not be held hostage to it.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Posted: 12/12/2015 6:53 am EST Updated: 5 hours ago
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
- [url=javscript:void%280%29][/url]
[url=javscript:void%280%29][/url] - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
- [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
- Comment 0
- [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
- [url=http://www.tumblr.com/share/link?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fdaniel-williams2%2Fdont-let-the-debate-over_b_8791662.html&name=Don%27t Let The Debate over Genocide Sink Hope for Iraq%27s][/url]
- [url=http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fdaniel-williams2%2Fdont-let-the-debate-over_b_8791662.html&title=Don%27t Let The Debate over Genocide Sink Hope for Iraq%27s Christians][/url]
- [url=http://reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fdaniel-williams2%2Fdont-let-the-debate-over_b_8791662.html&title=Don%27t Let The Debate over Genocide Sink Hope for Iraq%27s Christians][/url]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Any day now, the State Department will decide which, if any, persecuted minority in Iraq is to be designated as a victim of genocide. The leading candidate is the Yazidi people, some 30,000 members of a religion that originated from an amalgam of beliefs in the region.
In the summer of 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) drove the Yazidis from their homes in the Iraqi town of Sinjar in Nineveh Province; women were raped, men killed and boys taken into slavery.
Those horrific events made Yazidis the front-runners for designation as victims facing genocide.
But Yazidis weren't the only ones who suffered the Islamic State's cruel and systematic onslaught. Christian communities were similarly driven from the city of Mosul and other towns in Nineveh. But they don't seem due the same consideration. For now, thousands Iraqi Christians are encamped in church yards and abandoned buildings in Kurdistan.
Christian advocates are keen on getting recognition that the Christians faced genocide. They think it is the only way to get relief for Iraqi Christians, mainly through resettlement asylum outside the region. They are asking Secretary of State John Kerry to meet with them and hear their argument.
It is sad that it has come to this.
Christians and the other beleaguered minorities in Iraq should have received special attention long before now. It was clear that, as the Islamic State marched through Nineveh, these groups, and especially Christians and Yazidis, required urgent asylum. Their persecution had gone on almost from the day the US-led invasion forces ousted Saddam Hussein from power in 2013--long before the birth of the Islamic State.
Here is the International Criminal Court definition of genocide:
Parts of the UN's Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide also applies. The convention defines genocide as:Acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, including: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
In any event, a genocide-threat designation is not a pre-requisite for receiving safe haven from persecution. Under United Nations definitions, a refugee is someone who has "a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion."Action in which armed power organizations treat civilian social groups as enemies and aim to destroy their real or putative social power, by means of killing, violence and coercion against individuals whom they regard as members of the groups
US federal immigration law precisely tracks that language: asylum requests can cover someone who experiences "persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion." In Nineveh, Christians were given a choice--convert, pay up and live under restrictive rules or leave. That is a pretty clear indication of persecution based on religion.
President Obama's recent contention that the US has no "religious tests" for admitting someone on the basis of their faith was manifestly wrong. Taking religion under consideration is a tradition that predates the founding of the American republic. You'd think that Obama, who made his national mark by opposing the Iraq invasion, might want to at least make amends for one of its egregious byproducts.
The excuses one hears for exclusion of Christians are varied, but none hold water. One is: you can't pick and choose among the many who suffer-- you have to take everyone threatened everywhere. But such reasoning did not, in the past, inhibit the United States (or for that matter, European countries) from accepting threatened communities, including Jews from the Soviet Union or Muslims from Bosnia and Kosovo.
Granting asylum has always been a choice, one that is in the hands of both President Obama, who has wide powers to decide who is let in, and leaders of a host of other countries To say one can't do something for everyone should not be an excuse to do nothing at all.
No country or even group of countries is going to be able to take in the millions suffering from warfare in Iraq and Syria (See: Angela Merkel, who invited Syrian refugees to come to Germany, until the flood became unmanageable). The displaced need proper refuge out of the war zones--up until now, refugee programs in bordering states have been woefully underfunded. Even the United States, the biggest international donor, has not given its proper share.
Certainly, the anti-immigration mood in both the US and Europe threatens to suffocate concern for refugees from anywhere. GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump furthered poisoned the climate by his insistence that Muslims, no matter what their circumstances, should be barred entry to the United States. Unfortunately, it is likely that those who advocate refugee status for Iraqi Christians will be labeled exclusionary Trumpistas.
Countering such attitudes is where the leadership to educate comes in, and that has been sorely lacking. Relief for Christians, as well as Yazidis, requires simple acknowledgement that chronic their persecution in Iraq has gone on for 12 years and running: clerics and worshippers alike have been killed and kidnapped, churches vandalized, extortion demanded, neighborhoods emptied.
Recognition that Iraqi Christians face genocide would be useful in righting these wrongs, but their fate ought not be held hostage to it.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Today at 9:38 am by Rocky
» A leader in the National Bank: We are committed to the federal decision and to postpone the election
Today at 9:28 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim: Iraq's future cannot be mortgaged to volatile oil prices
Today at 9:24 am by Rocky
» The conflict of the corridors: the path to development from a historical perspective and the door to
Today at 9:22 am by Rocky
» The Kurdistan Region demands that the federal government spend 1.1 billion dinars.. What is the reas
Today at 9:21 am by Rocky
» Tomorrow, Iraq is preparing to launch a complementary round of gas licensing
Today at 9:19 am by Rocky
» A government move to restore the funds of the Trade Bank of Iraq
Today at 9:17 am by Rocky
» The Central Bank informs France of plans to restructure the banking sector
Today at 9:15 am by Rocky
» A government advisor reveals the fate of the budget tables
Today at 9:13 am by Rocky
» Iranian mediation between Baghdad and Erbil... Revealing the most prominent files of Raisi’s visit t
Today at 9:10 am by Rocky
» Reconstruction and development is a priority.. A parliamentary committee follows up and monitors gov
Today at 9:08 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim comments on the agreements concluded with Türkiye and confirms: Iraq is on the right path
Today at 9:06 am by Rocky
» Tomorrow... Iraq takes a step that will give it gas equivalent to 200% of imported Iranian gas
Today at 9:04 am by Rocky
» A long and disturbing message.. The Iraqi government “blames” the United Nations because of “other p
Today at 9:00 am by Rocky
» The Governor of the Central Bank and the French Ambassador discuss developments in the banking secto
Today at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Al-Bajari: Iraqi companies will have a great opportunity to work after opening the door to investmen
Today at 5:16 am by Rocky
» Transparency: Imports from Sulaymaniyah and Halabja during the past week amounted to more than 10 bi
Today at 5:13 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The delayed projects left great damage to the level of services in Babylon
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Economist: The fluctuation of the dollar is “the balance of speculators”
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» {Al-Furat News} publishes the text of Al-Sudani’s request to Guterres to end UNAMI’s work in Iraq
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» A former MP accuses Türkiye of transferring its conflict with the workers to Iraq
Today at 5:05 am by Rocky
» A call to the Sudanese to remove American forces from Iraq
Today at 5:03 am by Rocky
» Oil Parliament: Ankara holds Erbil responsible for the oil fines it owes
Today at 5:02 am by Rocky
» The government is silent...the reality of removing American forces from Iraq
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» The radiation protection law in the first session of the next legislative term
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» A Spanish company raises controversy and a representative reveals a parliamentary movement against i
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Sudanese officially requests the end of the United Nations mission in Iraq / documents
Today at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Because its sessions were not held, the Kirkuk Council faces a judicial complaint, and its members d
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Former US Chief of Staff: We slaughtered huge numbers of innocent people in Iraq and other countries
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» The Association of Private Banks counts the percentage of shares traded on the stock market during a
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» The European Union and Iraq agree to increase cooperation between them
Today at 4:52 am by Rocky
» American Bank: Expectations to increase Iraq’s oil capacity in 2025
Today at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Central Bank Governor to the French Ambassador: The plan to restructure government banks will change
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Integrity confirms working to conclude a memorandum of understanding with the Kuwaiti Anti-Corruptio
Today at 4:47 am by Rocky
» Highlights of the Prime Minister's visit to Babylon
Today at 4:46 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Transport discusses with a Turkish delegation the latest developments in the develop
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» Free of charge.. Issuing approximately 13 thousand unified cards for those covered by social protect
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary committee advises the government to deter trespassers: Slums are one of the reasons
Today at 4:41 am by Rocky
» Embassy Protection confirms to “Baghdad Today”: The missions are safe and we have taken proactive me
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Water resources resolve the controversy of the “Wadi Al-Tea” project.. It will nourish the Hamrin ic
Today at 4:37 am by Rocky
» After approving the National Security Strategy...a parliamentary movement to host “responsible” figu
Today at 4:36 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim calls for the distribution of plots of land to the families of the martyrs of the Popular M
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» Order 160 Committee completes the “port scandals” papers... and searches for a legal outlet for impl
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» It revealed the details of its contract with four companies to complete the census requirements... P
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Egypt, Morocco and Qatar praise the Iraqi Integrity proposal to establish the Arab Law Enforcement C
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Parliament enters its legislative recess and requires holding an “extraordinary” session o
Today at 4:28 am by Rocky
» The Sudanese has not rested since the morning.. He carried out 12 activities and allocated a trillio
Today at 4:27 am by Rocky
» Blinken's agent: Erbil is a strategic ally of Washington in a 360-degree relationship
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» Oil seeks to convert refinery products to “Euro 5”... high quality and environmentally friendly
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» A leader in the framework: There is no need for early elections...the “legislative” elections will t
Today at 4:23 am by Rocky
» Parliament decides to extend its legislative term by 30 days
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» Iraq has the tenth worst economic growth in the world during the last 5 years
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim: The future cannot be mortgaged to volatile oil prices
Today at 4:17 am by Rocky
» It will change the reality of Iraqi banks.. Al-Alaq reveals a plan that enjoys Sudanese support
Today at 4:15 am by Rocky
» MM&C 5/9/24 The Federation of Chambers of Commerce and the European Union discuss cooperation to fin
Yesterday at 9:27 am by Rocky
» MM&C 5/9/24 Customs, security and economic aspects
Yesterday at 9:24 am by Rocky
» Union of Arab Banks: Iraq's environment encourages investment
Yesterday at 6:57 am by Rocky
» Government advisor: Movement to recover bad debts for the benefit of the Iraqi Trade Bank
Yesterday at 6:55 am by Rocky
» The International Development Bank announces the opening of its new branch in Erbil
Yesterday at 6:52 am by Rocky
» Oil seeks to convert refinery products to “Euro 5”... high quality and environmentally friendly
Yesterday at 6:50 am by Rocky
» Budget delay: the cry for help for paralyzed services and disrupted dreams
Yesterday at 6:47 am by Rocky
» Oil: Completion of projects to improve the quality of petroleum products, and others are under imple
Yesterday at 6:44 am by Rocky
» Chairman of the Securities Commission: 3 million shares, average daily trading volume
Yesterday at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Tamim calls on the countries participating in the meetings of the Arab Administrative Development Or
Yesterday at 6:41 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Endowments: 39 thousand pilgrims, Iraq’s share, and waiving the religious obligation i
Yesterday at 6:39 am by Rocky
» Washington refers to Iraqi legislation that “does not harm” his international presence, and Baghdad
Yesterday at 6:34 am by Rocky
» Deputy: Extending the legislative term depends on sending the budget schedules
Yesterday at 6:30 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Legal: 88 draft laws on the parliamentary shelf
Yesterday at 6:29 am by Rocky
» The head of the movement denies any Iraqi-American negotiations to remove the coalition
Yesterday at 5:23 am by Rocky
» A deputy expects to resolve the issue of electing the Speaker of Parliament next week
Yesterday at 5:22 am by Rocky
» Obtaining the approval of the Minister of Electricity to fill the energy shortage in Dhi Qar
Yesterday at 5:21 am by Rocky
» Economist on the decline in dollar prices: My time and it will not reach its official price
Yesterday at 5:20 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Ministerial Council for National Security approves the 2024-2028 strategy
Yesterday at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Mulla Bakhtiar: Nechirvan Barzani's visit to Iran melted the ice between Erbil and Tehran
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Password "78"... Why did the Sudanese government's interrogations and noisy sessions decline?
Yesterday at 5:16 am by Rocky
» JP Morgan forecasts an increase in the oil capacity of Iraq and other countries in 2025
Yesterday at 5:15 am by Rocky
» Turkish Minister of Transport: The development road will cost $20 billion
Yesterday at 5:13 am by Rocky
» The Supreme Committee for Reconstruction and Investment approves a package of strategic projects
Yesterday at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Work: Preparing a unified national strategy to create job opportunities for youth
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» The Prime Minister's financial advisor reduces the risks of the budget deficit
Yesterday at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Sudanese announces the signing of an agreement with Japan to finance small and medium enterprises in
Yesterday at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Government Advisor: The Securities Commission represents the governance base for promoting financial
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» A unified national strategy to create job opportunities for youth
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» A one-week deadline to decide the position of Speaker of Parliament
Yesterday at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Parliament: We coordinate with the competent regulatory authorities to examine medicines
Yesterday at 5:04 am by Rocky
» The Commission suspends the Kurdistan Parliament's voting procedures
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky
» $100 million to localize the pharmaceutical industry
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Increase in external remittances at the Central Bank
Yesterday at 5:00 am by Rocky
» A government advisor reduces the risks of a budget deficit
Yesterday at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Culture: We seek to invest in the stability of the country to advance the tourism sector
Yesterday at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Integrity announces the results of a questionnaire on bribery in real estate registration department
Yesterday at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Parliament comments on Sudanese plan to restructure the government apparatus: It needs radical refor
Yesterday at 4:49 am by Rocky
» The dollar rises again against the Iraqi dinar in Baghdad
Yesterday at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Politician: The government does not deal transparently with the issue of expelling the Americans
Yesterday at 4:43 am by Rocky
» A government bank participating in an accounting project
Yesterday at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Masrour Barzani: The Kurdistan Regional Government has implemented all its obligations and duties
Yesterday at 4:41 am by Rocky
» French Consul: France strengthens relations with the Kurdistan Region
Yesterday at 4:39 am by Rocky
» Studies Center: Sudanese faces the challenges of maintaining sustainable relations with the United S
Yesterday at 4:38 am by Rocky
» “The absence of democracy is not possible.” The federal government remains silent on the postponemen
Yesterday at 4:37 am by Rocky