Brant-Knights of Columbus: A call for justice for Middle East Christians

Wednesday, May 04, 2016

A call for justice for Middle East Christians

Stop Christian genocide FILE -- July 4, 2015: A 27-year-old Yazidi woman, who escaped from captivity by Islamic State (IS) militants, is pictured at Sharya refugee camp on the outskirts of Duhok province. REUTERS/Ari Jala

FILE -- July 4, 2015: A 27-year-old Yazidi woman, who escaped from captivity by Islamic State (IS) militants, is pictured at Sharya refugee camp on the outskirts of Duhok province. REUTERS/Ari Jala

op Christian genocide- a worthy cause

The Knights of Columbus is committed to this great cause. We submitted to the State Department on March 9 and subsequently to members of Congress, a nearly 300-page report that documented the atrocities and laid out the legal analysis supporting the conclusion that genocide is occurring.

The United Nations can play a vital role by protecting the victims and refugees, by ensuring the survival of these ancient indigenous and religious communities, by punishing the perpetrators and by supporting the establishment of internationally agreed-upon standards of justice, equality, rule of law and religious freedom.

Carl Anderson is CEO of the Knights of Columbus. This essay is based on remarks he made to a conference on Christian genocide at the United Nations on April 28.