Protecting Religious Rights and Freedoms

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The international community is once again being called upon to act urgently in preventing the onslaught of scores of Iraqis by the militant group ISIS. The Islamic group, ISIS- which stands for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria continues to capture vast areas of territory in their quest to extent and strengthen the creation of a caliphate designed to be the hub of a purely Islamic state. The Sunni backed militant group has been most brutal. They have been moving across the landscape of Syria and Iraqi rapidly capturing huge land holdings in a killing spree. ISIS have been beheading and torturing minority groups such as Christians and the Yazidis people of Iraq.
This has resulted in a humanitarian crisis as many of these persecuted people have had to flee their homes and are now facing starvation and imminent death. Sadly, the Iraqi army which the United States of America trained has proven useless in providing protect for these people.
According to the United Nations, some 200,000 minority Iraqis have been displaced since ISIS has started their journey. These minority groups are being hunted down and murdered if they do not convert to Islam.
It appears that for ISIS it’s a simply case of converting to Islam or Die. Many historical Christian sites including churches have been burnt to the ground in recent times by the militant group ISIS. ISIS has taken control of Christian and Yzedi towns in Mosul and on the Nineveh plains.
The latest development is most disturbing and amounts to genocide. The international community must act at once and must act in a decisive manner to protect the rights and religious freedoms of these minority groups.
The stability of the Middle East and indeed humanity is at risk if the world powers failed to act now to curtail the brutal regime of ISIS.

Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com

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