Any day now, the U.S. government will designate ISISâ??s attempts to exterminate minority religious groups in Iraq and Syria to be genocide. Yezidis â?? a minority religious group receiving the wrath of ISIS â?? will be (properly) included in the list of victims. The only question is whether the Christians of Iraq and Syria will be included. The failure of the U.S. government to include them will have profound implications and only further consign them to a fate of continued persecution, abandonment and death.
The genocide carried out by ISIS against Yezidis, Christians and others is only one of many heartbreaking stories of religious persecution forcing people to flee for their lives around the world. A record breaking 38 million people were displaced by violence last year according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. While the refugee numbers have dominated the news, very little research has been conducted on how these mounting tragedies are impacting persecuted Christians â?? until now. Later this week, a years-long study will be released detailing how Christian communities around the world respond when persecuted and their religious freedom is violated. Do they flee? Do they stay put? In what other ways do they respond?
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