UK Parliament Calls ISIS Atrocities Against Religious Minorities 'Genocide'

The lower house of the British Parliament is calling the atrocities committed by ISIS in Syria and Iraq genocide.

On Wednesday, the House of Commons passed a motion stating: “That this House believes that Christians, Yazidis, and other ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria are suffering genocide at the hands of Daesh; and calls on the government to make an immediate referral to the UN Security Council with a view to conferring jurisdiction upon the International Criminal Court so that perpetrators can be brought to justice.”

It's a historic moment in the protection of religious liberties, according to the Alliance Defense Fund.

“Today is a day of hope for every Christian, Yazidi, or member of other religious minorities suffering under the terror reign of ISIS,” said Robert Clarke, an English barrister and director of European advocacy for ADF International who was present at the House during the vote.

“The House of Commons urged the government to take charge in recognizing the ongoing genocide in the Middle East in order to ultimately bring it to an end," he said. "Rightly so. We have an obligation to prevent and punish this ‘crime above all crimes.’ We cannot remain silent.”

ADF International has provided evidence and legal analysis to the UK Parliament, the U.S. State Department, and international institutions, including the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, each of which has gone on to condemn the atrocities perpetrated by ISIS as genocide.

The group also commissioned a poll that showed the British people support a motion to label the violence against religious minorities genocide.

The poll found:

•     63 percent support the British government officially recognizing the genocide, with just 7 percent opposed.
•     69 percent support the UK raising the issue with the United Nations Security Council with the aim of referring the situation to the International Criminal Court, with just 7 percent opposed.
•     59 percent support the UK conducting a formal inquiry into claims that the so-called Islamic State has committed genocide, with 14 percent opposed.