Wuerl welcomes Kerry declaration on IS ‘genocide’

The US State Department, after months of lobbying from Christian groups, declared that the Islamic State (IS) attacks on Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East constitute genocide, writes Michael Sean Winters.

On 17 March, Secretary of State John Kerry said: “My purpose today is to assert that [IS] is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control including Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims.” The designation carries specific legal consequences for IS leaders should they be brought to justice.

Washington’s Cardinal Donald Wuerl praised the decision. “For some time, the world has witnessed the deliberate and organised effort by IS to eliminate Christians from the Middle East,” Wuerl said. “For the US Government to call this savagery [by IS] by its proper name – genocide – is a welcome step in what must now be a more committed effort at bringing peace and security to that beleaguered land.