NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2014 /
Christian Newswire/ -- The following is the Catholic League's ad on Christian genocide in the Middle East from today's
New York Times op-ed page:
CHRISTIAN GENOCIDE MUST END
Children are being beheaded, women are being raped, men are being crucified, and Christians are being forced to "convert or die." This is the essence of radical Islam: the barbarians even kill Muslims, as well as Christians, Jews, and others who are not like them. To make sure the homes they destroy are the right ones--the Christian ones--they mark them with an "N." It means Nazarene. We've seen that kind of branding before in Nazi Germany.
The United Nations General Assembly convenes tomorrow. It needs to act on Resolution 2170, unanimously passed on August 15 by the Security Council. It invokes Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter authorizing a military response. Islamic State terrorists need to be stopped, not contained. If the caliphate is not crushed, the United States risks being bombed again.
Resolution 2170 calls for sanctions to be levied against those who are financing, arming, planning, and recruiting these jihadists. It calls for asset freezes, travel bans, and an arms embargo. The United Nations must now make good on its pledge. More must be done: The United Nations should initiate proceedings in the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
The Obama administration needs to give the Kurds, the Iraqis, and all those who are willing to fight the terrorists, the arms they need to win. We are not fighting criminals--we are fighting Islamic State savages who have engaged in acts of war. What is at stake is the preservation of Western civilization and the Judeo-Christian ethos upon which it was built.
The Catholic Church rightly eschews a military response to conflict, but there are times when a "just war" is necessary. That time is now. Either the forces of peace and freedom will prevail, or the forces of death and totalitarianism will triumph. The international community, led by the United States, must act now.
Bill Donohue President CATHOLIC LEAGUE for Religious and Civil Rights 450 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10123 (212) 371-3191;
ad@catholicleague.org www.catholicleague.org CHRISTIAN GENOCIDE MUST END
