European Parliament leadership recognises “existential threat” for Christians in Middle East

The Bureau of the European Parliament adopted on Monday evening (February, 1st) a report which clearly denounces the suffering of Christians under “Islamic radicalism.”

The document (read report here) refers to “Christian communities in many parts of the world which are under existential threat from extremists and persecuted, tortured or killed on a regular basis solely because of their faith.”

It also denounces the “persecution, especially of Christian communities in the Middle East as a consequence of Islamic radicalism and jihad”.

The European Parliament Bureau comprises its President (Martin Schulz, European Socialists & Democrats) and 14 Vice Presidents, elected to those offices by the Members of Parliament.

The Bureau’s decisions are important because its members officially represent the European Parliament to other institutions and generally. 

A STEP TOWARDS RECOGNISING “GENOCIDE”?

The passing of this “Annual Report on the European Parliament’s implementation of Article 17 TFEU” can be a step in helping the European Union institutions finally condemn as genocide the current persecution and expulsion of Christians and other minority groups by Daesh in Syria and Iraq.

“This is the closest language to mean ‘genocide’ without using that terminology”, European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) representative in Brussels Christel Lamère Ngnambi told Evangelical Focus.

“NEVER HAS THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT BEEN SO FAR”

Ngambi followed the meeting of the EP Bureau and thought the report approved can be a key document.

“It remains true however that people engaged in violent religious extremism have caused the death of more Muslims than members of other faiths. But a lot of these attacks cannot be deemed to be persecution.”

“Over the past ten years, about 60% of Iraq's Christian community has been forced to leave the country, and some assassinated or forced to convert. Other minorities are under the threat of extinction in Iraq, like the Yezidi”, Ngnambi recalled.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE AND UN ALREADY TALKING ABOUT GENOCIDE

Last week, a resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (representing 47 countries including Turkey) officially described Daesh (ISIS) mass murders as 'genocide'. 

“This is the sign that an international consensus is building to qualify the abuses of Daesh as genocide, notably against Christians”, Ngnambi believes.

The text approved is an internal report “but it reflects the position of the whole European Parliament”, Ngnambi concluded.