Christianity is on the verge of being wiped out in the Middle East. Ancient communities that have existed since the time of the apostles are being systematically eliminated. In Iraq alone, the number of Christians has plunged from one million to under 275,000 in the last 12 years alone.
This is not a few instances of violence or vandalism.
This is a Genocide.
And in March of this year, the U.S. State Department finally made it official.
But journalists have long known this or should have known. The horrors that are being perpetrated against Christians in the Middle East are savage and barbaric and systemic. As documented by a number of Christian groups, islamic terrorists have attacked and sometimes wiped out entire Christian neighborhoods and villages. ISIS has desecrated hundreds of churches and destroyed ancient Christian holy sites in acts of “cultural cleansing.” Christians have been murdered -- often mass murders – in a dozen countries. Islamic terrorists have tortured, beheaded, crucified or burned alive priests, nuns and worshippers alike. Families are routinely broken up and women are forced into sexual slavery. Stunningly, almost none of it has made the evening news broadcasts, and the networks almost never called what it is: genocide.
It is long past time for the media to report on the extent of this historic calamity.
Even though some traditional print outlets have covered this horror, America’s main source for news, the broadcast networks, have shamefully neglected to do so. ABC, NBC and CBS have only sporadically reported on the ethnic cleansing of some of the world’s oldest Christian sects from Iraq and Syria, and the bloody fate of those who remained. And even after this administration finally acknowledged this is a genocide, they continue to avoid using “genocide” to describe what ISIS and affiliated Muslim extremists are inflicting on Christians in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia even now.
We the undersigned, therefore, respectfully call on the media, especially the broadcast networks, to start covering this atrocity, calling it what it is – a genocide – and continue to do so until the civilized world puts an end to this evil. This is your duty as journalists and your moral obligation as citizens.
Signed,
(Affiliations are for identification purposes only)
Dr. Ted Baehr, Christian Film & Television Commission(r), Movieguide(r)
The Honorable Gary L. Bauer, American Values
Ambassador Kenneth Blackwell, Former U.S. Representative, United Nations Human Rights Commission
Morton Blackwell, Chairman, The Weyrich Lunch
Andresen Blom, Executive Director, Hawaii Christian Coalition
L. Brent Bozell III, President and Founder, Media Research Center
Brian Burch, President, Catholic Vote
Paul Caprio, Director, One Nation Under God Foundation
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate, Armenian Apostolic Church of America (Eastern Prelacy)
Edward Clancy, Director of Outreach and Evangelization, Aid to the Church in Need-USA
Charlie Daniels, Charlie Daniels Band
Elaine Donnelly, Center for Military Readiness
Bill Donohue, President, Catholic League
Bob Fischer, Meeting Coordinator, Conservatives of Faith
Jack Fowler, Publisher, National Review
Brigitte Gabriel, President, ACT for America
Jeff Gardner, Vice President, Restore Ninevah Now Foundation
Beverly Gossage, President, HSA Benefits Consulting
Rabbi Hausman
Rev. Benedict Kiely, Nasarean.org
Andrea S. Lafferty, President, Traditional Values Coalition
Willes K. Lee, President, National Federation of Republican Assemblies
Chris Long, President, Ohio Christian Alliance
KaLeigh Long, Executive Director, Conservative Leadership PAC
Mario H. Lopez, President, Hispanic Leadership Fund
William J. Murray, Chairman, Religious Freedom Coalition
Douglas H. Napier, Senior Counsel, Executive Director, Alliance Defending Freedom
Preston Noell, American Society for Defense of TFP
Judson Phillips, Founder, Tea Party Nation
David Pietrusza, Author, Historian
Patrick Reilly, Cardinal Newman Society
Rev. Dr. Samuel Rodriquez, President, NHCLC/CONELA, Hispanic Evangelical Association
Austin Ruse, Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute
Rick Scarborough, President, Vision America Inc.
Rev. Lou Sheldon, Chairman and Founder, Traditional Values Coalition
Matt Smith, President, Catholic Advocate
Dan Weber, CEO, Association of Mature American Citizens
John-Henry Westen, Editor-in-Chief, LifeSiteNews.com
Ed Whelan, Whelan, Ethics and Public Policy Center
Wendy Wright
The Honorable Dov Zakheim, Former Under Secretary of Defense, Center for Strategic & International Studies
