[ April 24, 2024 ]
The U.S. State Department under President Donald Trump has begun to systematically remove all references of “genocide” from descriptions of ISIS atrocities committed against Christians and Yazidis.
How can this be?
Democratic senators, meanwhile, are holding up the confirmation of Mark Green, Trump’s choice to lead up the U.S. Agency for International Development — a move that keeps in place Barack Obama-era policies that shunned Iraq’s Christian populations from receiving crucial U.S. dollars.
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The Washington Free Beacon has more (h/t Jihad Watch):
The State Department’s top lawyers are systematically removing the word “genocide” to describe the Islamic State’s mass slaughter of Christians, Yazidis, and other ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria from speeches before they are delivered and other official documents, according to human rights activists and attorneys familiar with the policies. …
Richard Visek, who was appointed by President Obama as head the State Department’s Office of Legal Adviser in October 2016, is behind the decision to remove the word “genocide” from official documents, according to Nina Shea, an international human rights lawyer who directs the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom.
“I don’t think for a minute it’s a bureaucratic decision—it’s ideological,” said Shea, who also spent 12 years as a commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, or CIRF, from 1999 to 2012.
A State Department spokesman on Monday said he would look into the matter and respond.
The latest moves from the State Department’s Office of the Legal Adviser appear aimed at rolling back then-Secretary of State John Kerry’s March 2016 genocide determination. Kerry’s much-anticipated genocide designation came after months of equivocation and detailed documentation by interested parties that the Islamic State is responsible for genocide against Yazidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims.
It was one of the few times in history that the United States designated ongoing mass murders against ethnic or religious minorities as meeting the legal definition of genocide laid out in a 1948 treaty. That agreement requires signatories, including the United States, to take steps to “prevent and punish” genocide.
A bipartisan group of Capitol Hill lawmakers and activists, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) and Rep. Robert Aderholt (R., Ala.) were hoping the designation would help direct millions of dollars in U.S. relief funds to Christian, Yazidi, and other persecuted religious minority communities.
ISIS murders and kidnappings have decimated the Christian population in Iraq, which numbered between 800,000 and 1.4 million in 2002, reducing it to fewer than 250,000 now. Without action, activists and charities say, Christians could disappear completely from Iraq in the near future.
After meeting with Pope Francis in May, President Trump vowed to do everything in his power to defend and protect the “historic Christian communities of the Middle East.”
Activists and Catholic leaders are now calling on Trump to turn the rhetoric into action on the ground and help get U.S. aid to these persecuted communities trying to rebuild their homes and their lives in Iraq.
These advocates want the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United Nations to allow church groups and other religious-affiliated relief organizations to receive government aid, a practice prohibited during the Obama administration.
In early May, Congress allocated more than $1.3 billion in funds for refugee assistance and included specific language to try to ensure that at least some of the money is used to assist persecuted religious minorities, including Christians, Yazidis, and Shia Muslims—all groups the State Department deemed victims of genocide in 2016.
Nevertheless, only $10 million is specifically earmarked for Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities. The Trump administration has until the end of September, when the stop-gap funding bill runs out, to ensure it distributes the funds in the most effective way.
“There is congressional legislation … that calls for the U.S. government to stop excluding the genocide-targeted minorities in Iraq,” Shea said. “This has been a pervasive problem that this aid has not been getting to them.”
In June, several Republican senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to urge him to distribute dollars to “vulnerable and persecuted religious minorities.” But State’s response didn’t specify whether Christian charities would be able to take advantage of the tax aid to help out Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities facing Islamic-tied persecution.
Again, from the Free Beacon:
Instead, Charles Faulkner of State’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs cited a list of U.S. efforts to help the “plight of religious minorities in Iraq” and said the department “shares your grave concern about the situation facing Iraq’s religious and ethnic minorities.”
The letter also restates the State Department’s policy and that of the United Nation’s of distributing U.S. relief based on means-tested need, instead of the genocide designation providing some priority for targeted communities on the verge of extinction.
“The U.S. government has also provided more than $1.3 billion in humanitarian assistance since 2014 for vulnerable Iraqis in Iraq and in the region,” the letter stated. “This assistance is distributed according to individual need, and many members of minority groups have benefited from it because of their unique vulnerabilities.”
Faulkner said the State Department “makes efforts” to ensure that the needs of “minority community members” are “taken into consideration,” when there are concerns that these communities don’t have access to assistance.
In addition to U.N. stabilization projects in Iraq, he said State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor is managing 22 grants and “interagency agreements” in Iraq, and “since 2004 has been the lead U.S. government entity programming directly to support inclusion of religious and ethnic minorities and other marginalized populations in Iraq.”
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35 Comments
6 years ago
There are still jihadi supporters in the admin that are driving the narrative.
Its this kind of cover ups that advance the islamisation agenda till the country’s internal security collapses like in sweden.
SWEDEN ON BRINK OF CIVIL WAR: Police begging for help, legal system collapsing
And now swedish police is so overworked, outnumbered that the Police chief is begging for help from his own govt http://bit.ly/2s75qAn
But they are too busy bringing in more jihadis and dumb Left/liberal women I heard are allowing themselves be their sex slaves so they won’t be killed !
6 years ago
Reply to
Suresh
Thanks for incl. Mattis — you’ve done a great job exposing this POS for what he is: a muslum apologist/sympathizer at the very least.
6 years ago
THE SWAMP IS STILL UNDRAINED —“Richard Visek, who was appointed by President Obama as head the State Department’s Office of Legal Adviser in October 2016, is behind the decision to remove the word “genocide” from official documents, according to Nina Shea, an international human rights lawyer who directs the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom.”
6 years ago
Reply to
chitowncircle
Its this kind of cover ups that advance the islamisation agenda till the country’s internal security collapses like in sweden.
SWEDEN ON BRINK OF CIVIL WAR: Police begging for help, legal system collapsing
And now swedish police is so overworked, outnumbered that the Police chief is begging for help from his own govt http://bit.ly/2s75qAn
But they are too busy bringing in more jihadis and dumb Left/liberal women I heard are allowing themselves be their sex slaves so they won’t be killed !
6 years ago
Reply to
chitowncircle
Evidently Rex Tillerson is just an unprincipled horse’s arse. We were hoping for a clean-out of liberal/left scum from the Trump Administration and in some respects little is changing. Who the devil is behind these horrible developments and why is Trump either not learning about it or not caring? The bottom line is that ISIS, al Qaeda and other Islamic groups conducted genocide against Christians and Yazidis and now the disgusting State Department behaves like a communist or Muslim group by re-writing history. For goodness sake can’t we see someone appointed who doesn’t care about Muslim sensitivities? America like Canada is now eaten with political correctness, a manifestation of lies and cowardice, involving the pretense that individuals believe what they really do not – even spouting rubbish that only a moron believes.
6 years ago
This further if not final proof that we need to refer to the `swamp` as the deep nasty sewer (DNS).
Neutron bomb the sewer.
Fumigate the remains.
Article V
Convention of States
Agenda # 1:
Short strict term limits.
6 years ago
Thank you Trump.
Good job Trump.
He’s better than Hilary He’s better than Hilary He’s better than Hilary He’s better than Hilary He’s better than Hilary He’s better than Hilary He’s better than Hilary………………………………………………………………………………………………..Blah
6 years ago
Reply to
DancerTiffy
Trump cant do everything, he needs congress to confirm his appointees, so things can get done, and so these Obama leftovers wont get away with this garbage anymore.
6 years ago
Reply to
Baine Sumpin
No, but he CAN fire the dirty bums and just leave the position vacant.
6 years ago
George W Bush 3rd term
6 years ago
Reply to
Bill
amen, it sure is starting to look like that, and the end result will be that people like me just quit voting as we apparently cannot drain the swamp, and just quit working so that I don’t subsidize this madness. i’ll let someone else feed me. atlas shrugged is starting to look very prophetic again
6 years ago
Reply to
Bill
Lets see, Obama leftovers are doing this, Congress has still failed to confirm over half of Trump’s appointees, but somehow this is George Bush?
6 years ago
bad idea to put an exxon chairman as secretary of state. he’s had to placate all kinds of evil people for decades to keep his oil flowing, and has lost whatever sense of right and wrong he may have ever had
6 years ago
Reply to
Rocinante44
Yes. Trump is trying to do a decent job and shake things up, but he has spent most of his life in NYC and surrounded himself with people with trendy Leftist views, and got some very bad advice on whom to nominate (e.g. Tillerson, many others.)
Bolton is the obvious choice for Secretary of State, but got shut out apparently because of his support for Ted Cruz in the primaries. The staunch Constitutionalists all supported Cruz, Carson, etc., when Trump was an eccentric wildcard and the RINO wing of the party represented by the Bush clan and its protégés were the people to beat.
Now the Constitutionalists have been locked out of the nomination process, and Trump is trying to run forward to drain the swamp while hobbled on both legs. Clamped on to one ankle is the trap of his own devising, that he excluded his only few natural allies in Washington because they had supported Republican candidates with much stronger Constitutional, small-government, free market philosophical bona fides than Trump’s in the Republican primaries….
…while clamped around his other ankle is the Party leadership. The RINOs who control Congress have crossed the aisle to lock shields with their fellow swamp creatures who are open Leftists, to block him from draining their natural habitat.
So despite all their shameful lies to their constituents back home, these “conservative” “Republicans” are backing the Leftists’ play, whether by their votes on legislation, by their stalling on confirming Trump’s nominees, or by their refusal to use their investigatory powers to skewer the Dems in a manner that would both be just and would take the heat off the President from the fake scandals grinned up by DNC-media axis.
6 years ago
Reply to
Rocinante44
Really, who in their right mind would ever consider anyone from Big Oil to be morally upstanding?
6 years ago
Reply to
IzlamIsTyranny
oh now, i worked for big oil years ago, filled with thousands of great, intelligent, morally upstanding people who worked hard and were paid well to keep our cheap oil and gas flowing. however, at tillerson’s level, you have to play with the devil because they have all the remaining big oil fields, and after several decades, i would expect his moral compass, especially in dealing with the muslims, probably just get worn down.
6 years ago
How can Trump allow this to happen on his watch. I hope he doesn’t become something other than what he projected
6 years ago
The Barack Hussein Obama-administration armed Islamistisis, actively supported this genocide & Barack Hussein Obama said of Islamistisis Nigeria they’d have legitimate concerns.
Now our concer should be why the responsibles for that genocides IN the US-government are not prosecuted before a war-court.
We need a system that goes all out for human rights & ecology (ethics) in a global way & supports persecuted people like atheists in Islamic countries & doesn’t arms & supports & sells weapons to the perpetrators.
#American English for Syria & Iraq.
#BoycottIslam #Shariafreeworld
#Ban Islam, save lives worldwide & free the African slaves from Saudi Arabia to Mauritania, the Biafra-leader, the Leavenworth 10, Israeli soldier Azaria, Salim Masih & so on.
6 years ago
I wonder how much of State’s 1.3 billion dollars in “humanitarian assistance” ends up in the hands of f’ing muslums. Why am I paying taxes to support a corrupt islamic puppet state? The State Dept. is so corrupt it should be disbanded and/or de-funded — let their islamic masters fund their treachery.
6 years ago
Oh great an idiot or a liar is heading up the corrupt State dept. Maybe Tillerson is a transgendered Shillariah Clinton.
6 years ago
black people are being sold in Libya for $200 dollars
genocide of Christians in the ME by isis/obama
lets talk about global warming
6 years ago
isis is obama’s
obama is isis
obama is a War criminal
6 years ago
I don’t understand how people can deny ISIS has committed genocide. They’ve murdered entire villages, families, based on whether the victims were non-Muslim, or of a different Islamic sect. ISIS wants to wipe out and/or oppress everyone they deem ‘inferior’.
They’re still a threat, since they have supporters to carry out attacks worldwide. They still want to commit genocide, whether the victims are Yazidi families or Manchester girls at a concert. That’s one reason better security measures are needed, especially involving immigration, and spotting potential homegrown lone-wolves.
So we need to keep writing to our officials and keep pushing for safety. And keep alert–I don’t mean panic, but certainly alert authorities if something’s wrong.
6 years ago
President Trump you will not defeat ISIS by not calling them what they are – Genocidal Maniacs. Obama was scared to call them terrorists and you seem to be scared of calling them killers. Pandering to Islam will not make them turn away form terror and the ‘will’ of their killer god, allah.
6 years ago
Trump you will not defeat ISIS if you do not call them for what they are. Killers and genocidal maniacs. Obama would not name them and what good did that do other than make them more aggressive? ISIS are Islam inspired killers. Call spade a spade as next thing you will be protecting terrorists because it is their religion.
6 years ago
Most people seem to miss the fact that Whites and European culture are the largest groups being subjected to genocide by muslims.
6 years ago
YUP! STILL a LOT of “House cleaning” to do at STATE!!! This “contest” with Trump & Sessions is POORLY TIMED, if nothing else!!! It’s NOT TIME to quibble, it’s TIME to get the RETARDED “NOBama” “cling on’s” OUT of there!
6 years ago
Trump must FIRE Visek as he is removing an important part of the description in the documents
6 years ago
If Islamic terror was given eight years with Obama to get us in this condition, Western civilization must demand eight years with Trump to at least begin to MAGA.
6 years ago
Reply to
marble granite
Unless or until Trump gets rid of the holdover Obama minions still advancing Obamonations, conservative changes will continue to be stymied at every turn.
Also Trump must stop placing really bad people in powerful government positions, against the cries of his supporters who try to inform and reason with him.
He seems to be a non-politician who chooses to learn the hard way. Sadly, at our expense.
BTW, can I have one of those crab claws??? And are those scallops? God gosh, you’re killin me!
6 years ago
Why? It’s the truth! How come they’re trying to act like it’s not happening? Infuriating! I did hear that President Trump is bringing in a lot more Christians now unlike Obama who brought in tons more Muslims and hardly any Christians. Thank God for that!
6 years ago
Trump’s State Dept’s aberrant attempt to hide the ongoing genocide of Christians by Muslims worldwide, will not change the fact that those nations where this atrocity is happening, along with others, are not denying or hiding it.
History will expose these American leaders for the anit-Christs they really are.
6 years ago
This is one of the reasons the President wants to fire Tillison.
6 years ago
Over 250,000,000 murdered in the 1400 years Islam swept across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe; most of these deaths by the sword. Many, many more enslaved and subjugated.
The last Islamist Caliphate ended less than 100 years ago.
—
Over 150,000,000 murdered by Marxism in the 20th Century alone; billions subjugated and enslaved.
—
And now they lock arms.
“The interests of Muslims and the interests of the Socialists coincide in the war against the Crusaders.” [Western civilization]
~ Osama bin Laden, February 12th, 2003, Al Jazeera Television
“The Left wants to tear down Western civilization because it thinks it’s ‘unequal’. The radical Muslims want to tear down Western civilization because they think it’s ‘evil’.”
~ Ben Shapiro
