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Confronting Religious Persecution at the IRF Summit

Feb. 10Stories That Demand Action:

Last week I spoke on a panel at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, D.C.—a global gathering that brings together advocates, policymakers, and legal experts from around the world who are on the front lines of defending religious freedom. The Summit provides a rare forum to share firsthand experiences, expose ongoing...More

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Save Christians From Murder in Congo

Save Christians From Murder in...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has once again become the site of unspeakable violence , with Christian communities being targeted by terrorists and militant forces. On February 15, over 70 Christians – primarily women, children, and the elderly – were added to the list of victims when they were abducted...More

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Christians Worldwide

President Trump just addressed the United Nations General Assembly, and had strong words for the supporters of terror around the world, as well as a call to compassionately aid the displaced victims of ISIS.

We’ve told you about the horrific genocide ISIS waged against Christians in the Middle East and how it has destroyed countless lives and left many victims homeless and lost. The President praised the U.S. military for their brave action to defeat the terrorists. (You can watch the entire speech here.)

Thanks to the United States military, and our partnership with many of your nations, I am pleased to report that the bloodthirsty killers known as ISIS have been driven out from the territory they once held in Iraq and Syria.

The President reaffirmed his commitment to financially crippling supporters of terrorism, specifically Iran – the world’s number one state sponsor of terror – calling on the rest of the world to isolate Iran “as long as its aggression continues and we ask all nations to support Iran’s people as they struggle to reclaim their religious and righteous destiny.”

President Trump repeated his position that the most compassionate and the most efficient, sensible way to assist displaced refugees is for neighboring countries to provide safe-zones in or near their homelands to allow them to rebuild the lives they once knew.

I commend the people of Jordan and other neighboring countries for hosting refugees from this very brutal civil war.

As we see in Jordan, the most compassionate policy is to place refugees as close to their homes as possible, to ease their eventual return to be part of the rebuilding process. This approach also stretches finite resources to help far more people, increasing the impact of every dollar spent.

The President’s statements echo the arguments the ACLJ has been making for years that the most compassionate way to care for the millions of displaced victims of ISIS genocide is through the establishment of in-region safe zones.

Forcing scores of frightened, confused refugees to resettling in foreign countries far from their homelands won’t help anyone. As we have explained before:

In-region safe zones is actually the most compassionate way to care for the most people, the quickest, when dealing with a refugee crisis such as is seen in the Middle East today.

There is no way to import millions upon millions of Christians and other religious minorities fleeing ISIS genocide. Our refugee program could not even come close to helping the number of people who need assistance.

However, America’s leadership, funding, and protection could allow for the establishment of safe zones for Christians and other religious minority victims of genocide right there in their own homeland. The refugees themselves do not want to be uprooted from their way of life and thrust into a different culture. It is more humane, more compassionate, and more workable to take care of them, protect them, and shelter them right there in their own homeland, allowing them to quickly and easily return to their own homes and way of life as soon as the crisis has been ended and ISIS has been soundly defeated. In fact, it could help far more people far more quickly . . .

And as we pointed out years ago in our Five Key Policies to deal with ISIS, and the Syria refugee crisis, it just creates dangerous opportunities for proverbial wolves in sheep’s-clothing to easily slip in to peaceful nations by infiltrating refugee groups:

Fourth, . . . the ACLJ supports a moratorium on the admittance of all refugees from Syria to the United States until the American people can be assured that the federal government has implemented an extensive and reliable vetting process to establish the identity and associations of those persons who are admitted to our country so that no radical Islamic jihadists may enter camouflaged as “refugees.”

Fifth, the United States should align its Syrian refugee policy to encourage future reintegration into a stable Syria, prioritizing aid and assistance to create safe “in-region” relocation options for those fleeing Syria. If the United States is unable to establish the true identity and associations of persons seeking admittance to the United States as refugees, the United States should lead international efforts to provide for the security and material well-being of such persons at safe locations in the region. The creation of “safe zones” addresses the need to protect the persecuted, while still protecting the national security interests of the United States.

Aside from the obvious risks associated with blindly accepting, or being forced to accept masses of foreign refugees, what the President suggested and we have long stated is the most compassionate solution. It enables refugees who’ve endured enough hardship, abuse, and heartbreak to stay within familiar regions and retain their culture and history for future generations.

As stated by President Trump:

“We believe that when nations respect the rights of their neighbors and defend the interests of their people, they can better work together to secure the blessings of safety, prosperity, and peace. Each of us here today is the emissary of a distinct culture, a rich history, and a people bound together by ties of memory, tradition, and the values that make our homelands like nowhere else on Earth.”

We will continue to work with friends and allies to deny radical Islamic terrorists funding, territory or support or means of infiltrating our borders.”

The President’s statements echo key policy proposals that we have put forward over the last few years. In fact, we just presented a critical oral intervention at the U.N. Human Rights Council urging aid for Christians whose lives have been destroyed by ISIS. We applaud the President’s statement. In-region safe zones for refugees is something we have advocated for and support as the right solution to aid the victims of ISIS while protecting America’s security.

The U.N. must take direct action to acknowledge these atrocities as what they are – genocide – and provide necessary, effective aid to help the victims resettle and rebuild.

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Signatures

Shaheryar Gill  //

Apr 08, 2025

My colleagues from the ACLJ, along with our European affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) , and I recently spent a week at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, advocating for...

Thibault van den Bossche  //

Mar 18, 2025

After the massacre of over 1,400 civilians in Syria’s coastal region, according to the latest count by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , the fragile illusion of post-Assad stability has been shattered.

Olivia Summers  //

Feb 28, 2025

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has once again become the site of unspeakable violence , with Christian communities being targeted by terrorists and militant forces. On February 15, over 70...