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ISIS Atrocities Put Iraq Atop Global Persecution List

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A government watchdog group is recommending the U.S. State Department put Iraq on a list of countries where the worst violations of religious liberties occur.

In its annual report released Monday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) called for Iraq and seven other countries to be listed as a "country of particular concern" (CPC) where "particularly severe violations of religious freedom are perpetrated or tolerated."

The report cited the Islamic State (also known as ISIL or ISIS) as the most egregious perpetrator of human rights abuses against religious minorities in Iraq. It lists Christian, Yazidi, Shia, Turkmen and Shabak communities as the most vulnerable.

"ISIL's violent religious and political ideology allows for no space for religious diversity or freedom of thought or expression," the report says. "The group has deliberately expelled minority communities from their historic homelands, forced them to convert to ISIL's version of Islam, raped and enlsaved women and children, and tortured and killed community members, including by stoning, electrocution and beheading."

The report concludes that, if left unchecked, ISIL's actions could result in the extinction of ancient religious minorities in northern Iraq. In 2015, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the Islamic State's actions amounted to genocide.

The latest report found widespread abuses of religious freedom throughout the globe.

"By any measure, religious freedom abroad has been under serious and sustained assault since the release of our commission's last Annual Report in 2015," the new report stated.

"From the plight of new and longstanding prisoners of conscience, to the dramatic rise in the numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons, to the continued acts of bigotry against Jews and Muslims in Europe, and to the other abuses detailed in this report, there was no shortage of attendant suffering worldwide," it said.

The 2016 report documents violations of religious freedom in more than 30 countries.

"(These) are crises in their own right which cry out for continued action on the part of the international community, including the United States," the report said. "To be effective, such action must recognize the unmistakable fact that religious freedom is a common thread in each of these challenges, and deserves a seat at the table when nations discuss humanitarian, security, and other pressing issues."

"The United States and other countries must fully accord this right the respect it deserves and redouble their efforts to defend this pivotal liberty worldwide," the report continued.

USCIRF recommends that the U.S. State Department add eight more countries to its CPC list. They are: Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan and Vietnam.

In addition, USCIRF wants the State Department to redesignate as CPCs nine countries and do more to advance religious freedom there: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

USCIRF also has a "Tier 2" list of countries for those "that engage in or tolerate violations that are serious but not CPC-level."

The Commission wants the U.S. government to pay more attention to these 10 countries: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Russia and Turkey.

The new report also brings out concerns over religious freedom in countries and regions that do not meet the criteria of Tier 1 or Tier 2 nations but should still draw the focus of the U.S. government. They are: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Horn of Africa, Kyrgyzstan and Western Europe.

The 2016 Annual Report is the seventeenth yearly report released by the Commission since it was created in 1998.

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About The Author

Mark
Martin

Mark Martin currently serves as a reporter and anchor at CBN News, reporting on all kinds of issues, from military matters to alternative fuels. Mark has reported internationally in the Middle East. He traveled to Bahrain and covered stories on the aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Mark also anchors CBN News Midday on the CBN Newschannel and fills in on the anchor desk for CBN News' Newswatch and The 700 Club. Prior to CBN News, Mark worked at KFSM-TV, the CBS affiliate in Fort Smith, Arkansas. There he served as a weekend morning producer, before being promoted to general