Time is winding down for the Obama Administration to take a stand on genocide.
And the pressure is mounting following Monday's unanimous vote in the U.S. House addressing the atrocities committed against Middle East Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities.
The State Department has until Thursday to decide whether to formally designate what's happening to Christians, Yezidis, Turkmen, Sabean-Mandeans, Kaka'e, and Kurds as "war crimes," "crimes against humanity," and "genocide." The deadline is the result of a provision signed into law by Pres. Obama late last year.
Before the Iraq War, there were an estimated 2 million Christians living in the Middle East. After the rise of ISIS, the number has dwindled to less than 300,000.
CBN News has reported extensively on the Islamic State's brutality against Christians. (See Chris Mitchell's reporting here)
And various groups support the move to call it genocide -- from the European Union Parliament, to Pope Francis, to presidential candidates across the political spectrum: from Ted Cruz to Hillary Clinton.
The American Center for Law and Justice has collected nearly 240,000 signatures through its petition to recognize persecuted Christians suffering at the hands of ISIS.
The official designation of genocide carries formal obligations under international law and "vital legal protections" for victims.