Maajid Nawaz has a piece at CNN on ISIS’s ongoing attempt at genocide in Iraq.
ISIS has always worn its love for sectarianism on its sleeve, and its vicious hatred for Yazidis has been no mystery. Repeatedly, disturbing videos have been circulated on social media depicting Yazidis held in tiny cells being cruelly taunted by ISIS prison guards. On top of this, “IS” propagandists have continuously warned of their intention to execute or enslave the adherents of this ancient Zoroastrian-linked religion, whom they view as “devil worshippers” on account of their revering a fallen angel.
So they won’t be fretting about all those Yazidis dying of heat and thirst on Mount Sinjar, will they.
While most fled to refugee camps in semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, some 30,000 families ended up on Mount Sinjar, where they are now stranded, surrounded by jihadists.
They are forced to sleep in caves, faced with temperatures of over 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) and have no food or water, let alone arms to defend themselves with. Initially, they could contact the outside world using mobile phones. Now, though, most of these have run out of battery and there is no telling how critical the situation has become. What is for certain is that their prospects for escape are minimal.
This is yet another instance of the appalling brutality of “IS”, a group that has consistently abused the most basic human rights of the people it has forced itself upon. Over the last two months, it has committed countless mass summary executions of Shiite soldiers and tortured and shot hundreds of Sunni tribespeople who resisted its rule before taking to social media to boast about their actions.
And the world is doing nothing.
What’s transpiring now is a new Kosovo, an ethno-religious cleansing on a huge scale. That it is taking place at the hands of a jihadist group too extreme for al Qaeda, a group that has repeatedly shown that it has internationalist ambitions, is all the more worrying. It is ludicrous that no one has acted against it already when it is clear that neither the IAF nor the Peshmerga is capable of shutting it down alone.
ISIS has acted with impunity in the region for far too long. It has been allowed to take control of an area larger than the United Kingdom, commandeer hundreds of thousands of dollars of U.S.-made weaponry and subjugate nearly 6 million people.
The international community needs to step up to this most troubling challenge. It must provide substantial and coordinated humanitarian assistance to all refugees and internally displaced people — of any faith or ethnicity — in the region. Furthermore, diplomatic pressure must be exerted on Turkey, the only military power in the region that stands a chance of crushing this false caliphate. Ankara must be ready to bury its differences with the Kurds and extend all the assistance it can to them on a human rights basis, even if this means military support.
Lastly, it is imperative that states across the world reaffirm their absolute commitment to article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which establishes the right to free thought, conscience and belief. If we do not stand by our principles, who will?
We know the answer to that. No one will. Many people think the rights established by article 18 are anathema.
Are they persecuted Christians or Jews? No, so there’s no chance of any support for them from the Religious Reich. And Jews are only a concern because they have to exist until Jesus comes back to kill them all.
The guy who could actually do something about this is playing golf and attending fundraisers.
When America exits the international scene chaos tends to break out.
The USA could at least send in some relief supplies to those stranded at Sinjar
@1
Millions of Christians have been driven out of Syria and Iraq by ISIS.
118 churches have been razed, convents and monasteries sacked and burned and 1000s of ancient, precious manuscripts burned.
The problem is that the persecution of Christians doesn’t get much world attention.
Where’s the BDS movement against ISIS or against their sponsor, Qatar?
We provided arms to ISIS. Israel provides arms to everyone.
“Never again”, …until the next time.
I always had an interest in the Yazidis and Zoroastrians. as remnants of the ancient world against the homogenizing dominance of Islam. Yazidis seem like they blended Gnosticism with Zoroastrianism from the little I know of their theology. The creator is evil, the rebel is good; thus the misconception that they are ” Satanists” in any meaningful sense. Their morals are actually quite conservative.
Unfortunately at least some of them have extremely patriarchal tendencies similar to fundamentalist Muslims. There was a horrible situation a few years ago where a young Yazidi woman was stoned by her family for having a Muslim lover whom she planned to marry.
One of the participants in the stoning had the audacity to film it on their cell phone and it’s online. I couldn’t bring myself to watch but a few stills from it were shocking enough. Hopefully this was an aberration, but I’m not optimistic. Still I hope they survive ISIS.
With the orthodox Zoroastrians, I always thought the Abrahamic monotheistic religions should accept them as members of a related tradition since they were clearly a very strong influence on ancient Judaism and are responsible for the ideas of a completely “good” god and a final judgement.
Are they persecuted Christians or Jews? No
Not paying much attention to current affairs, are you?
…so there’s no chance of any support for them from the Religious Reich.
Coz the only reason Obama isn’t nuking peace into ISIS is the Americans are Nazis who need Jews to bring on the End Times?
Decker says:
Where’s the BDS movement against ISIS or against their sponsor, Qatar?
The US sent 300 (unclassified) special forces assassins down there to play patty-cake with them, and is sharing satellite intelligence with the SF teams to try to help the Iraqi army kill them. That’s taxpayer-funded violence from The President of the US, not grass-roots BDS organizations.
I’m not particularly happy to see US SPECOPS going into Iraq again. It sounds too much like Vietnam all over again, with Al-Maliki in the role of Diem. Obama appears to be cynical enough about The Pentagon’s agenda that he won’t let that happen; what’s going to happen in Iraq is largely outside of US’ ability to influence.
But you had to waaah waaah about BDS. Which, thank you, reminds me I haven’t donated to my local university’s BDS organization lately. Cha-ching!
Of course they’re fretting. Because those infidels aren’t dead yet.
Where’s the BDS movement against ISIS
If by BDS you mean “Bomb, Destroy, and Strafe” – it began a new phase this morning.
But you had to waaah waaah about BDS. Which, thank you, reminds me I haven’t donated to my local university’s BDS organization lately. Cha-ching!
Well when you do, don’t forget to pick up your complimentary swastika!
If by BDS you mean “Bomb, Destroy, and Strafe” – it began a new phase this morning.
Yes and the 40,000 civilians ( majority children) are only stranded on Mount Sinjar because of their neo-colonialism.
Running dog imperialists!
Capitalist lackeys!
And in my best Betty Boop voice:
“Ho! Ho! Ho Chi Minh!”
“Ho! Ho! Ho Chi Minh!”