Mastodon
RNS logo

Clinton: Islamic State 'wiping out Christians' is genocide

She said it was the word for "deliberately destroying lives and wiping out the existence Christians and other religious minorities."
Clinton: Islamic State ‘wiping out Christians’ is genocide
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls Islamic State killing of Christians a genocide. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Reuters
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls Islamic State killing of Christians a genocide. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls Islamic State killing of Christians a genocide. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

(Reuters) – U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday said that Islamic State violence against Christians, Iraqi Yazidis and other religious minorities in the Middle East was genocide.

“I think I was asked this a couple months ago, and I said that term carries with it legal import, it is a very important concept and label for behavior that deserves that name,” Clinton said at a town hall in Berlin, New Hampshire, when asked about the Islamic State’s killing of Christians, Yazidis, Kurdish Muslims and other religious minorities in the region.


READ: 5 faith facts about Hillary Clinton: social gospel Methodist to the core

“I am now sure we have enough evidence, what is happening is genocide deliberately aimed at destroying lives and wiping out the existence of Christians and other religious minorities,” Clinton said.

Islamic State has targeted and killed members of the Yazidi religion, one of the oldest in Iraq, along with Christians and other religious minorities in the region it controls in the Middle East.

The administration of President Barack Obama is weighing whether to designate Islamic State violence a genocide and which religious minorities would be coveraged by such a designation.

No paywalls here. Thanks to you.
As an independent nonprofit, RNS believes everyone should have access to coverage of religion that is fair, thoughtful and inclusive. That's why you will never hit a paywall on our site; you can read all the stories and columns you want, free of charge (and we hope you read a lot of them!)

But, of course, producing this journalism carries a high cost, to support the reporters, editors, columnists, and the behind-the-scenes staff that keep this site up and running. That's why we ask that if you can, you consider becoming one of our donors. Any amount helps, and because we're a nonprofit, all of it goes to support our mission: To produce thoughtful, factual coverage of religion that helps you better understand the world. Thank you for reading and supporting RNS.
Deborah Caldwell, CEO and Publisher
Donate today