By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee has unanimously passed HR 75, a resolution declaring that those who commit or support mass murder against religious minorities are guilty of "genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity."
According to International Christian Concern, "religious minorities" refers mostly to the Assyrian and Chaldean Christians of the Middle East, although all minority groups are included in the resolution.
HR 75's passage is a first step in mandating America's official recognition of the sectarian genocide of religious minorities in both Iraq and Syria.
"This is big step for humanity seeing unanimous support from a bipartisan committee during such a divisive time in American politics," said Emma Lane, Regional ICC Manager for the Middle East. "The resolution comes as another small victory in the long journey to have the Obama Administration and John Kerry's State Department officially declare that there is an ongoing 'genocide' against religious minorities in Iraq and Syria. Secretary Kerry has until March 17, 2016 to stand with the unanimous European Parliament and the Bipartisan House Foreign Affairs Committee in declaring that Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities in Iraq and Syria are victims of a horrific genocidal campaign. His silence on the issue has been a difficult topic for the Obama Administration to overcome and explain...."