EXCLUSIVE: Republicans Say America Cannot ‘Sit Idly By’ As Islamic Terrorists Massacre Christians

West Virginia Congressman Riley Moore and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley called Thursday for the Trump administration to use diplomatic means to protect Christians in Islamic nations from persecution.

Moore introduced a resolution in the House urging lawmakers to condemn the persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority countries and asks the Trump administration to prioritize the protection of Christians during peacekeeping efforts throughout the Middle East. Hawley introduced the same resolution in the Senate. 

“Around the world, our brothers and sisters in Christ face rampant persecution for simply acknowledging the name of Jesus. That is unacceptable,” Moore told The Daily Wire. “We as lawmakers cannot continue to sit idly by.”

The resolution includes a list of over a dozen countries, predominantly in Africa and the Middle East, where Christians face intense persecution. A copy of the resolution viewed by The Daily Wire “encourages the President to prioritize the protection of persecuted Christians in U.S. foreign policy, including in the President’s diplomatic engagement with Muslim-majority countries and his efforts to stabilize the Middle East.”

The resolution also asks to use diplomatic tools like trade and national security discussions to advance the protection of Christians abroad. 

Examples of persecution included killings, forced marriages, kidnappings of girls, and the prohibition of holding worship services or discussing the Gospel. For example, it says that in Algeria “nearly all evangelical churches have been shut down for years and pastors are regularly arrested and charged for their evangelism” and that in Egypt “Christian girls are regularly kidnapped and forcefully converted with impunity.”

Other countries called out for their treatment of Christians include Nigeria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Turkey, Gaza, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and others.

“Our country was founded on religious liberty. We cannot sit on the sidelines as Christians around the world are being persecuted for declaring Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior,” Hawley told The Daily Wire. “We must condemn these heinous crimes.”

“Year after year, the number of Christians murdered by extremists in Nigeria has numbered in the thousands. Millions more have been displaced. We cannot allow this to continue,” he added. “I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning the persecution of Christians around the world by supporting this resolution.”

Moore pointed to two specific areas where Christians have been attacked. 

“In Nigeria alone, more than 50,000 Christians have been martyred and more than 5 million have been displaced simply for professing their faith. During a Divine Liturgy in Damascus last month, an islamic jihadist opened fire on worshippers and detonated an explosive device — killing at least 30 and wounding dozens more,” he said. “These examples illustrate the violence and death Christians face on a daily basis.”

Last month, jihadists massacred around 200 Christians in Nigeria’s Benue State after a group of militants screaming “Allahu Akbar” attacked a group who had previously been displaced by Fulani Jihadist attacks.

Moore also said previous American “foreign policy blunders” had made the situation worse for Christians, saying that the failure to stabilize Iraq after the 2003 invasion led to the ethnic cleansing of the Christian population. 

The resolution was endorsed by a number of advocacy groups including Alliance Defending Freedom International, In Defense of Christians, Global Christian Relief, CatholicVote, Advancing American Freedom, The Center for Urban Renewal and Education, Family Policy Alliance, Christians Engaged, and Save the Persecuted Christians.