Ottawa, Ontario - 22 July 2014
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement condemning the recent campaign of religious persecution in Iraq:
“Canada condemns the systematic campaign of persecution that is being perpetrated in the city of Mosul, Iraq, by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
“Its ultimatum – pay the jizya (tax on non-Muslims), convert, leave the city, or be killed – is the most recent measure aimed at forcing hundreds of thousands of Christians to convert to ISIS’ nefarious brand of Islam.
“Forced conversions, by threat of death, are an egregious violation of the fundamental human right to the freedom of religion.
“The very notion of religious freedom is what ISIS is working to eradicate and what the Iraqi people and the international community cannot surrender.
“Canada calls on the Iraqi Government to govern for all Iraqis, regardless of ethnic origin or religious belief, and to take immediate, effective measures against ISIS and the terrorists that it supports. ISIS’ ever-increasing campaign of violence endangers all individuals who do not share its beliefs, and threatens the very foundations of Iraq’s future as a secure, democratic and prosperous country.”
