As the second half of Mosul liberation is underway, the United States needs to ensure that policy to help religious minorities in Iraq and Syria not only helps them flee, but also helps them rebuild shattered communities on their ancient lands.
We can’t just accept that ISIS—poised to lose its strongholds—will win in its quest to eradicate some of the world’s oldest continuous Christian communities. We must resettle Iraqi and Syrian Christians, help rebuild destroyed infrastructure when we can, and, above all, remember that a secure environment for all faiths and ethnicities in the region will ensure that the Christian community will recover and thrive.
The refugee application process starts with the United Nations, which must ensure as they select candidates for resettlement that no religious or ethnic group, particularly minorities, is the victim of discrimination. Less than one percent of Iraq’s population is Christian, and the United Nations high commissioner for refugees says 15.4 percent of Iraqis accepted for resettlement in fiscal year 2016 were Christian. But what if these families just want to return home?
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