A Christian legal advocacy group urged the international community to launch new efforts against Islamist terrorism last week as the European Parliament commemorated the 10th anniversary of the ISIS genocide against Christians in Syria and Iraq.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International released a statement calling for renewed and robust action rather than mere recognition and remembrance to deter active Islamists across multiple regions. The group noted that the 2014–2016 wave of mass executions, sexual enslavement, and forced displacement also targeted Yazidis and other religious and ethnic minorities. ADF International said the militants intended to eradicate long-established religious communities.
Various national parliaments eventually recognized these atrocities as acts of genocide. However, the legal group maintains that the international community must still prevent further violence and ensure accountability.
"ISIS ideology has not disappeared, and religious minorities continue to pay the price when the international community fails to act decisively," said Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom at ADF International.
Zorzi noted that while governments acknowledged the genocide a decade ago, recognition alone does not fulfill legal obligations or protect vulnerable groups.
ADF International previously provided legal counsel for the European Parliament’s 2016 genocide resolution. The organization also supported similar recognitions by the UK Parliament, the U.S. Congress, and the United Nations. These bodies affirmed that ISIS committed crimes of the gravest legal character rather than isolated acts of violence.
The group warned that military victories against ISIS in specific territories did not eliminate the radical threat. Individuals and groups inspired by Islamist ideology still target Christians and other minorities in Australia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.
ADF International described the current threat as global, persistent, and explicitly religious.
"The continued targeting of Christians, Yazidis, Jews, and other religious minorities shows that the lessons of the ISIS genocide have not yet been fully learned," said Adina Portaru, Senior Counsel for ADF International in Europe. She argued that international law requires vigilance and protection rather than just condemnation after an attack occurs.
The organization called on governments to strengthen laws and implement commitments to protect religious freedom. This includes the immediate appointment of the European Union Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU. The Commission created this position in response to the 2016 genocide resolution, yet the office has remained vacant for more than a year during the current term.
ADF International also requested that states evaluate and implement the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief. The group urged international bodies to monitor and respond more aggressively to ISIS-affiliated violence worldwide.
"Commemorating the genocide must not become a substitute for action," Portaru said. She added that justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators remain unfinished tasks.
