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BACKBENCH BUSINESS - DAESH: GENOCIDE OF MINORITIESBACKBENCH BUSINESS
20 April 2016
Lead MP
Fiona Bruce
Debate Type
General Debate
Tags
Foreign Affairs
Other Contributors: 54
At a Glance
Fiona Bruce raised concerns about backbench business - daesh: genocide of minoritiesbackbench business in the House of Commons. Other MPs contributed to the debate.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
Bruce opened the debate emphasising that while the term 'genocide' is a serious one, it must be used when evidence supports it. She cited overwhelming evidence of atrocities committed by Daesh against minorities in Iraq and Syria, including mass killings, rape, torture, and forced displacement. Bruce highlighted testimonies from victims such as Ekhlas and Yvette, describing horrific acts including the murder of children, sexual violence against young girls, and other crimes that fit the legal definition of genocide under international law.
Newcastle upon Tyne North
McKinnell supported the motion by reminding the House of the pledge to 'Never Again' after the holocaust and stressed the importance of not walking past this genocide as it unfolds. She emphasised that today's debate offers an opportunity for action.
Rehman Chishti
Con
Gillingham and Rainham
Chishti applauded Bruce for bringing the motion to the House, noting that international partners like the United States and European Parliament have already classified Daesh's actions as genocide. He suggested interpreting international law in alignment with these key allies who are working together against Daesh.
Stephen Twigg
Lab
Liverpool West Derby
Twigg agrees with Fiona Bruce's position, noting cross-party support for recognising Daesh's actions as genocide. He mentions the testimony of Nadia Murad and Ekhlas to highlight the severity of the situation faced by Yazidis and other religious minorities. Twigg emphasises that human testimony provides an additional dimension but that the evidence is well documented.
Rob Flello
Lab
St Helens South
Flello stresses the harshness of requiring survivors to repeatedly recount their experiences to various organisations. He supports recognising Daesh's actions as genocide, emphasising that such recognition should not require survivors to relive their traumas multiple times.
David Davis
Con
Haltemprice and Howden
Davis intends to support the motion, noting from his recent interviews in Syria that both Daesh and its allies are responsible for atrocities. He emphasises the importance of this recognition when bringing cases before the international court.
Jo Cox
Lab
Batley and Spen
Cox expresses support for recognising the actions as genocide and calls for focusing on both Daesh's and Assad regime's atrocities against minorities. She highlights that survivors suffer under both regimes, demanding equal attention from the UK Government.
Stephen Timms
Lab
East Ham
I join others in congratulating the hon. Member for Congleton on securing the debate and her work in this area. I apologise for missing the first few minutes of her speech but appreciate her organisation of yesterday’s evidence session, which included harrowing personal testimony about Daesh's actions against Yazidis, Christians, and Shi’a Muslims. It is clear that these acts meet the criteria for genocide as defined by the convention on prevention and punishment of genocide. I support Pope Francis' description of the killing of Christians in the Middle East as genocide, echoed by the US Secretary of State and Congress. Despite potential judicial reservations, I hope the House agrees to recognise this as genocide, aligning with international consensus.
Jim Cunningham
Lab
unknown constituency
My right hon. Friend has raised an interesting question about government action on genocide recognition. We should remember that governments can take collective actions, such as setting up the Nuremberg courts after World War II.
Stephen Timms
Lab
East Ham
My hon. Friend is correct. It's not clear how judicial action can happen without government initiative. Last night’s evidence included testimony from a Yazidi woman who had seen her family killed and herself raped and enslaved, clearly stating these actions as genocide against Yazidis and Christians. Shi’a Muslims have also been victims of genocide, with examples such as the machine-gunning of Turkmen Shi'a Muslims in a prison near Mosul.
Rehman Chishti
Con
unknown constituency
Daesh has no religion and kills anyone who stands against its ideology, regardless of faith. While it's true that Shi’a Muslims have been singled out, Daesh targets any individual opposing them.
Stephen Timms
Lab
East Ham
I agree with the hon. Gentleman’s point but stress that Shi’a Muslims have indeed been targeted. I call for a clear statement recognising this as genocide to express solidarity and commitment to justice for victims, urging the Government to appoint a global envoy for religious freedom and establish a multi-faith advisory council within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Nicola Blackwood
Con
unknown constituency
The right hon. Gentleman makes a strong case supporting the motion calling Daesh's actions genocide, as seen in their use of rape for ethnic cleansing and forced conversion. I urge the Government to establish a preventing sexual violence in conflict initiative team to support local teams in gathering evidence.
Stephen Timms
Lab
East Ham
I fully support the hon. Lady’s call, acknowledging the importance of consistent deployment of effort for religious freedom globally, like the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and its annual reports on international religious freedom. I hope the House will unite to recognise these atrocities as genocide and build on this commitment.
Caroline Ansell
Con
unknown constituency
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for her leadership in this debate, supporting the motion to recognise Daesh’s actions against Yazidis, Christians, and others as genocide, which includes kidnapping, torture, rape, beheadings, crucifixions, mass graves, assassinations of Church leaders, destruction of churches, cemeteries, and artefacts. Despite legal reservations, we should call for formal evidence collection through referral to the United Nations and International Criminal Court.
Steve Pound
Lab
Birkenhead
I was particularly struck by the contribution from my right hon. Friend the Member for East Ham and I suggest that his name be put forward as a global envoy if one is appointed. He held a similar position under Tony Blair, and no one is better qualified than him. The hon. Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce) has earned a great reputation in the House due to her courage and determination in defending the weak, poor, and defenceless. She listed the litany of horrors committed by Daesh, including an incident where young men were lined up and some were indoctrinated into bombers while others were shot if they showed signs of puberty or maturity. The fact that anyone can act with such brutality is unforgivable, impossible to contemplate and utterly inexcusable. Daesh has probably killed more Muslims than any other religious or ethnic group, but it specifically targets Christians and Yazidis for extermination.
Rob Flello
Lab
Stoke-on-Trent South
I gently take my hon. Friend to task for saying “indiscriminately”. Daesh does kill indiscriminately when it comes to some groups, but it absolutely discriminates against Christians and Yazidis because it wants to exterminate them completely.
Steve Pound
Lab
Birkenhead
Daesh’s slaughter is universal, but it does specifically target certain groups. The Jewish community in Iraq, for example, is being hunted down and destroyed. We must not forget the Armenian genocide of 1915 and recognise what is happening now as a genocide. This House should speak to people tempted by Daesh's twisted philosophy and say that their actions are unacceptable, and that we call what they do genocide.
Chris Green
Con
Heywood and Middleton
I thank the hon. Member for Ealing North (Stephen Pound) for his powerful case and Fiona Bruce for allowing us to recognise in this debate that what is happening in parts of Syria and Iraq is a genocide of Yazidis, Christians, and other religious minorities. Daesh has a particular interpretation of Islam which it uses to attack those who do not subscribe to the same religion or interpretation, leading to the persecution of Shi’ite Muslims and many Sunni Muslims. The Sinjar disaster led to 200,000 Yazidis being driven from their homes with 40,000 trapped on Mount Sinjar facing slaughter or dehydration.
Seema Kennedy
Con
Luton North
I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce) for securing this debate and agree with her colleague's figures that highlight the dying of Christianity in its cradle, which is why many fellow Christians have contacted Members about this genocide.
Chris Green
Con
Heywood and Middleton
Daesh is creating a caliphate that targets those who do not fit into their vision. They systematically persecute, torture, enslave, rape, kidnap and murder groups solely because of their religious identity. Daesh's territorial ambitions extend far beyond the land it currently holds.
Kevin Foster
Con
Torbay
My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech. This issue has many hallmarks of what we faced 75 years ago, as Daesh is like National Socialism trying to make a race and belief dominant by eliminating its opponents.
Chris Green
Con
Bolton West
Emphasises the need to tackle extremism and requests a referral to the UN Security Council for an investigation of genocide by Daesh. He also agrees with Gerald Kaufman that this House should have a vote on the motion.
Gerald Kaufman
Lab
Wythenshawe and Sale East
Asks Chris Green whether it would be helpful to have a vote on the motion for clarity on the definition of genocide.
Natalie McGarry
SNP
Glasgow East
Shares her personal experiences and testimony from Yazidi women, highlighting the systematic rape, enslavement, and murder committed by Daesh as acts of genocide against Christians and Yazidis.
Nusrat Ghani
Con
Sussex Weald
Reiterates the severity of Daesh's actions, referencing estimates that over 470,000 people have been killed in Syria due to civil war. She emphasises the systematic murder and persecution targeting specific religious groups, calling for recognition of these acts as genocide.
Robert Jenrick
Reform
Newark
Recalls bringing Nadia Murad, a Yazidi survivor, to the Public Gallery. He highlights her faith in this House and its ability to act on behalf of persecuted communities.
Nusrat Ghani
Con
Sussex Weald
As the oldest democracy in the world, we have a responsibility to Nadia Murad. We would be complicit if we overlook the scale of criminality ongoing and largely unpunished. The UN Security Council’s declaring these acts genocide is key to preventing terrorism and radicalisation, allowing an international criminal tribunal to try terrorists and bring them to justice. On 12 April, the Minister recognised that acts of genocide have taken place; I hope we can move on from this statement today.
Congleton
My hon. Friend is making a powerful point. We should unite in sending a strong message by voting for the motion, inviting Ministers and PPSs to vote too, showing that what is happening is genocide.
Nusrat Ghani
Con
Sussex Weald
My hon. Friend makes a powerful statement. Sending cross-party support today will also be a very strong message. Historical memory can be used as prevention, and we should use it in this way to prevent future atrocities.
Ian Blackford
SNP
Ross, Skye and Lochaber
We have a moral responsibility to speak out against the crimes of genocide that have taken place against Christians, Yazidis and other minorities. We must pass the motion calling for an immediate referral to the UN Security Council for the International Criminal Court mandate. The ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Syria have seen deliberate targeting of minority groups, with 200,000 Yazidis driven from their homes after Sinjar fell, at least 40,000 trapped on Mount Sinjar without food or water, and thousands enslaved by Daesh.
Tommy Sheppard
SNP
Edinburgh East
My hon. Friend makes excellent points. The debate should not be about advocating one religion over another but about the basic human right for everyone to pursue any faith or none. We stand up for everybody in this Chamber.
Ian Blackford
SNP
Ross, Skye and Lochaber
The situation is catastrophic with 2 million Christians in Syria falling to 1 million from 2011 to 2015 and 1.4 million Christians in Iraq falling to 260,000. Daesh has documented its specific intention to destroy Christian groups. Recognising the genocide is an important tool in fighting against Daesh.
Chris Stephens
SNP
Glasgow South West
I agree with my hon. Friend that perpetrators of this genocide should be brought to justice in the International Criminal Court. There also needs to be an international effort to find Yazidi women captured by Daesh.
Ian Blackford
SNP
Ross, Skye and Lochaber
We need to support peshmerga and others to ensure safety for the women and men captured. I hope when the Minister sums up, he makes it clear that the Government supports the motion. The US House of Representatives recognised these crimes as genocide and sought a referral to the ICC. Why has no action been taken by UK? We must show leadership.
David Warburton
Con
Guildford
Mr Warburton joins others in congratulating Fiona Bruce on her efforts to secure the debate. He emphasises that Daesh's acts against Christians and Yazidis, including assassination of church leaders, systematic torture, mass murder, sexual enslavement, and cultural destruction, are genocidal by design. He cites Daesh’s propaganda sheet “Dabiq” which explicitly denies any form of pluralism or tolerance. Mr Warburton notes the dramatic decrease in Christian populations in Syria and Iraq, and highlights the wholesale destruction of non-Islamic sites of worship.
Robin Walker
Con
Eddisbury
Mr Walker agrees with David Warburton that Daesh’s denial of historical and cultural diversity is tragic. He references early caliphate leaders who described the classical world they took over as a garden protected by their spears, in contrast to Daesh's destructive ideology.
David Warburton
Con
Guildford
Mr Warburton acknowledges Robin Walker’s point and reiterates his stance on the cultural demolition being linked to genocidal aims. He also agrees with Robert Jenrick that some of the £30 million cultural protection fund should support heritage sites for persecuted religious minorities.
Robert Jenrick
Reform
Newark
Mr Jenrick inquires whether David Warburton believes some of the cultural protection fund should go to protecting historic sites, churches, and manuscripts for future generations, especially those of persecuted religious minorities such as Christians and Yazidis.
Kirsten Oswald
SNP
East Ayrshire and Arran
Ms Oswald asks David Warburton what more it would take for the House to form the view that Daesh’s acts constitute genocide, given the evidence provided by victims and international bodies.
David Warburton
Con
Guildford
Mr Warburton acknowledges Kirsten Oswald's point and agrees with her. He emphasises the importance of applying the term 'genocide' to describe the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people, as it would send a signal to perpetrators that they will be brought to justice.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
The debate focuses on the systematic persecution and atrocities committed by Islamic State (IS), ISIL, ISIS or Daesh against ethnic and religious minorities such as Yazidis and Christians. Jim Shannon emphasises the severity of these actions, which he describes as genocide, citing numerous documented incidents including mass executions, forced conversions, rape, slavery, and child recruitment for suicide missions. He also references legal opinions from Northern Ireland’s Attorney General that support classifying these acts as genocide under international law.
David Burrowes
Con
Enfield, Southgate
The Government must not ignore the motion if it passes on a vote. It is of extreme importance and cannot be ignored by the Government. Fiona Bruce should receive more tributes for her work in championing human dignity. The hon. Member for Glasgow East made a passionate speech, highlighting the voiceless victims of ISIS actions. Stephen Pound mentioned the replica of the Palmyra arch as a declaration of solidarity with Syrians who have been victims of cultural genocide. The motion aims to ensure accountability and justice for acts of genocide. There is evidence of at least 3,500 people being enslaved and many executions by ISIS. It is important to hold the Government accountable and urge them to take action. The Government must refer evidence of genocide to the Security Council.
Edward Leigh
Con
Gainsborough
Agreed with the motion and urged the Minister to accept it without weasel words. Emphasised that legal precedent should not hinder action in the face of such horrors, and suggested that the Minister's speech could be a turning point if he accepts the motion.
David Burrowes
Con
Enfield, Southgate
Supported Edward Leigh’s stance, noting that the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court is waiting for a Security Council referral to investigate properly and hold perpetrators accountable.
Ann Clwyd
Lab
Cynon Valley
I had not intended to speak in the debate, but given my long-standing work on Iraqi war crimes and Yazidi persecution, I support the motion. In September 2014, I raised concerns about the genocide campaign against minorities in Iraq by ISIS, calling for more practical help like supporting peshmerga forces to rescue captive women. Collecting evidence is crucial, as seen with Saddam Hussein's conviction; I seek clarity on current Government efforts.
Gerald Howarth
Con
Bexleyheath and Crayford
I am proud to support the motion led by my hon. Friend Fiona Bruce, recognising that Daesh has committed genocide based on evidence presented today. This aligns with US Secretary of State Kerry's stance and meets legal criteria under the 1948 convention. It is intentional persecution against Christians, Yazidis, and others.
Steve Pound
Lab
Ealing North
If this is not genocide, what is? We must recognise the atrocities committed by Daesh as genocide to ensure justice for persecuted minorities like Christians and Yazidis.
Jeremy Lefroy
Con
Stafford
We should categorically state that it is genocide based on the evidence presented, much like we did too late in Rwanda. Recognising this now could prevent unnecessary deaths and hold perpetrators accountable.
Brendan O'Hara
SNP
Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber
Congratulated the hon. Member for Congleton on bringing the debate to the House, stating that what happened in northern Iraq and Syria is genocide by Daesh. Emphasised the contributions made by other Members such as Stephen Twigg, Caroline Ansell, Mr Burrowes, Natalie McGarry, Ian Blackford. Highlighted the importance of listening to victims' voices and recognising the situation as genocide for legal and moral reasons. Cited evidence showing intent to destroy minority religious groups, including the example of Nadia Murad who described her kidnapping by Daesh and the systematic extermination of Yazidi communities. Urged the Minister to declare this a genocide to bring perpetrators to justice.
Diana R. Johnson
Lab
Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham
I thank hon. Members for securing the debate, acknowledge the harrowing testimonies heard from survivors, emphasise that the House is united in its view on the Government's next steps regarding Daesh crimes against Yazidis and other minorities, describe the heinous crimes including mass murder, torture, enslavement and sexual violence, highlight organised nature of these crimes targeting specific groups, note the importance of genocide designation for showing intent to end atrocities and ensure justice, support motion asking UK to refer matter to UN Security Council for ICC determination, seek assurance from Government on recognition and referral process, urge action on protection for Yazidis and other minorities in Iraq, question humanitarian assistance provided by UK to survivors, criticise UK’s refusal to offer sanctuary to these groups, praise Germany's protection scheme, call on the Government to offer similar support.
Tobias Ellwood
Con
Bournemouth East
Commend efforts of Members in all parts of the House who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the voices of those persecuted by Daesh are heard, reiterate Government's condemnation of crimes committed against Christians, Yazidis and other communities, note importance of UN Security Council involvement for genocide determination, acknowledge previous attempts at referral which were vetoed by Russia and China, express hope for different outcome now, reiterate Government's support in defeating Daesh.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
No extracted contribution text available for this contributor yet.
Tobias Ellwood
Con
Bury North
Ellwood argues that although a UN Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court is one option, there are other potential options for bringing Daesh to justice. He emphasises the importance of gathering evidence now to prevent loss or destruction and stresses that judicial bodies should make these decisions. Ellwood also highlights the UK's role in preventing atrocities and supporting the global coalition against Daesh.
Fiona Bruce
Con
Congleton
Bruce asserts that there is irrefutable evidence of genocide by Daesh in Iraq and Syria, making a compelling case for referral to the UN Security Council. She argues that despite potential vetoes from other countries, it is crucial for the UK to take a leading role in seeking justice and holding perpetrators accountable.
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