Daesh biggest threat to religious freedom: US

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON (AA) - Daesh is one the biggest threats to religious freedom around the world, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday in the State Department’s annual religious freedom report.

“ISIS is clearly responsible for genocide against Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims in areas it controlled,” Tillerson wrote in the preface to the report. “ISIS is also responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing directed at these same groups, and in some cases against Sunni Muslims, Kurds and other minorities.”

Tillerson added that Daesh continues to target members of multiple religions and ethnicities for rape, kidnapping, enslavement, and death, saying the protection of the victims is a human rights priority for the Trump Administration.

"Where religious freedom is not protected, instability, human rights abuses and violent extremism have a greater opportunity to take root," the former Exxon CEO said. "No one should have to live in fear, worship in fear or face discrimination for his or her beliefs."

China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other countries were criticized for what the report said was failure to protect the rights of non-Muslim minorities.