A Christian advocacy group gave three Republicans failing grades for not standing up for vulnerable religious populations in the Middle East.
In Defense of Christians (IDC), an advocacy group that works to implement policies that aid vulnerable Christian populations in the Middle East, released this week a set of scorecards grading Senate lawmakers on their support for these issues.
The group issued three failing grades to Republican senators Rand Paul (Ky.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), and David Perdue (Ga.) based on their lack of support for legislation combating human rights abuses across the Middle East. Every other Republican and Democratic senator received a passing grade.
Christian populations are routinely persecuted in the Middle East by hostile governments. IDC and similar groups have pushed a range of congressional measures meant to boost America’s role in stopping these crimes.
"The scorecard shows a clear bipartisan commitment in the world’s leading deliberative body to upholding values and principles that are important to protecting religious pluralism in the region at a time when vulnerable populations are under constant threat from terrorist organizations such as ISIS and regional governments hostile to Christians," the group said in a statement.
The senators given failing grades obstructed legislation that would recognize the Armenian genocide, fund the prevention of mass atrocities overseas, and oppose Turkey's human rights abuses against Christians and other groups in Syria, according to the IDC.