‘Outrageous’ call was correct

Dear Editor, No doubt there will be some think Bishop McAreavey over the top in describing as “outrageous” the Dáil’s failure to condemn as genocide the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, but I am not among them.

The bishop is absolutely right to call the scope of the Dáil motion on the activities of the so-called Islamic State “narrow and weak”. It almost calls a spade a spade where it comes to the plight of the beleaguered Yazidis, but it took an amendment to the motion even to acknowledge that Christians in the area are on the verge of extinction.

Britain’s House of Commons, the US House of Representatives and the European Parliament have all passed motions condemning ISIS’ actions against both Yazidis and Christians as genocide. Why then does the Dáil motion seek to play down the realities of the Middle East?

Are our elected representatives so long in their culture wars that they are ashamed even to admit that Christians elsewhere desperately need our help?

Yours etc.,

Maura Cuniffe,

Navan,

Co. Meath.