Feds sued over lack of anti-terror efforts

The Obama administration has been sued for refusing to reveal what it is doing, if anything, to acknowledge and engage ISIS, "which continues its unabated genocide of Christians."

"We participated in a concerted effort to pressure the Obama administration to finally recognize this slaughter and publicly recognize this eradication as 'genocide.' But what is the Obama administration doing to stop the genocide?" said Jay Sekulow, chief of the American Center for Law and Justice, which is pursuing the fight.

"The United States should be a leader in defending and protecting Christians. The world is watching as Christians are put to death simply because of their religious beliefs. That's why it is so important to hold the Obama administration accountable and to find out exactly what is being done to bring an end to this horrific practice.

"And that is why we have gone to court to unearth the truth," he said.

Paul Marshall, Lela Gilbert and Nina Shea have collaborated to create “Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians,” which confirms that groups like Pew Research, Newsweek and The Economist also identify Christians as “the world’s most widely persecuted religious group.”

The lawsuit is over the government's refusal to provide information about what Obama is doing to stop the killing.

The fight began months ago with the ACLJ sent the State Department a series of Freedom of Information Act requests "all aimed at uncovering government records that would show any action by the State Department to respond to or stop the genocide."

They were essentially ignored.

So the court action now has followed.

"This administration continues to refuse to acknowledge the enemy and won't engage and eliminate ISIS – which continues its unabated genocide of Christians," Sekulow said.

The complaint notes the administration, "has a reputation for flaunting and disregarding its public accountability and FOIA obligations."

It explains, "Defendant has failed to produce any records responsive to the request, indicate when any responsive records will be produced, or demonstrate that responsive records are exempt from production. Through its continued delay in responding to plaintiff's lawful request for records, and its improper withholding of such requested records, defendant has failed to comply with FOIA's prescribed deadlines for responding to a request for records and has violated plaintiff's statutory rights."

The organization explains it has advocated for "the protection of Christians and other religious minorities and the end of genocide for years."

It has written to the United Nations, several of its agencies, Secretary of State John Kerry and others, and it has provided legal documents to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The organization explained online that, "The brutal ISIS genocide against Christianity is expanding beyond Iraq and Syria, just like ISIS promised it would. Now two Catholic churches have been attacked during Mass, first in France and more recently in Indonesia.

"Media and on the ground reports provide heartbreaking and stomach-churning stories of ISIS's depravity, and international leaders and organizations have begged the international community for meaningful, concrete action."

Even though Kerry appeared to cite the genocide and called for action, the organization does not "see action."

"Instead, as we continually engage our government leaders, we are faced with this inescapable question: Is the Obama administration doing anything about ISIS's genocide of Christians?"

The legal action seeks an order for the government to search for records that would contain information the ACLJ is requesting, an order to produce it, an order preventing the government from withholding information, a declaratory judgment that the actions violated the ACLJ's rights and "reasonable attorneys' fees and other litigation costs."

The legal claim explains the Genocide Convention "establishes a duty for contracting states to 'prevent and to punish' genocide," and Kerry in 2014 noted "ISIL's campaign of terror against the innocent, including Yezidi and Christian minorities, and its grotesque and targeted acts of violence bear all the warning signs and hallmarks of genocide."

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom earlier called on the government to designate religious minorities in the Middle East as "victims of genocide by ISIL."

"USCIRF also urges American and other world leaders to condemn the genocidal actions and crimes against humanity of ISIL that have been directed at these groups and other ethnic and religious groups."

The ACLJ had urged Kerry last winter to take action, and he later declared ISIS's attacks to be genocide.

But the government then declined to provide information about its plans or actions.