Washington D.C., Sep 12, 2016 / 16:37 pm
Christians can't be second-class citizens if they are to remain in the Middle East, and the next United States administration will need to stand up for their rights, the head of the Knights of Columbus has said.
Speaking at the National Advocacy Convention 2016 for persecuted Middle Eastern Christians, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson of the Knights of Columbus insisted that for Christians in the Middle East, "the system of religious apartheid in the region must end."
"Our tax dollars to the region must not be used to rebuild a discriminatory system that continues to impose second-class citizenship upon religious minorities," he added, insisting that U.S. aid "should be contingent on the application of full rights of citizenship to every citizen of Iraq and other countries in the region."
Anderson called for presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to commit themselves to upholding those rights.