Majed El Shafie Renews His Call to Bring Rescued Yazidi Sex Slaves to Canada

 

Rev. Majed El Shafie Renews His Call to Bring Rescued Yazidi Sex Slaves to Canada

OFWI’s plan to resettle 400 former Yazidi sex slaves to Canada was presented to the House of Commons Immigration Committee

OTTAWA – Rev. Majed El Shafie presented OFWI’s plan to resettle 400 Yazidi sex slaves and their families to Canada while testifying to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration today. He renewed his call for Canada to act immediately to rescue this vulnerable community.

In testimony to the committee, Rev. El Shafie said:

“If we have the ability to help relocate 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada, then we have the ability to relocate the 400 former Yazidi sex slaves too.”

“Part of the problem is that Canada does not have the policy process in place to help internally displaced people. We can’t leave the most vulnerable minorities behind simply because we want to be politically correct. Germany has successfully resettled 1,100 Yazidi refugees. They are the leaders on this issue. Canada can and must do more to help.”

In June, Canada finally followed the EU, UK, US, and UN’s lead in recognizing that Yazidis have been the victims of genocide at the hands of ISIS. The summer sitting of the Immigration Committee was initiated in response to the clear need for Canada to do more to relocate minority groups and vulnerable populations in need of immediate assistance.

OFWI will continue to pressure the government to live up to Canadian values and to ensure that these vulnerable girls and women are saved. We cannot wait any longer - the time to act is now.

Link to OFWI’s proposal to resettle 400 Yazidi sex slaves and their families to Canada

Link to OFWI’s report submitted to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration

Link to @OFWI’s live tweets of Majed El Shafie’s testimony before the Immigration Committee

Canada Can and Must do More to Help Yazidis and Other Minorities Facing Genocide in Iraq & Syria

Implementing OFWI’s proposal to resettle 400 Yazidi girls and women used as ISIS sex slaves to be at the heart of Rev. El Shafie’s testimony to the Immigration Committee on July 20th. OTTAWA – Rev. Majed El Shafie will present OFWI’s plan for Canada to resettle 400 Yazidi sex slaves and their families while testifying to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration on July 20.

OFWI welcomes the Committee’s study of “Immigration Measures for the Protection of Vulnerable Groups” and hopes this will serve as a catalyst for tangible action to help vulnerable minorities in Iraq and Syria following the government’s reluctance to recognize the ongoing genocide of Yazidis.

As hearings get underway this week, Rev. El Shafie said:

“In June Canada followed the EU, UK, US, and UN’s lead in finally recognizing the genocide Yazidis are facing in Iraq and Syria. Now Canada must demonstrate leadership by implementing OFWI’s proposal to resettle 400 girls and women used as former ISIS sex slaves to as refugees to Canada.”

 “OFWI’s proposal helps the most vulnerable victims in the region who are being systemically targeted by ISIS and unable to escape. I hope our government will give action to Canadian values and resettle these victims saved from ISIS’ slavery and brutality.”

OFWI’s efforts in Iraq & Syria in response to ISIS’ brutality builds on its legacy of advancing the rights of persecuted religious minorities around the world. Over the past two years, OWFI has successfully help rescue over 300 Yazidi sex slaves from ISIS territory.

Appendix:

1. Proposal to resettle 400 Yazidi sex slaves and their families to Canada
2. Report submitted to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration
3. Media release and notice of media availability

Thoughts and prayers are not enough

This article appeared on TheTorontoSun.com

It is time to build a bridge

By Rev. Majed El Shafie, President & Founder, One Free World International

I have not stopped thinking about the 49 innocent victims whose lives were savagely cut short in Sunday morning’s terrorist attack in Orlando. I have not stopped thinking about the dozens of people from the LGBTQ community who are receiving the medical care they need and will hopefully recover from this horrendous attack. I have said prayers for the victims and their families. But thoughts and prayers are not enough.

As a Christian and a Reverend, my heart aches for the families and friends who have lost loved ones. A man motivated by homophobic hatred committed this attack as he professed allegiance to ISIS and its radical Islamist ideology. In carrying out the largest terrorist attack on North American soil since 9/11, we must renew our commitment to battling the radical Islamist ideology that wages war in Iraq and Syria. We must battle the evil that has struck closer to home from Ottawa to Orlando, Paris and Brussels.

The attacker targeted the patrons of Pulse nightclub because they were different. As a former refugee who faced persecution for converting to Christianity and being different, I am too familiar with the barbaric lengths those motivated by hate will take against those they view as different.

During this time of sorrow and suffering, now is the time for people of faith to unite with our LGBTQ brothers and sisters in love. As a Reverend, for years I have witnessed the perception that LGBTQ people cannot be loved by people in religious communities. While there may be disagreements on certain issues, that does not mean we cannot love each other. In response to these tragic events, people of faith need to reach out to the LGBTQ community and let their brothers and sisters know they are loved. In the aftermath of this tragic loss of precious human life, this cannot be swept under the rug. No one deserves to die to because of who they love, the colour of their skin, or what they believe.

We must come together in defence of each other and our shared values. We must come together and build a bridges between people of faiths and our LGBTQ communities. People of faith need to find the courage to reaffirm our ability to love one another and strengthen our sense of community. The victims of the Orlando attack were targeted for the same reason ISIS targets Christians, Yazidis, and other minorities in Iraq and Syria in their aim of carrying out genocide. We are all different in the eyes of the enemy and must confront it together.

We will rely on the strength of our values: the recognition of the dignity of each human life, honesty, respect for human rights, and a determination in ensuring we can all live safely in pursuing our hopes and dreams. We must defend these shared values. And this must start by building new bridges to unite.

Our political and religious leaders need to be forthcoming in condemning this hatred and having the courage to identify its roots. Christians, Jews, Muslims, and people of other faiths need to speak out to condemn this violence and seize an opportunity to end the historical tension the LGBTQ community has felt for too long, and begin to fight for each other. For if we do not fight for each other, we lose our humanity. After you’ve had some thoughts and said your prayers, it is time to pick up the phone.

OFWI Testifies at Canadian House of Commons Immigration Committee

Resettling Syrian Refugees in Canada

OFWI President and Founder Majed El Shafie testified in Ottawa calling on Canada to do more to help the most vulnerable minorities who are victims of the war in Iraq and Syria.

Testifying before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, Rev. El Shafie presented OFWI's report Resettling Syrian Refugees in Canada and petition with 800 signatures calling on the Canadian government to do more.

5 recommendations were made:

1. Solve the underlying problem as the source of the refugee crisis
2. Create Green Zones: safe and secure zones near their home
3. Greater involvement from countries in the region to resettle refugees
4. Prioritize the most vulnerable: minorities who often cannot access mainstream refugee supports and appropriate security screening for those welcomed to Canada.
5. Ensure the proper community supports are in place to ensure integration of refugees who come to Canada into Canadian society.

Read OFWI's Report: Resettling Syrian Refugees in Canada

Recognize ISIS' genocide of Christians, Yazidis & Minorities

Canada must recognize ISIS atrocities against Yazidis & Christians as genocide; follow US, EU, & UK allies

For immediate release: May 3, 2016

OTTAWA – Canada has a proud history as a voice of moral clarity in global affairs. It must use that voice to call the atrocities and war crimes being perpetrated against Christian and Yazidi communities in Iraq and Syria by ISIS for what it is: genocide.

At a news conference on Parliament Hill Yazidi human rights activist Dalal Abdallah and OFWI President & Founder Rev. Majed El Shafie called on parliamentarians to follow the lead of the US, EU, and UK in recognizing the genocide ISIS is carrying out against minorities in Iraq and Syria.

ISIS continues to target Christians, Yazidis, and other minorities, enslaving or killing those who are in its destructive path. Their systemic effort to rid the region of religious and cultural diversity demands the strongest condemnation from the global community.

UN Convention on Genocide

The UN Convention on Genocide defines genocide as “acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

1. Killing members of the group;
2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
3. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
4. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
5. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.’’

The U.S. Congress, UK Parliament, and European Parliament have voted to recognize this genocide and the Obama administration has done the same. OFWI calls on the Parliament of Canada to recognize ISIS’ actions for what it is and join the international community in recognizing this genocide. Canada should do more to stop those perpetrating these crimes and bring those responsible to justice.

Rescuing former ISIS sex slaves

Working with partners in Canada and the region, OFWI has put forth a proposal that would bring 400 former sex slaves abused by ISIS to Canada with their families as refugees. OFWI would welcome the support of the Government of Canada to see this proposal implemented and it would be a way for Canada to do more in helping the most vulnerable minorities facing horrific crimes in Iraq and Syria.

Appendix:

• OFWI Proposal to bring 400 former ISIS sex slaves as refugees to Canada
• EU Parliament Motion
• US Congress Motion
• UK Parliament Resolution