It seems that hardly a day goes by when we do not hear of another violent terrorist attack somewhere in the world. The Islamic State, the Taliban, and Boko Haram take responsibility for the worst of these atrocities. Sometimes is seems that a watching world does not care enough to do anything, because they go on and on.

Of course, these attacks span many miles and are not all connected in the same way, but radical Islamic terrorists are at the centre of many of them and they seem to influence each other to ever worsening violence. Shootings, suicide bombings and beheadings, violence which we once thought to be a part of a barbaric past which we have ‘moved past’ are no longer shocking enough; mass beheadings and burning prisoners alive are a modern reality.

The worst of these acts involve Christians. When Christians are in a minority in Islamic-controlled countries — especially those with Sharia Law — there is always some persecution. At the least, Sharia law requires non-Muslims to pay a special tax. The CHP opposes Sharia Law in Canada, and would stop immigration from countries which have Sharia Law. We would not close our doors to persecuted minorities, though. Canada has a good (not perfect) record of taking in refugees and displaced persons, and this legacy should continue.

The Bible tells us to weep with those who weep; the Middle Eastern Christian community is weeping because of attacks on churches, schools, families, and especially children. We should be grieved, but we must not lose heart. God has not forgotten His people wherever they are.

We also encourage the Canadian Government to use the military to protect innocent people from the attacks of the Islamic State and other terrorist organizations. We approve of the use of Canadian military aircraft to disrupt, hinder and destroy ISIS forces. Where airpower is proven insufficient, we would further be prepared to deploy “boots on the ground” to halt the spread of this diabolical menace to civilized society.

We do not say this lightly, nor do we think that armed intervention is the proper approach to all problems in the Middle East. We opposed the Canadian intervention in Libya which has led to a worse dictatorship and worse religious persecution than existed prior to Ghadaffi’s murder. Military intervention is fraught with peril; caution and wisdom are needed so that the “cure is not worse than the disease”. Countries such as Pakistan should be approached from a diplomatic angle and encouraged to protect the minorities within their borders.

We also salute our government where they have made an effort to expose the plight of persecuted Christians who are forgotten far too often. Not only Christians but all minority religions must be equally protected from state-sponsored or mosque-sponsored persecution.