Watchdog Groups Call on U.S. to Stop Islamic State's 'Genocidal Hatred' Against Christians

American watchdog groups have called on the U.S. government to do more to help Christians abroad after a recent video uploaded by the Islamic State shows dozens of Ethiopian Christians being executed.

Open Doors USA President and CEO David Curry released a joint statement with Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of The Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, director of Interfaith Issues at The Simon Wiesenthal Center, calling on the Obama administration to recognize the Islamic State's violent actions as being extremist and religiously-motivated.

"We have been warning Western governments for months that a religious genocide of Christians was taking place. While we welcome the White House acknowledgment that these victims were targeted because of their faith, much more needs to be done," the watchdog group leaders said in a joint statement.

The group went on to suggest that the U.S. government needs to recognize that the Islamic State is religiously-motivated, as well a work with NATO allies to protect persecuted Christians around the world.

"We must not stand idly by and watch as thousands of Christians are murdered for their faith. If Americans truly value freedom of religion, let us hold that value high and demand more be done to protect religious freedom around the world. Governments and NGOs should treat the rights of religious minorities as core human rights," the group continued.

"This truth must motivate our nations. If we fail to counter ISIS' religious Nazi ideology, it will continue to infect the hearts and minds of the ever-growing number of youth around the world, ultimately leading to more senseless persecution and bloodshed. The time to act is now," the statement concluded.

Recently, the Islamic State uploaded a video to social media platforms showing 30 Ethiopian Christians being executed by both beheading and gunfire on the shores of the Mediterranean.