The Iraqi government has begun to document the persecution of Christians in areas that are under the control of the Islamic terrorist group ISIS.

The revelation from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki comes one day after the terrorists told Christians in their territory to pay a tax, convert to Islam or be killed.

“What is being done by the Daesh terrorist gang against our Christian citizens in Ninevah province, and their aggression against the churches and houses of worship in the areas under their control reveals beyond any doubt the extremist criminal and terrorist nature of this group,” al-Maliki said in a statement.  Daesh is the Arabic acronym for ISIS.

“Those people, through their crimes, are revealing their true identity and the false allegations made here and there about the existence of revolutionaries among their ranks.”

The news that the Iraqi government is tracking the abuse of Christians was welcomed by Christian persecution watchdog groups such as Open Doors.

“This is a positive first step, by which the government acknowledges that something is wrong with the way Christians are being treated in Iraq and that this needs to change. It is the first time that the government is officially investigating this, after decades of discrimination and abuse,” Henriette Kats, persecution analyst for Open Doors, stated to reporters.

“The establishment of the Islamic State (ISIS) in June 2014 has brought about a further radicalization of Iraqi society, a development that has been ongoing since the US invasion in 2003. Corruption plays an important role in the persecution of Christians as can be seen in the ransoms demanded and the illegal taking of Christian-owned houses and land.”

Iraq is listed third on Open Doors’ list of nations that persecute Christians.