In Defense of Christians Announces 2020 Summit: Combating Global Christian Persecution

Maronite News - ​Washington, DC- In Defense of Christians (IDC), the nation’s leading advocacy organization for Christians and religious minorities in the Middle East and Africa, is announcing its 2020 Summit: Combating Global Christian Persecution, to be held virtually on Wednesday, September 23 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. 
The 2020 summit will showcase IDC’s achievements in 2019-2020 as well as highlight the important work that lies ahead in advocacy for persecuted Christians.
Speakers from Congress, the Department of State, the White House, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide updates on current initiatives to support persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
The summit will celebrate the following IDC-supported American initiatives to support the historic Christian communities in the Middle East:
President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order: Advancing International Religious Freedom
Congressional Recognition of the Armenian Christian Genocide
The summit will highlight the following bipartisan Congressional initiatives IDC has advocated for, which include:

• Providing humanitarian aid and political reform in response to the August 4 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon
• Pressuring Turkey to respect the religious freedom of its Christian population and cease persecuting Christians internationally
• Holding Saudi Arabia accountable for some of the worst violations against the freedom of religion or belief in the world
• Ensuring Coptic Christians in Egypt Can Live in Safety and with Full Rights
• Promoting Security in Iraq and Encouraging the Return of Displaced Christians and Yazidis to their Native Communities
• Calling on countries across the world to repeal blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws

The summit will include an official announcement and presentation of IDC’s 2020 Congressional Champion Award to the following Senators and Representatives:

• Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO)
• Senator Ed Markey (D-MA)
• Senator Rob Portman (R-OH)
• Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
• Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO)
• Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX)
• Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)
• Rep. Brain Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
• Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL)
• Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
• Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ)
• Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO)

“IDC is proud to highlight the important bipartisan and ecumenial coalition we have built to advocate for our persecuted brothers and sisters across the globe,” said IDC President Toufic Baaklini.
“We are looking forward to this opportunity to convene this summit of policymakers and advocates for the persecuted,” he added.