As Featured in
In the News
National Review: Jerusalem and Middle Eastern Christians
Christian leaders in the Middle East oppose U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The underlying issue is that Christians in the region side with the Palestinian cause against the Jewish state, on the whole….
Egypt Today: More summits on Jerusalem: Saudi-Jordanian leaders convene
CAIRO – 12 December 2017: After the American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Wednesday, Arab and Islamic nations have held summits and urgent meetings to discuss mechanisms of responding to the…
The Christian Times: Mike Pence meets with Iraqi archbishop to discuss US aid to persecuted Christians
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence met with Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil on Monday to discuss the needs of Iraqi Christians who are looking to rebuild their homes and communities. Warda, who came…
Kurdistan 24: Vice President Pence meets Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil
US Vice President Mike Pence met with the Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, Bashar Warda, on Monday in what Pence characterized, in a tweet, as an “important dialogue” about President Donald Trump’s “commitment to directly assist…
Catholic News Agency: Pence meets with Iraqi archbishop ahead of Middle East trip
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence met with Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil on Monday for a “substantial discussion” on the needs of persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq. “I updated him…
The Christian Post: Egypt Churches Get Permission to Build After 20-Year Wait
Authorities in a governorate in southern Egypt have allowed 21 churches to restore, expand and rebuild, after a wait of about two decades, and some are attributing this gesture to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s…
National Catholic Register: Countering Genocide: The Importance of Prayer and Aid for the Persecuted
The entire Church — pastors and their flocks — is encouraged to ‘express their solidarity through prayer, sacrifices’ and financial help for Christian communities. The savagery of the Islamic State’s two-year assault on Christian and…
National Catholic Register: Saudis Target Lebanon, the Hope of Middle-Eastern Christians
In the context of of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s resignation, Pope Francis and Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai are trying to keep the peace for the Middle East’s best model for future stability. Twenty years…
The Hill: Lebanon is too small and necessary to let it fall into Iran’s hands
In the past few weeks, the crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) has worked to consolidate power in the country by quashing his rivals through a corruption campaign. In line with other…
National Catholic Register-CRS Bishop: We’re Serving Mideast Victims of Genocide, Refugees
Bishop Gregory Mansour explained Catholic Relief Services is part of a collaborative Catholic network supporting the Middle East Church in caring for genocide victims and war refugees. Peter Jesserer Smith Christians are the glue that…
Origins by the Catholic News Service:”America’s Leadership Needed in Middle East” by Cardinal Bechara Rai
“America is a young country, full of hope, vitality and idealism. The Middle East, for its part, is ancient, with many diverse cultures but also cynicism and a history of bloodshed. In recent years, the…
LBCI Daily News Reports Covering the IDC 2017 Summit
The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International came from Beirut especially to cover the entire IDC 2017 summit through daily news reports, Live coverage and special features interviewing our IDC management and staff, U.S. Representatives and members,…
LBCI Special Report on IDC Summit
The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International Leads the Political scene in the Middle East with its prime time political talk show “Kalam Ennas” ( Talk of the people). In a special episode of Kalam Ennas covering…
MTV Lebanon Reports Covering IDC 2017 Summit
MTV Lebanon covered in their prime time news the entire IDC 2017 summit, in daily news reports throughout the entire week of the summit, interviewing Representatives, IDC Staff and members who have attended from all…
Oxford Human Rights Hub: Lest We Forget About Iraqi Christians
ollowing UN Security Council Resolution 2379 establishing the Investigative Team in Iraq, the painful and arduous task of assembling evidence to bring Daesh fighters responsible for genocide against religious minorities in Iraq to justice will…
Washington Post: President Trump’s evangelical advisers meet with Egyptian leader Sissi in Cairo
A half-dozen members of President Trump’s evangelical advisory board met this week in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, part of what participants said was a first meeting between Sissi and a group of…
Catholic News Agency: Hope after the Horror- Reflections on a massacre of Baghdadi Christians
Washington D.C., Nov 3, 2017 / 06:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- This Halloween marks the seventh anniversary of when my parents’ church in Baghdad was held hostage by the Islamic State in Iraq, a little known…
The White House Press Office: Remarks by the Vice President at In Defense of Christians Solidarity Dinner
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Carl. Thank you for your eloquent words. Thank you for that overly generous introduction. To Patriarch Rai, to Patriarch Yazigi (ph), to Archbishop Oshagan, Archbishop Kawak, Metropolitan Joseph, to Mother…
The Economist: The politics of helping Middle Eastern Christians
THESE are roller-coaster days for religious minorities in the Middle East and their energetic advocates in America. From their point of view, this week has brought both dire and potentially welcome news. Bad tidings came…
Washington Post: Vice President Pence to visit Israel and Egypt in December
“President Trump has directed me to go to the Middle East in late December,” Pence said in a keynote speech delivered at In Defense of Christians’ annual solidarity dinner for Christians in the Middle East….
Associated Press: Vice President Pence to visit Israel and Egypt in December
“President Trump has directed me to go to the Middle East in late December,” Pence said in a keynote speech delivered at In Defense of Christians’ annual solidarity dinner for Christians in the Middle East….
VOA: Pence: US Shifting Relief Funds for Persecuted Minorities in Middle East from UN to USAID
Pence announced the move in a Wednesday night speech at a dinner for a group called In Defense of Christians, which works to “promote greater awareness of the plight of Christians in the Middle East.”
The Atlantic: Mike Pence Promises to Defend Christians in the Middle East
On Wednesday, he continued this tour with a speech at the In Defense of Christians conference, where he announced that he will be visiting persecuted minorities in the Middle East in December. He also said…
Newsweek: Mike Pence Vows to End ‘Unprecedented Assault on Christianity’ in Middle East with U.N. Funding
Vice President Mike Pence has pledged that the Trump administration will come to the rescue of Christians in the Middle East, as persecution of religious minorities in the region continues.
Christian Post: Christians Are Not Strangers in Middle East, but ‘Beacon of Truth in Agitated World’: Greek Orthodox Patriarch
“We as Christians in the Middle East: we are going to remain and stay there,” the patriarch said at a press conference for the In Defense of Christians summit in Washington, D.C., according to Crux. “We…
Catholic Standard: At ecumenical service, prayers offered for Christians in the Middle East
Nearly 200 people gathered with Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, and other faith leaders at an Oct. 24 ecumenical prayer service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in…
Armenian Weekly: ANCA Welcomes Federal Policy Shift toward Direct USAID Assistance to Persecuted Christians and At-Risk Minorities
An IDC Summit supporter since its inception in 2014 and cosponsor since 2016, the ANCA has lent its voice to a series of policy-driven panel discussions in the first two days of the conference, with…
Christian Headlines: Pence Promises Aid to Persecuted Christians in Middle East
Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the In Defense of Christians annual summit Wednesday night, promising aid to the persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
Christian Post: Hundreds of Iraqi Christian Families Forced to Flee Again After Resettling in Town Liberated From ISIS
Carl Anderson, head of the Catholic-fraternal organization and advocacy group Knights of Columbus, said during a speech at the 2017 In Defense of Christians solidarity dinner in Washington, D.C., Wednesday night that the U.S. government…
Crux: Unique Lebanon shows why refugees need safe zones in Syria
Most of the attention at the In Defense of Christians (IDC) summit on Christian persecution in Washington on Wednesday surrounded Vice President Mike Pence’s announcement that the U.S. would redirect funds targeted to help persecuted Christians…
Crux: Greek Orthodox patriarch: Christians are not strangers in Middle East
At a press conference for the In Defense of Christians 2017 Summit held in Washington, D.C., Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch John X Yazigi argued that Christians in the Middle East were determined to stay…
National Review: The Other al-Baghdadi — and the Christians Fighting for Freedom in Syria
An op-Ed by IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Adviser Andrew Doran “Raqqa, Syria — The soldiers of the Syriac Military Council sit on a rug in an abandoned home in the urban wreckage of…
The Hill: Safe zone for ISIS genocide victims in Iraq can protect region from Iran
Op-Ed by IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Andrew Doran; It is rare that a national security interest overlaps with a compelling humanitarian crisis. This convergence is precisely what has emerged with American national security…
NCR: Kurdish Referendum May Imperil Christian and Minority Safe Haven in Iraq
The Washington-based Middle East Christian advocacy group In Defense of Christians (IDC) issued a statement asking both the Iraqi government and KRG to be mindful of their next steps, given the impact they will have on minority…
Fox News: Kurdish referendum inspires Iraq’s Christians to fight for their own independence amid fears of being caught in crossfire
Philippe Nassif, Executive Director of the nonprofit human rights group In Defense of Christians (IDC) told Fox News that of the 11 different Christian political parties in Iraq, most of them seem to be divided…
EWTN News Nightly: Interview with His Excellency Bishop G. Mansour
EWTN News Nightly’s Lauren Ashburn interviews IDC Religious Advisory Board Member His Excellency Bishop Gregory Mansour about IDC 2017 upcoming summit and the resettlement on Christians in Iraq.
CRUX: D.C. summit to highlight hardships facing Middle East Christians
“The organization, In Defense of Christians, will highlight such hardships at an Oct. 24-26 summit in Washington in an effort to sway U.S. government and other public officials to do more to protect and preserve…
Catholic News Agency: How the US needs to stick up for the Middle East’s Christians
Interview with IDC Religious Advisory Board member His Excellency Gregory Mansour, Bishop of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Maron in New York :” I think the Christians there are the salt of the earth. And…
The American Conservative: The Agony Of Middle East Christians
Interview with IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Adviser Andrew Doran: “the number of Christians in Iraq and Syria has gone from over three million combined fifteen years ago to less than a million today….
The Hill: Senators, stop the Middle East genocide — bring aid bill to the floor
Op-Ed By IDC Safe Haven Managing Director and Iraq Senior Adviser Loay Mikhael “The horrors of the ISIS genocide continue, and the most deliberative body in the world is standing in the way of fixing…
Newsweek: From the Middle East to the Midwest, Trump Must Listen to His Christian Supporters
Op-Ed by IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Adviser Andrew Doran: “We believe in God first, Trump second,” says a Christian man in Ainkawa, Erbil, in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. “You hear it…
Fox News: Christians return after ISIS driven out of Iraq’s Nineveh Plain
Op-Ed by IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Adviser Andrew Doran: “Two summers ago, the Nineveh Plain lay in ruin, divided by a trench that stretched hundreds of miles across Northern Iraq, through the heartland…
National Review- From Raqqa, with a Christian Unit on the Front Lines of the Caliphate War
An Op-Ed by IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Advisor Andrew Doran “Expulsion of ISIS from the Syrian city looks inevitable, but so does the terror group’s continued existence in virtual reality.”
The Hill: Kurds, Iraqi Christians want democracy for themselves
Op-Ed by IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Adviser Andrew Doran. “The U.S. government’s track record of distinguishing allies from enemies in the Middle East leaves much to be desired.”
Christian Post: ISIS’ ‘Genocide’ of Christians References Removed From State Dept. Documents
Lawyers at the United States State Department have removed the word “genocide” from speeches and official documents that describe the Islamic State’s brutal treatment of Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities in Iraq and Syria,…
Newsweek: Israel and Lebanon: A Path to Peace, Led By Trump
An Op-Ed by IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif and Executive Director of the Philos Project, Robert Nicholson on the latest tension between Lebanon and Israel, and the role that Iran will use its Lebanese proxy…
National Review: Bulletin from Mosul — the Mission Is Still Far from Accomplished
An Op-Ed by IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Advisor Andrew Doran, who is on the ground in Mosul, Iraq. “Three years of the caliphate destroyed the work millennia of civilization. Three years of the…
EWTN: IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif Discusses Coptic Egyptians Crisis
Philippe Nassif, IDC Executive Director, discusses the situation of Coptic Egyptians.
NPR: After Fleeing Persecution, U.S. Christian Refugees Now Face Deportation
“I can run through a list of countries where there are religious minorities who came to the United States to be safe,” says IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif. “The same goes Christians from Sudan,” Nassif…
VOA: Armenian Service Interviews IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif
VOA Armenian Service Interviews IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif on the 1 Year Anniversary for the U.S. Recognition of ISIS Genocide. English Article here: http://www.voanews.com/a/advocacy-coaltion-legislators-call-on-trump-to-act-on-islamic-state-genocide/3771615.html “All of these Yazidis, all of these Christians, all of…
Newsweek: The Courage of a Christian Town on the Frontline of the Jihad
An Op-Ed by IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Adviser Andrew Doran. “One year after the suicide bombings, a monument to the five men who were killed stands near the St. Elias statue. Yosef does his…
Politico: Trump’s move to deport Iraqi Christians stirs outcry
The deportation effort has alarmed lawmakers who have tried to raise awareness about the plight of Chaldean and other Christian communities in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. Those communities have struggled to…
Christian Daily US: House passes bill to authorize government funding for relief efforts for ISIS victims
IDC executive director Philippe Nassif explained that the new bill will ensure that U.S. funding will reach the displaced minorities who are in need of assistance. Unless adequate help reaches the persecuted Christians, they will…
Crux: House praised for passing bill to help ISIS genocide victims
The United States House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan bill, the “Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act of 2017.” The proposed law would provide help and hope to suffering members of…
Christian Post: House Passes Bill That Would Fund Christian Relief Efforts for ISIS Genocide Victims
The bipartisan legislation that would authorize U.S. government funds for displaced Iraqi and Syrian Christians unanimously passed the House of Representatives. “Unless Christians begin receiving assistance from the international community, including from the U.S. government,…
Conservative Review: Emergency funding clears House as Christians face ‘tipping point’
The House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 390- the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act of 2017. “The situation on the ground is extremely fluid,” Phillippe Nassif, executive director for In Defense…
Christian Post: A Universal Declaration of Human Purpose
An Op-Ed by IDC Board of Trustees Neemat G. Frem, taken from his speech at the Model U.N. in New York. “Everywhere, as the world grows smaller, many recoil, retreat, and seek out in the…
RT (Russia Today): Report on IDC Hill Briefing on Safe Zones in Syria
Interview with IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif and Director of Media and Communications Ninar Keyrouz highlighting the plight of the Syrian Refugees and its impact on Lebanon.
Catholic News Agency: Sanctions on Syria’s military a good step, Christian advocate says
“This bill is a big step in the right direction,” Philippe Nassif, executive director of the group In Defense of Christians, told CNA.
MTV Lebanon: IDC Director of Media & Communications Ninar Keyrouz Live Interview with MTV Lebanon
IDC Director of Media & Communications Ninar Keyrouz Explains to MTV Lebanon, during the Live prime time news, the purposes of IDC Hill Briefing on “Safe Zones in Syria and Stability of Lebanon“, highlighting the importance…
MTV Lebanon: Special report on H.Res.252 to support Lebanon’s stability and the establishment of safe zones in Syria.
IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif tells MTV Lebanon about IDC’s Action Alert in an effort to pass a resolution for the stability and security of Lebanon.
Groundbreaking held for “Antoun Nabil Sehnaoui – SGBL Athletics Center” at LAU Byblos
IDC is very proud of our Board of Trustee and SGBL Chairman Antoun Sehnaoui for significantly contributing to the launch of the Lebanese American University’s (LAU) Athletics Center. “Sport has the power to create unity,…
Christian Post: State Dept. Workers Called Religious Freedom Specialists ‘Whack Jobs,’ Former Official Says
“On the religious freedom front, we are getting our clock cleaned. This may be a brief interregnum here but I think religious freedom is not doing well worldwide,” senior IDC advisor Andrew Doran said.
Catholic News Agency: Global bishops unite in prayer following Egypt church bombings
The advocacy group In Defense of Christians voiced their “solidarity with Egypt, particularly Egypt’s Christian community,” and senior advisor Andrew Doran stated that “we call on Egypt’s government to use all necessary means to make…
The Economist: The religious response to Syria’s travails is prolix and confused
In the view of Philippe Nassif, the organisation’s director, the gas attack in Syria was a “heinous atrocity” by the Assad regime, and the American missile raid was a “very justifiable response”.
VOA Armenian Service: Interview with IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif
VOA Armenian Service Interviews IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif on the 1 Year Anniversary for the U.S. Recognition of ISIS Genocide “All of these Yazidis, all of these Christians, all of these Armenian people that…
Christian Daily: Egyptian police disperse angry Muslim mob targeting Christian homes
“Americans need to know that one of the oldest Christian communities in the world is under threat from being completely pushed out of Egypt,” In Defense of Christians’ executive director Philippe Nassif told CNA.
CBS News: Dozens In Philly Learn About Struggles Christians Face In The Middle East
“They’re being driven out of their homes, out of their communities, out of their cities,” said Nassif. “We’re here tonight to ask people to help us reach out to their members of Congress to make…
Catholic Philly: Advocates seek more on anniversary of ISIS genocide declaration
While the genocide declaration is in itself rare, “there was more politics to the issue of genocide which I ever thought there could be,” said Catholic University of America law professor Robert Destro at a…
Crux: Genocide Coalition says religious minorities need protection from ISIS
Philippe Nassif, the executive director of In Defense of Christians, told the gathering, “We have to make sure the American public understands how serious this crisis is…We have much more work to do. The killing…
National Catholic Register: The US Declaration of Genocide: One Year Later
In Defense of Christians, a Washington-based human-rights organization representing Middle-East Christians and other religious minorities, helped spearhead the fight to get the federal government to recognize that ISIS was carrying out genocide in Syria and…
EWTN Interviews IDC Safe Haven Managing Director Stephen Hollingshead
IDC Safe Haven Managing Director Stephen Hollingshead discusses the importance of establishing safe zones for Christian refugees in Iraq.
Washington Times: Advocates encourage Trump to take action on anniversary of Christian genocide designation
Philipe Nassif, executive director of In Defense of Christians, said American leadership is imperative to alleviate the plight of groups persecuted at the hands of Islamic State.
Illinois Review: Op-Ed by IDC Advisory Board Member Tonia Khouri: Thinking of Our Persecuted Sisters in the Middle East
“…as a Christian whose faith is deeply personal, as the wife of a Lebanese immigrant, and as an American woman concerned for the future world my children will one day find themselves in, I am…
The Hill: Trump’s plan for safe zones in Syria necessary for the civil war’s end
President Trump’s recent announcement that his administration will create safe zones in Syria should be welcome by all who seek to protect civilians and take steps to end that terrible conflict, which has claimed hundreds of…
The Daily Caller: Are The Kurds Preventing Christians And Yazidis From Returning Home In Iraq?
In Defense of Christians, a non-profit that works to preserve and protect Christians in the Middle East, told The Daily Caller News Foundation that the situation on the ground is “fluid and complicated.”
Public Radio of Armenia: ANCA explores policy priorities with Administration officials and Members of Congress
“ANCA leaders held a working dinner with the senior leadership and staff of In Defense of Christians, led by President Toufic Baaklini, to discuss expanding efforts to address the ongoing violence against Christian and other…
Lifezette: Where Can the Persecuted Christians in the Middle East Go?
“The ISIS bombing of St. Mark’s cathedral in Cairo on Dec. 11 2016, the largest church in the Middle East, momentarily brought the suffering of Middle East Christians to the forefront of American consciousness,” Philippe…
EWTN News: Egypt’s Christians are being driven out – will the world notice?
“Americans need to know that one of the oldest Christian communities in the world is under threat from being completely pushed out of Egypt,” which would be disastrous both for Egypt and for Christianity itself,…
The American Interest: Security in the Aftermath of ISIS
An Op Ed by IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Advisor
The Hill: Syrian safe zones: Trump’s best bet for refugee relief, regional stability
Op-Ed by IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Adviser Andrew Doran. “President Trump’s controversial ban on immigration from seven nations has dominated the news cycle of late. More significant, though less discussed, is Trump’s apparent…
Washington Times: Reaction to Trump preferred refugee status reveals ‘blind spot’ to Christian persecution
Interview with IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Adviser Andrew Doran: Mr. Doran pointed to the Obama administration’s lethargic response to the Islamic State’s Christian genocide, saying people who see Christians as domestic enemies have trouble…
Catholic News: Interview with IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif
Philippe Nassif, who is executive director of In Defense of Christians, a Washington-based advocacy group supporting minority religious groups in Middle East countries, called for a quick end to the ban and said it would…
The Christian Today U.K. Interviews IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif
“It is our belief at IDC that these genocide victims who seek asylum should be prioritized and given accommodation on the basis of this status. But that does not mean banning all refugees.”
Providence: To End Another War: Safe Zones, Humanitarian Intervention, and American Interests; An Op-Ed by IDC Vice President and Senior Policy Adviser Andrew Doran
“The Trump administration wasted little time in quelling fears of American isolationism last week when it announced its support for the creation of safe zones in Syria. Immediately (and predictably), the Russian government expressed concerns,…
Washington Examiner: Trump is right to push for safe zones in Syria; An Op-Ed by IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif
“The Lebanese military, financially backed by the United States, is regularly engaged in conflict with the Islamic State along Lebanon’s border with Syria. It’s also had to contend with issues arising from refugee camps, where…
Christian Daily: IDC in the News- Executive Director Philippe Nassif Comments on Immigration Ban Executive Order
“Lobby group, In Defense of Christians, executive director Philippe Nassif called for a quick end to the ban and said it would be better to focus on creating safe zones for Christians in the Middle…
EWTN News Nightly: IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif Discusses Safe Zones in Syria and the Immigration Ban
An interview with EWTN News Nightly’s Lauren Ashburn
IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif on EWTN News Nightly
Interview with IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif on EWTN News Nightly, discussing with Lauren Ashburn President’s Trump immigration ban and the Christian refugees.
The Hill: Op-Ed by IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif: ‘Middle East Christians celebrate Christmas under yoke of genocide’
The world has grown too small for us to imagine that we may ignore what happens in Egypt or Iraq or Pakistan. These are not merely humanitarian issues; they are national security issues. The threat…
EWTN News Nightly: IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif Discusses the Attack on the Coptic Church in Egypt
EWTN News Nightly White House Chief Correspondent Lauren Ashburn interviews IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif in lights of the terrorist attack on the Coptic church in Egypt. “The first issue that we have in the…
New Catholic Relief Services’ chairman has strong Middle East focus
Bishop Gregory John Mansour, a Maronite bishop with experience in Middle East issues, will be the next chairman of Catholic Relief Services, the foreign aid arm of the U.S. bishops. The bishop is on the boards…
EWTN News Nightly Lauren Ashburn Interviews IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif
White House Chief Correspondent Lauren Ashburn interviews IDC Executive Director Philippe Nassif to discuss the latest situation of Christians in recently ISIS liberated areas around Mosul, Iraq.