Washington, DC- In Defense of Christians (IDC), the nation’s leading advocacy organization for Christians and religious minorities in the Middle East and Africa, announces IDC National Summit 2021: Combating Oppression and Empowering the Oppressed, to be held live in Washington, DC, and virtually, on September 21-22, 2021.
Summit 2021 will showcase IDC’s achievements in 2020-2021, and highlight the important work that lies ahead in advocacy for persecuted Christians. The two-day Summit will feature a live Solidarity Dinner in Washington, DC and broadcast around the globe, a series of focused policy briefings, and culminate with Capitol Hill Day, where IDC supporters will have the opportunity to advocate before Members of Congress.
Members of Congress, government officials, and faith leaders will provide live and in-person updates on current policy initiatives to support persecuted Christians in the Middle East and Africa.
The Summit will feature an official announcement and presentation of the IDC Congressional Champion 2021 Award to the following Senators and Representatives:
- Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ)
- Senator Jim Risch (R-ID)
- Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
- Senator Todd Young (R-IN)
- Representative Ted Deutch (D-FL)
- Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX)
- Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
- Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ)
- Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX)
- Representative Scott Perry (R-PA)
- Representative Hal Rogers (R-KY)
- Representative Dina Titus (D-NV)
IDC will also honor USAID Administrator Samantha Power with the Charles Malik Human Rights Award for her long standing advocacy for human rights and humanitarian assistance.
“As the world fights to emerge from this global pandemic, persecuted Christians continue to face a growing number of threats to their lives and livelihood. IDC Summit 2021 will highlight exactly those challenges,” said IDC President Toufic Baaklini.
“We look forward to the opportunity to convene this Summit of policymakers and advocates for the persecuted,” he added.
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