Attacks continue in Upper Egypt

Ernst Kamel and Eid Gendy were shot and left for dead while driving their tuk-tuk in the village of Muharraq Monastery in southern Egypt. Eid was killed instantly, but Ernst was able to survive the attack. This is just one of the many acts of violence against Christians in Upper Egypt that continue despite the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood and the installation of a new government led by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Christians still face abduction, seizure of their properties, and oppression without any protection. Their appeals to the authorities are regularly met with indifference. Islamic gangs regularly target Christian communities, knowing that they will likely face no real prosecution. Stopped at Gunpoint It was about 8:30 pm on Wednesday, September 3, that Ernst Kamel and his cousin Eid had just picked up a passenger in their tuk-tuk, Tawfik Ayad. They were taking him towards his home, in the village of Muharraq Monastery, in Assiut Governorate (Upper Egypt), when they saw the two armed, masked men standing next to a motorcycle. Ernst and Eid had pooled their money to buy the small taxi only two weeks earlier. "I had to sell our family's only buffalo and Eid borrowed some of the money from relatives to purchase it," Ernst told ICC. Ernst with the tuk-tuk he was driving during the attack He had previously traveled to Libya to work as a construction worker but had returned in February as the security situation was too dangerous there. Economic opportunities are limited, so we decided to purchase a tuk-tuk, hoping it would produce a good income for our two families, Ernst continued. "I was driving the tuk-tuk and Eid was sitting beside me. We were passing the cemetery near the entrance of the village when we saw the motorcycle and two masked gunmen waiting on it." "They were ambushing anyone from our village, as all the residents of our village are Christians, to attack him and rob him. The Christians in our village are targeted. When they saw our tuk-tuk they stopped it at gunpoint," Ernst recounted. "We were surprised as two masked men on a motorcycle, carrying weapons, came toward us," Tawfik Ayad, the passenger during the attack, told ICC. "They ordered the driver at gunpoint to stop the tuk-tuk. When I saw that I was able to jump from the tuk-tuk and run, they shot at me, but I was able to hide among the plants and I escaped, running among the plants until I reached my home." "They then demanded us to give them all the money we have and the tuk-tuk, threatening us with death," Ernst continued, "but we didn't give them anything." "They then shot into the air to scare us and make us leave them the tuk-tuk and escape, but we confronted them. They shot at Eid first, he was shot twice, once in his neck and the other in his belly. He died immediately. Then they shot at me. I was shot twice in my stomach," Ernst recalled. "After they had considered that we died they fled immediately by their motorcycle." "I was able to get up and walk a few feet before some passersby stopped and called my brothers and they were able to get me to the hospital," Ernst said. Any Signs of Improvement? Ernst is slowly recovering from his wounds. One of the bullets passed through his body, the other is still lodged inside, but doctors have decided to leave it there. The healing process for Mariam, Eid's wife, and the couple's one-and-a-half-year-old son, and their grieving family will be a much longer process. Eid's Mother holding a picture of her slain son Unfortunately, these types of attacks are not uncommon. Father Mossa Shaker, the priest of St Mary church, in nearby Quseyya told ICC, "just a few days after the incident of the shooting of the two Copts, some armed masked Muslim thugs stopped a pickup-truck owned by a Christian man loaded with mango fruit. They seized his pickup-truck and 500 Egyptian pounds from the owner." Father Mossa added, "The Christian residents of Muharraq Monastery village are living in a state of tyranny, bullying, and oppression by the Islamic gangs of three neighboring villages called Alaghima village, the Great Manshiyya village, and Khashba village without any intervention from the police to protect them." Ernst echoed the same theme as Father Mossa,"Also after our incident the security forces deployed across the village for four days. After they had left the village, the Islamic gangs came back to our village carrying the weapons, terrorizing the Christians, imposing extortion money on them amid a state of indifference and complicity by the police." Ernst added "Our incident wasn't the first crime taking place in the village, but there are many incidents have been occurring daily by these criminals like imposing extortion money on them, kidnapping them for ransoms without any protection from the police." Ayman Hakim, a store owner in Muharraq Monastery village, told ICC "The situation is so bad for us here. We face bullying, gangs imposing royalties. Every day I lock my store early, before it is dark, fearing the attacks of the Islamic gangs on my store asking for extortion money." "Also, I cannot allow my children to go out in the street alone," he continued. "They are staying at home, prevented from playing in the street because we are afraid they might be kidnapped. Life is unsafe here. Many of us receive threats from those gangs without any intervention from the security to protect us."  Ongoing attacks against Christians, churches, and Christian properties are occurring almost daily in different places in Egypt, especially in Upper Egypt, and the new government is more focused on dealing with challenges to their own power than protecting the people and churches of a religious minority. "I feel that there are no rights for us in this country," Ernst concluded. For interviews, contact Todd Daniels, Regional Manager for the Middle East:  RM-ME@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Hindus attack church in southern India

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned of a violent attack on a church service in Bangarapet, Karnataka in Southern India. The attack came during the worship service on Sunday morning, November 23. The church was vandalized, and eight of the worshippers were injured in the attack; at least two were held in the hospital for serious injuries. The incident occurred when a mob of 25 Hindu radicals broke into the Calvary Apostolic Church while the church service was going on. The mob was led by Mr. Rajendran, a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Mr. Karuanakaran, along with some women activists. First they destroyed the furniture in the Church and then started beating up believers who were gathered in the church for worship, Pastor Robert Solomon D'Souza told ICC. "The whole scene of a mob assaulting my believers was shocking and very frightening," Pastor Robert, who has served as a pastor at Calvary Apostolic Church for the last 12 years, told ICC. "The children and women were crying aloud as they were beaten up by the mob," he recalled. The women activists of the Hindu radical group attacked not only the women and children in the church, but they also attacked the pastor, hitting him with their fists and hands. Pastor Robert said he was threatened by Mr. Rajendran and told to vacate the church. He told me, "We do not want a church in this place. You better leave this place or face the consequences."    Aftermath of the attack on the Calvary Apostolic Church (photo credit: persecution.in) The attackers also used wooden sticks and iron rods, severely injuring several of the worshipers.  Mr. Kribakaran, a 35-year-old man, was one of those wounded in the attack.  He was hit in the head with an iron rod. Kribakaran had a deep cut on his head and collapsed from the wounds.  He was taken to the hospital for treatment and spent two days in the hospital, as the injury was very severe.  Two others were  reported to have been admitted to the hospital with broken limbs. There is a local police station nearby but they failed to intervene and stop the attack, according toAsia News. Pastor Robert was taken to the station for questioning following the incident. The police, however, did not file a First Information Report (FIR) documenting the incident, which would then lead to further investigation. ICC has been closely following the spike in attacks by Hindu radicals since the election of BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2014. ICC has produced a  Two-Part Special Reporton the violence, specifically focusing on Uttar Pradesh state where 600 incidents of communal violence were reported in just the first 100 days of BJP rule. ICC Regional Manager Todd Daniels said, "This represents another instance of a growing hostility along religious lines across India. It is extremely troubling to see a vicious attack on a place of worship and worshipers. Equally as troubling is the lack of response both by local and national officials to these kinds of attacks. Rather than taking steps to prevent these attacks, their inactivity perpetuates a culture of impunity that will lead to even more violence. We urge the Indian government, along with political and religious leaders, to address these issues of religious based violence so that all Indians - regardless of their faith - are free to worship without out fear of violence."   For interviews, contact William Stark, Regional Manager for South Asia:  RM-SAsia@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Numerical Expositions: Genesis 1:13

And the evening and the morning were the third day.

-- Gen. 1:13 (KJV)

The third era of time was finally complete with the formation of the earth.  The number three represents manifestation as we live in a world with three dimensions.  If something creative stays on your mind for about three days, then you definitely need to work on that idea until manifestation occurs.

Numerical Analysis:  The numerical pattern for this verse is 1,4,5,3.  (1) Stay in the anointing in order to witness manifestations.  (4) Stay in God's Word in order to witness manifestations.  (5) Stay in God's presence in order to witness manifestations.  (3) Stay in the Spirit in order to witness manifestations.

False blasphemy charges in Ethiopia

Last Wednesday, two Christian converts from Islam-Obsa Ogeto, 32, and Soka Araro, 31-appeared in the Oromiya Region Federal Court of Ethiopia on charges of growing and distributing illegal substances, punishable by up to seven years imprisonment. The two were arrested by Shashemene police in August, following their public conversion to Christianity. One of the two accused was able to meet bail, while the other has served three months in detention while awaiting trial.

Immediately following their arrest, ICC contacted Peter (name changed upon request), a relative of one of the two accused converts, to inquire about the charges. According to this relative, and other members of the West Arsi Christian community, the arrests were made on evidence planted by local Muslims led by members of the families of the accused. According to the lawyer ICC has supplied for the two converts' defense (name withheld for security concerns), both men were falsely accused by communities and corrupt local officials as punishment for leaving Islam-the dominant religion in West Arsi.

According to an eyewitness, local Muslims threatened to frame Peter, Obsa and Soka as criminals should they refuse to return to Islam. Shortly after the three converts refused to leave their newfound faith, local Muslims attempted to spear Peter before planting evidence of the production and distribution of illegal substances in the converts' shared compound. When notified by those same Muslims, police then stormed that compound to discover the planted evidence before arresting Peter, Obsa and Soka.

Dehydrated and suffering from hemorrhoids as a result of the poor food quality and unsanitary conditions of his cell, Obsa was repeatedly denied access to medical attention by local police. Eventually, ICC was able to have a doctor visit and treat Obsa in his cell.

Following last week's hearing, the converts' legal defense will collect and submit its counter evidence at a later court date.

The wrongful imprisonment of Christians in Muslim-majority areas across Ethiopia is becoming an increasingly prominent issue. Over the course of the past month, four Christian elders, involved in an outstanding legal battle over ownership rights to the land on which their church is built, were arrested and detained for three days in Dalocha without charge. A Christian evangelist in Shashemene was arrested while preaching publicly and detained for 30 hours without charge. 

ICC's Regional Manager for Africa, Cameron Thomas, said "The abuse of legal institutions by local, increasingly radical Muslim majorities across Ethiopia is an infringement on the rights of Ethiopia's Christians to worship freely, and it must come to an end. In just the past three months, ICC has documented the wrongful arrest and detention of eight innocent Christians, all of whom have been targeted by corrupt local officials for their Christian faith. When freedom of religion is violated by those tasked with upholding laws that guarantee right of conscience, the international community must speak out in support of those on the ground fighting for the restoration of justice and the ousting of corruption."

Numerical Expositions: Genesis 1:12

And the earth brought forth grass, the herb yielding seed after his kind, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth:  and it was so.

-- Gen. 1:12 (KJV)

God established the vegetation process with grass on the ground and with herbs and fruits producing seeds.  As an example, an apple tree only makes apple seeds.  An orange tree only makes orange seeds.  If there was no God, then there would not be any grass on the ground, there would not be any herbs in the field, and there would not be any fruit trees in the earth.  That is why fruits and vegetables are called produce; they produce.

Numerical Analysis:  The numerical pattern for this verse is 1,3,4,2.  (1) Stay in the anointing in order to produce.  (3) Stay in the Spirit so that you will be able to produce.  (4) Stay in God's Word in order to produce.  (2) To be delivered, realize that everything that you need for a productive future is within you.

Numerical Expositions: Genesis 1:11

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth:  and it was so.

-- Gen. 1:11 (KJV)

The command given in this verse created vegetation upon the earth.  The process used was based upon seeds.  The seeds produce crops.  The crops then produce more seeds.  This cycle of seed time and harvest is still in effect today.  If there is no God, then there would not be any vegetation upon the earth.

In life, you must start out with a seed before you see a harvest.  Use your time as a seed in order to be productive each and every day of your life.

Numerical Analysis:  The numerical pattern for this verse is 1,2,3.  (1) To stay in the anointing, listen to the Lord when He is talking.  (2) To be delivered, realize that God wants you to be productive.  (3) To stay in the Spirit, you must use your time as seeds.

Kenneth Bae back on US soil

Kenneth Bae, one of the two prisoners released from a North Korean prison yesterday, has arrived on U.S. soil. Bae and Matthew Miller were greeted by hugs from family when they landed in California at 9pm last night.

"I just want to say thank you all for supporting me and standing by me," said Kenneth Bae. "It's been an amazing two years, I learned a lot,  I grew a lot, I lost a lot of weight." Bae, who spoke at a press conference at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, south of Seattle thanked the North Korean government for releasing him, as well as President Obama.

It's a wonderful day for them and their families," Obama said at the White House. "Obviously we are very grateful for their safe return. And I appreciate Director Clapper doing a great job on what was obviously a challenging mission."

Terri Chung, Bae's sister has tirelessly led advocacy efforts on behalf of her brother in attempts to secure his release. Upon hearing that he and Matthew Todd Miller had boarded a plane and were on their way home, Terri Chung said, "Words cannot adequately express our relief and gratitude that Kenneth is finally coming home! We have been waiting for and praying for this day for two years. This ordeal has been excruciating for the family, but we are filled with joy right now."

"We sincerely thank the United States government for all the hard work and dedication to securing my brother's release, as well as the release of Matthew Todd Miller. We are also grateful to the DPRK government for allowing them to come home. We must also thank the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang for their tireless efforts to advocate for Kenneth during his prolonged imprisonment."

Bae is a Korean-American missionary who was leading a tour group in North Korea when he was arrested and accused of crimes against the state. It is believed that Bae was arrested and charged to 15-years in a labor camp due to his Christian faith. Chung said, "Our family could not have been sustained without the knowledge that Kenneth was in God's care, when it seemed we were helpless to do anything."

"The United States has long called on DPRK authorities to release these individuals on humanitarian grounds," U.S. Department of State spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement Saturday. "We join their families and friends in welcoming them home."

November 3, 2014 marked two years that Bae had been imprisoned in North Korea. Matthew Todd Miller had been held for seven months. At more than 730 days, Bae's imprisonment was the longest on record for an American citizen in North Korea, a country widely recognized to be among the world's most repressive places for Christians.

Bae's family and supporters had mounted a social media campaign calling for his release using #BringBaeBack

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ICC will continue to follow this breaking story. Visit www.persecution.org for updates.

Kenneth Bae is free

North Korea has released U.S. citizen, Kenneth Bae, who was imprisoned in the country for his Christian faith. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) confirmed that Bae, along with another U.S. citizen who was released,  Matthew Todd Miller, are on their way back to the United States. Bae was arrested in November 2012 and was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. "We welcome North Korea's decision to release both Mr. Bae and Mr. Miller," the DNI's office said in a statement. "We want to thank our international partners, especially ... the government of Sweden, for their tireless efforts to help secure their release." "The United States has long called on DPRK authorities to release these individuals on humanitarian grounds," U.S. Department of State spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement Saturday. "We join their families and friends in welcoming them home." November 3, 2014 marked two years that Bae had been imprisoned in North Korea. Matthew Todd Miller had been held for seven months. At more than 730 days, Bae's imprisonment was the longest on record for an American citizen in North Korea, a country widely recognized to be among the world's most repressive places for Christians.  Bae's family and supporters had mounted a social media campaign calling for his release using#BringBaeBack --- ICC will continue to follow this breaking story. Visit www.persecution.org for updates.  For interviews, contact Corey Bailey, Regional Manager for Central Asia:  RM-Asia@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference ICC (International Christian Concern) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Husband & Pregnant Wife burned alive by Muslims in Pakistan

A Christian husband and wife were beaten and then burned to death by a mob of angry Muslims at a brick kiln in Kasur, Pakistan. Incited by Islamic clerics who claimed the couple had committed blasphemy against Islam by burning pages of the Quran, the couple was taken hostage for three days before being violently killed early on Tuesday, November 4.    Mr. Shahzad Masih, 28 and Mrs. Shama Bibi, 25, used to work under the supervision of Mr. Muhammad Yousaf Gujjar, the owner of the factory, according to the facts collected by an ICC representative who visited Kot Radha Kishan in the Kasur district on Tuesday.   "On November 1st, the couple was locked up at the owner's office. They were tortured for three days and then accused of desecrating the Quran," Haneef Masih, 25, a local Christian, told ICC.  "The clerics made announcements though the mosque's amplifiers and instigated the Muslims to kill the blasphemers," he continued.   The mob of more than 100 people, according to the BBC, came and violently took the couple from the room where they had been held. The mob stoned the Christian couple, tied them to a vehicle and dragged them to the brick kiln where they were burned alive, according to a local source.   While police did not take action to prevent the killings, they have reportedly detained 35 people for questioning regarding the incident, according to Breitbart. Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Punjab province has constituted a three-member committee to investigate the killings of the Christian couple. Pastor Sardar Masih Gill confirmed that the couple had four children and that Shama was a few months pregnant with a fifth child. There were approximately 10 - 12 other Christian families working in the factory who have since left the area for security.   The exact details of what led to the couple being abducted originally remains unclear as various reports have indicated a dispute over money or employment prior to the couple being accused of desecrating the Quran and blaspheming Islam. A senior human rights activist in Lahore condemned the incident, stating this is another case of the misuse of blasphemy laws. He urged the authorities to ensure the protection of the vulnerable segments, i.e. religious minorities, and demanded that the culprits should be arrested.   ICC Regional Manager Todd Daniels said, "The brutal killing of Shahzad and Shama once again highlights the extreme danger of religious fanaticism that Christians in Pakistan face on a regular basis. The accusation of blasphemy can be used for any dispute and can often prove deadly as it did today, inciting a mob to brutally murder this young couple. It remains urgent that the Pakistani government address the issue of false accusations of blasphemy. The actions taken by the federal courts in sentencing Christians like Asia Bibi to death provide motivation for mobs to carry out their own extrajudicial punishments."  For interviews, contact Todd Daniels, Regional Manager for the Middle East: RM-ME@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

What's next for Iraq's Christian community?

The ethnic and religious cleansing of Iraq has created a disaster of staggering proportions. More than 1.2 million people have been driven from their homes just since June and are now living as internally displaced people (IDPs). Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities have been the victims of horrible atrocities. More than 12,000 civilians have been killed in just the first nine months of 2014, according to Minority Rights Group International.   For the Christian community that has called Iraq home for centuries, there are fears this may be the final exodus. More than 100,000 people have been driven out of their homes and are unsure if they will ever be able to return. The concerns are for both the short-term survival of those facing huge humanitarian needs, but also for their long-term presence in the country. Surviving in the Short-Term Esho Esho, an activist currently based in Erbil, gave International Christian Concern (ICC) an exclusive update on the current situation for Iraq's Christian communities. Esho works with A Demand for Action, a global initiative to support the protection of the Assyrians (incl. Syriacs/Chaldeans) and other minorities in Iraq & Syria. "The IDPs are still suffering in their lives wherever they are, in schools, churches, caravans, or in the unfinished buildings. Now, since winter is around the corner, they will face the problem of rain and cold weather," Esho told ICC.  Just over two months ago, the concern was temperatures that were regularly in excess of 115 degrees. In August ICC's team visited a makeshift camp where at least five people, four infants and an elderly man, had died as a result of exposure to the intense heat. Now the situation has changed. Rain has moved in, with torrential downpours turning the makeshift camps into muddy, disease-laden pits. Skin disease and other communicable illnesses have become a major concern, an ICC partner reported last week. "The IDPs who faced the rain disaster last week, they have been moved to some caravans [temporary shelters], so this issue is partially solved, but this is a very short-term solution. When the real cold weather will start in about three weeks, the IDPs will suffer, especially those who are living in the unfinished buildings," Esho said. The international community is trying to respond by providing shelter and heating equipment to many of these families before the deadly cold arrives, but unfortunately it has not been able to cope with the scale of the problem.  Esho told ICC,"Assistance is arriving from different NGOs and from the UN, but the Iraqi government aid is very limited. The big aid is not arriving correctly; there was a project of a complex of tents was supposed to be done by now. The foundation was laid and then the tents disappeared? Where are they?" The reality is that, while there are hundreds of thousands of people who have received assistance, hundreds of thousands more continue to fall through the gaps of the major relief efforts. According to a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)  report, as of October, only 61 percent of those targeted to receive water, sanitation and hygiene had been reached, leaving 39 percent, more than 700,000, in need. If these communities are going to survive in the short-term, then immediate assistance must continue to arrive to prepare them for a winter away from their homes. Yet, for many the feeling is that the current situation as IDPs is just a temporary stop and soon they will leave their country altogether. Staying for the Long-Term? Over the past decade, Iraq's Christian community has shrunk by more than one million. Now, with the ethnic cleansing of Iraq's religious minorities, this may be the final exodus, as many are looking to leave. When Esho was asked about what can be done to help Christians stay in Iraq, his response was troubling. "Not much can be done, Assyrians, who also are called Chaldean and Syriacs, lost trust in both the Iraq and the Kurdish government. They are losing hope as well." There seems to be little hope for this trust to be restored. Christians have lost trust in their government to provide them protection when their cities were abandoned in the face of ISIS threats. More than 30,000 Iraqi soldiers were stationed in Mosul, and yet it fell to an estimated 800 fighters, sending some 500,000 people out of their homes. Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda expressed the frustrations of many with the government in Baghdad to assist with the humanitarian needs. "The reality is that Christians have received no support from the central government. They have done nothing for them, absolutely nothing," he said. Then Qaraqosh, Iraq's Christian capital, was "wiped clean" and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces withdrew, unable to match the weaponry acquired by ISIS fighters. While the Kurdish controlled region has welcomed many of them, the commitment for the long term is not guaranteed. As the United States and others have formed a coalition to confront ISIS, the feeling of hopelessness has not yet changed. "They were relying on the international community, but they are very disappointed now, especially after what has been said by the U.S. administration that no forces will be sent on the ground and that the war against ISIS might take a very long time," Esho said. "Many people are looking for any opportunity to leave the country, including those who once were against immigration," he continued. For Christians to be willing to stay in Iraq, they will need to be able to return home, according to Esho. The current situation, living as IDPs, finding shelter in schools, in the concrete shells of unfinished buildings or in over-crowded apartments, is not sustainable. Many will continue to stream out of the country. "The only thing that will keep these people in Iraq is to liberate their lands as soon as possible and provide them with a protection zone under some international forces," he told ICC. Retaking the land captured by ISIS, the ancient homelands of Iraq's Christians, and protecting it from future attacks, are what Esho says is necessary for Christians to stay in Iraq. These actions will not happen unless there is significant pressure in the west, Esho said. "More powerful demonstrations need to be organized in the West, with some real action so our voice will be heard."  For interviews, contact Todd Daniels, Regional Manager for the Middle East:  RM-ME@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.