The awareness component is broadly focused, with the goal of heightening awareness among the general public in America and the western world. The advocacy component is narrowly focused on America’s foreign policy community, with the goal of influencing policymakers and public servants to promote values abroad that are consistent with the core values of human rights, including the rights to life an
d the freedom of religion and conscience. These values are not exclusively Christian, nor does IDC seek only to protect the human rights of Christians, but all religious groups. These rights are universal, applicable to all human persons. In this sense, “Christian” refers not only those who confess the Christian faith, but also Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Baha’i, and even the freedom to confess no religious belief at all. IDC believes that America’s foreign policy apparatus, especially the State Department, too often projects indifference on the question of persecuted religious minorities in the region, especially Christians – a policy that only invites further violence. In some instances, the U.S. government even provides significant foreign aid to regimes that persecute Christians, as with Pakistan and now Egypt. With a vigorous and sustained public awareness and advocacy campaign, IDC believes this can change.
