August 2024 Persecution Magazine

WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG
AUGUST 2024
PERSECU ION
MAGAZINE
From Ruins
to Revival
PERSECU ION
PERSECU ION
PERSECU ION.ORG
HOW HOPE AND HELP
TRANSFORMED IRAQ’S
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
10 YEARS AFTER ISIS
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
PERSECU ION.ORG
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
PERSECU ION.ORG
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN

Contents
JULY 2024
ON THE COVER
From 2014 to 2016, the Church of the
Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh was
occupied and heavily damaged by ISIS.
In the months after ISIS was pushed out,
a blue cross was attached to a damaged
pillar, a sign of hope in and after
suffering. Photo: Joel Carillet / iStock
FEATURES
10
IRAQ’S CHRISTIANS MARK
GRIM ANNIVERSARY OF
MOSUL’S FALL TO ISIS
Ten Years After ISIS’
Invasion
14
A BATTLE FOR THE
HEART OF IRAQ
A Timeline of ISIS’
Destruction in Iraq and
ICC’s Work to Rebuild
20
A DECADE OF
DESTRUCTION IN PHOTOS
Resilience Prevails Among
Christians Who’ve Returned
Home
RECURRING
04
06
08
22
ICC NEWSROOM Your Source for Persecution News
WEST WATCH Issues Involving Christianity in the West
YOUR HANDS AND FEET ICC Projects Made Possible by Our Supporters
CROWNS OF COURAGE Highlighting Those Who Have Sacrificed Everything for Christ
@persecuted @persecutionnews @internationalchristianconcern International Christian Concern
OUR MISSION: Since 1996, ICC has served the global
persecuted church through a three-pronged approach of
advocacy, awareness, and assistance. ICC exists to bandage
the wounds of persecuted Christians and to build the church
in the toughest parts of the world.
DONATIONS: International Christian Concern (ICC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) (all
donations tax-deductible). ICC makes every effort to honor donor wishes in regards to
their gifts. Occasionally, a situation will arise where a project is no longer viable. ICC
will redirect those donated funds to one of our other funds that is most similar to the
donor’s original wishes.
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Persecution | AUGUST 2024
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reserved. Permission to reproduce all or part of this publication
is granted provided attribution is given to ICC as the source.
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #941 | Washington, DC 20006-5441
STAFF
Publisher Jeff King
Managing Editor Alex Finch
Editor and Designer Hannah Campbell

Reflecting on Iraq’s Christian Resilience
Ten years ago, in June 2014, you were probably glued to the news
as the unthinkable unfolded in Iraq.
The ISIS campaign of rape and pillage, beheadings, and bombings began
as the world watched, confounded by a level of violence beyond
comprehension.
As ISIS approached the Christian heartland of Iraq, it was gut wrenching
to see Christians driven from their homeland where they had
lived for the last 2,000 years.
The ISIS hurricane blew into the city of Mosul, which had been inhabited
by Christians since the time of Jesus. The invaders marked
Christian properties with the Arabic letter ‏”ن“‏ or “N,” used as a derogative
term for Christians. Then, they burned down their homes and
destroyed their wells so that the Christians would never return. Christians
fled en masse to Erbil and Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Now, Mosul is
down to its last 50 Christian families.
Yet, even during their darkest moments, God provided a way. International
Christian Concern (ICC) was there during the war working near
the front lines as we aided those fleeing and helped many of the tens
of thousands of refugees who were coming into Erbil by providing
them with food, water, and housing.
During the past decade, we have had the privilege of working to restore
and redeem that which was lost. Though darkness remains, we
have seen too many glimmers of light to believe that hope is gone
for Iraq.
Thanks to your support, we have had the unique privilege of coming
alongside Iraq’s Christian community in their darkest moments.
Because of you, farmers have returned to their land, children have
gone back to school, and entire communities have regained access to
clean water. New businesses have sprung up. Churches have begun to
gather again. The gospel is reaching the lost.
The list goes on.
We are so grateful for your partnership during the past 10 years. This
work would simply not be possible without you, and we will continue
to serve these courageous believers for many more years to come.
By God’s grace and through your support, we will continue to make
His name known in Iraq and to the ends of the earth.
JEFF
Jeff King, President
International Christian Concern
Author: “The Whisper” (NEW!), “The Last
Words of the Martyrs,” and “Islam Uncensored”
Invite Jeff as a speaker to your church or event.
Contact h.neal@persecution.org.
PERSECUTION.ORG 3

ICC Newsroom
YOUR SOURCE FOR PERSECUTION NEWS
Court Tells
Married
Christian Mother
to Convert to
Islam
Although she is a married woman,
an Iraqi court recently told Elvin
Joseph that she and her three
children should convert to Islam
because Joseph’s mother had
converted to Islam when Joseph
was 15.
ISIS Affiliate ISWAP Executes Three
Christians in Nigeria
AImages of members of the Islamic
State West Africa Province (ISWAP)
executing three Christian men in
Borno state, Nigeria, are circulating on
social media.
One image, allegedly shared on June 4 by
the Islamic State group (ISIS) through its
propaganda outlet, Amaq News Agency,
shows the Christian men kneeling with
their arms tied behind their backs before
three masked gunmen. Another image
shows the bodies of the believers falling to
the ground under a cloud of smoke from
the Islamic extremists’ machine guns.
The Islamic extremists reportedly
abducted the men from a vehicle traveling
along a highway that runs through the
northern Nigerian state on June 3. Muslim
passengers were allowed to leave.
The court cited Iraq’s Personal
Status Law, which states that if
a parent converts to Islam, any
children younger than 18 should
also convert.
“I am Christian,” Joseph recently
told Rudaw Media Network. “I am
married to a Christian man. I have
three Christian kids. My education
was in our language. All my
official documents are Christian.
Our marriage is registered by the
church.”
The law, passed in 1959, also
states that if one spouse converts
to Islam, Sharia should be applied.
This would mean Joseph would
not have the right to marry a
Christian man.
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Persecution | AUGUST 2024

VISIT OUR WEBSITE, PERSECUTION.ORG, FOR THE LATEST NEWS
Christian Arrested for Social Media Post
Commemorating Tiananmen Square Massacre
At 7 a.m. on June 4, Fu Lijun, a Chinese
Christian, heard a knock on his door. When
he opened it, Chengdu National Security
Bureau agents arrested him and took him
away.
Authorities arrested Fu, a member of
Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church, for
a social media post on WeChat, a popular
Chinese social media and messaging app
that Communist officials monitor.
Fu’s post included a song and a prayer
that commemorated the 1989 Tiananmen
Square massacre, in which China’s
Communist government killed prodemocracy
protestors. Estimated death
tolls range from a few hundred people to
several thousand. Any remembrance of
the massacre is strictly forbidden in China.
Communist officials have manipulated
search engines to turn off results tied to
the event.
Authorities placed Fu in administrative
detention until June 10. Although he is
believed to have been freed, authorities
will likely continue to monitor and harass
Fu.
Turkey’s Constitutional Court Supports
Government’s Expulsion of 9 Foreign Christians
Turkey’s highest court, the Constitutional
Court, recently ruled that the government’s
expulsion of nine foreign Christian leaders
based on secret service reports does not
violate their freedom of religion. Six of the
court’s 13 judges dissented.
Although the nine believers had legally
obtained residency permits, their perceived
missionary activities prompted Turkey’s
Directorate of Immigration Management
to apply N-82 codes against the Christians.
The codes designate foreigners as “risks
to national security” and prevent them
from obtaining prior authorization to enter
Turkey.
Pakistan Christian
Dies Nine Days
after Mob Attack
About a week after suffering a brutal
mob attack, Nazir Masih, who was in
his 70s, died early Monday morning at
a military hospital near Islamabad. His
funeral service took place Tuesday at
his family’s home in Sargodha.
The mob attacked Masih on May 25
after claims that he had burned pages
from a Quran circulated throughout
the Mujahid colony in Gillwala, a
predominantly Christian community in
Sargodha. Masih suffered severe head
trauma in the attack.
“He was a well-known, respectable,
and industrious person in his area,”
an ICC staffer in Pakistan said. “He was
running a small shoe-making factory
and cosmetic shop. His family is a wellto-do
family.”
Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws,
which are often weaponized against
Christians, prohibit the desecration of
the Quran. Those who violate the laws
are often killed.
The morning of the attack, leaders in
local mosques called for area Muslims
to gather at Masih’s house. Hundreds of
people soon started attacking Masih’s
home and shoe factory. The mob then
attacked him, beating him with bricks
and logs. Members of the mob also
attacked police as they attempted to
make arrests. The mob also attacked
the ambulance as it transported Masih
to the hospital.
PERSECUTION.ORG 5

West Watch
ISSUES INVOLVING CHRISTIANITY IN THE WEST
ICC Cited in State Department’s New
International Religious Freedom Report
On June 26, the U.S. Department of State released its annual
International Religious Freedom report, which outlines the status
of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries.
This year, International Christian Concern (ICC) is honored to have
been cited 13 times in the report’s sections covering Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, and Nepal.
The report exists because of the International Religious Freedom
Act of 1998, which requires the State Department to compile
statistics and testimonies of the status of religious freedom in the
existing countries and territories worldwide.
Each section of the report includes information regarding a country
or territory’s religious demographics, constitutional framework
for religious freedom, and stories of persecution. The report is
a vital resource for nonprofits and individuals as it compiles data
from hundreds of organizations to provide the most robust report
for each country.
The report’s inclusion of numerous attacks on Christians in 2023
demonstrates the State Department’s commitment to exposing
the religious persecution that occurs around the globe.
“If anyone wonders whether religious persecution in any part of
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in favor of a
Catholic school in North Carolina that fired a teacher in a samesex
relationship.
the world has escaped our attention, your answer is in this report,”
International Religious Freedom Ambassador Rashad Hussain said
during a ceremony for the report’s release.
In its report, the State Department recognized areas for
improvement in religious freedom by discussing training programs
with foreign diplomats focused on addressing religious freedom
issues. It also stood firm on its resolution to promote religious
freedom as a top goal for the United States.
US Appeals Court Affirms Catholic School’s Decision to Fire Teacher
in Same-Sex Marriage License for Religious Belief
school entrusted Billard with ‘vital religious duties,’ making him
a ‘messenger’ of its faith and placing him within the ministerial
exception.”
This overturned a trial court ruling that originally said Charlotte
Catholic High School was not justified in firing teacher Lonnie
Billard for marrying a man, despite the Catholic Church’s teachings
on marriage and sexuality.
Judge Pamela Harris wrote in the majority opinion that, “the
The “ministerial exception,” in U.S. constitutional law, is a legal
exception that allows religious organizations to discriminate
when it comes to hiring and keeping employees who serve in a
“ministerial’ role, i.e. those that instruct on doctrine and perform
religious duties.
ICC UPDATE TO THOSE ON CAPITOL HILL
If you’d like to stay informed about ICC’s advocacy work and
policy recommendations, subscribe to our monthly newsletter,
The Capitol Dispatch, at www.persecution.org/icc-advocacy
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Persecution | AUGUST 2024

Exiled Nicaraguan Priest Honored
with Freedom Award
Highlighting the dire conditions being experienced by the
Catholic church in Nicaragua, D.C.-based International
Republican Institute (IRI) recently honored Bishop Rolando
Álvarez, an exiled Nicaraguan priest, with the John S. McCain
Freedom Award.
International Christian Concern (ICC) staffers worked with IRI and
other peer organizations this year to highlight persecution in Latin
America. ICC led the persecution track at the 2024 International
Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C., that featured a
session on Christian persecution in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Mexico.
The Freedom award comes as Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega’s
regime continues to escalate its persecution of the Catholic church
and honors Bishop Álvarez’s fortitude in the face of persecution.
Bishop Álvarez was arrested in 2022 and sentenced to 26 years in
prison for speaking publicly about the persecution the Nicaraguan
church is facing. After serving a year in prison, the United States
successfully negotiated for him to be flown out of the country as
part of a group of 222 unjustly detained prisoners.
Bishop Álvarez now resides in the Vatican and is in poor health
after enduring harsh treatment while in custody. Fifteen other
Nicaraguan priests, also former political prisoners, reside with
him at the Vatican — a sign of the scale of the Ortega regime’s
persecution.
In person at the IRI event to accept the award on Bishop Álvarez’s
behalf was Father Benito Martinez, another exiled Nicaraguan
priest.
Speaking at the International Religious Freedom Summit earlier
this year, an exiled Nicaraguan explained the duress being
experienced by the church in Nicaragua today.
“As a church, we are living through the worst moments in our
history in Nicaragua since its arrival more than 500 years ago to
the present moment,” the priest told the audience. He himself
was arrested, insulted, beaten, and imprisoned for months, and
his family in Nicaragua is left to live with police parked outside
their home, watching their every move.
This type of surveillance is increasingly common in Nicaragua
where, according to Father Martinez, “Every Sunday, patrol
cars full of police are parked in front of the country’s Catholic
churches” and “the faithful who attend the Eucharist on Sundays
are photographed [and] the homilies delivered by the remaining
priests are being recorded.”
This type of surveillance regime is strikingly like that imposed by
China on its religious communities. Nicaragua maintains a close
“As a church, we are living
through the worst moments in
our history in Nicaragua since
its arrival more than 500 years
ago to the present moment.”
relationship with China, which it sees as an important ally in
the face of increasing sanctions from the West and a struggling
economy. In December 2023, China and Nicaragua announced
upgraded relations, bringing the two autocracies even closer
together than before.
In July 2022, Nicaragua expelled 18 nuns from the Missionaries of
Charity order, founded by Mother Theresa and active in Nicaragua
since 1988. According to the BBC, the nuns were bussed under
police escort to the country’s southern border and made to walk
across into Costa Rica. Authorities stripped Missionaries of Charity
of their legal status in late June, an administrative measure that
laid the groundwork for their later expulsion.
Earlier in 2022, the Ortega government expelled the Vatican’s
ambassador to Nicaragua, a move that drew pointed
condemnation from the church.
PERSECUTION.ORG 7

Your Hands and Feet
ICC PROJECTS MADE POSSIBLE BY OUR SUPPORTERS
Hope After the Violence
SOUTH ASIA Saleem and his family were among the hundreds of Christians who fled the
mob violence that destroyed about 30 homes, nearly 200 churches, and numerous businesses
on August 16, 2023, in Jaranwala, Pakistan.
The violence and destruction, sparked by a false blasphemy charge against a Christian teenager,
left many Christians — including Saleem and his family — homeless and financially devastated.
Many believers lost their livelihoods as their shops and sources of income were destroyed.
Before the attack, Saleem worked as a cleaner and provided for his family of four. Two weeks
after the attack, Saleem returned to his village and sought to return to work. His supervisor,
however, told him he no longer had a job. Saleem suddenly had no way to provide for his wife
and children.
International Christian Concern (ICC) provided Saleem with a cow that he can use to provide a
steady source of income.
“Your help is nothing less than a blessing for me and for my family,” Saleem said. “You are giving
me another hope to live by helping me.”
“Your help is
nothing less than
a blessing for me
and for my family.
You are giving me
another hope to
live by helping me.”
-Saleem
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Persecution | AUGUST 2024

The Gift of a New Beginning
AFRICA Twenty years into her Muslim marriage in Uganda,
Nagudi Azida was forced to move back with her parents. Her
husband had abused her and had started pursuing another
woman. Her Muslim parents, however, forced her to return to her
husband.
While moving back in with him, Azida encountered Christian
preachers who discussed Jesus and shared the gospel. Fearing her
husband’s anger, she hesitated to accept Christ.
However, in June of 2021, she put her trust in Jesus. She thought
her life would dramatically improve, but she instead faced many
trials. Six months later, Azida’s husband discovered her Christian
faith and forced her and their young son to leave.
Even after Azida moved in with her sister, she still received threats
from her husband and parents. Her parents also threatened her
sister.
In March 2023, Azida’s husband came to her sister’s house and
told Azida that she was still his wife and that he may do whatever
he wanted with her. He also told her that unless she converted
back to Islam, she wouldn’t have peace.
A Life Restored
MIDDLE EAST When Aisha put her trust in Jesus 14 years
ago in Egypt, she knew she couldn’t tell her Muslim husband. She
taught her children about Jesus but did so carefully so that her
husband, a sheikh, wouldn’t learn her secret.
However, as her children grew interested in Christ, Aisha’s
husband learned that she no longer followed Islam. Fearing that
the children would leave Islam, too, he threatened to divorce
Aisha if she did not reconvert.
Aisha refused to leave Christ, and her husband divorced her. She
thought she could keep her children, but their father persuaded
them to stay with him.
Suddenly alone, Aisha’s life continued to unravel. Her parents
died, and she soon found herself caring for her sister as she
battled cancer. Aisha had to sell her apartment, inherited from
her parents, to make ends meet.
Two years ago, her sister died. After neglecting her health for
years, Aisha had lupus and diabetes. She also had surgery to
remove a finger that had become infected with gangrene. Her
mounting health challenges kept her from working.
When an International Christian Concern (ICC) staffer met with
Azida and heard her story, she told the ICC staffer that she was
earning money to provide for her son by digging holes and
washing clothes. She told the ICC staffer that her dream was to
have her own boutique where she could sell clothes and make a
steady income to give her son a better life.
Because of your generosity, ICC helped Azida’s dream come
true earlier this year. We provided her with a space to open a
shop, clothes to sell, a cash
register, and money to pay
rent. Once her shop was
set up, Azida expressed her
gratitude with tears in her
eyes.
“Thank you so much, ICC,”
she said. “I am truly out of
words, but I am so grateful.
May the good Lord bless ICC.
Thank you for changing my
life.”
“Thank you so much,
ICC. I am truly out
of words, but I am
so grateful. May
the good Lord bless
ICC. Thank you for
changing my life.”
“I was not able to work until I recovered,” she said. “God willing,
I am ready to bear everything: illness, pain, poverty, and hunger,
but my only dream is to get my children back and (that) they
accept Jesus because I fear that I will die without doing my role
towards them.”
Aisha fell behind on her rent and utilities and went into debt
because of her medical costs. She went days without eating and
was unable to buy her medicine. She asked a local pastor for help,
but he doubted her claims when he saw that her ID card said that
she was a Muslim.
International Christian Concern (ICC) helped cover Aisha’s rent,
utilities, food, and medicine until she returned to work.
“I cannot say ‘thank you’ enough,” Aisha told an ICC staffer. “God
sent you to me at the right time. I was feeling lonely and hopeless,
but with your presence, I felt like I had a family that cared about
me. I thank you for your generous giving, and I hope you will
remember me in your prayers.
“I do not need to worry again about financial matters, as God has
provided me with what I need and more.”
PERSECUTION.ORG 9

Iraq’s Christians Mark
Grim Anniversary of
Mosul’s Fall to ISIS
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Persecution | AUGUST 2024

Ten Years After
ISIS’ Invasion
The first week of June 2024
marked the 10th anniversary
of the Islamic State group
(ISIS) capturing Mosul, the capital
of Iraq’s second-largest province,
Nineveh.
As the city recovers and rebuilds
today with incredible resiliency, only
about 50 Christian families live in the
city that just two decades ago was
filled with hundreds of thousands of
Christians.
“The city is in great need of Christians
to come and help rebuild the city
and seek the peace of the broader
Nineveh region,” an ICC staffer said.
“The city is ready for new beginnings,
and Christians have an opportunity
to do that with a greater sense of
freedom and security than has been
possible for more than two decades.”
May 24, 2017, Mosul, Iraq: An
Iraqi man walks in the rubble of
the heavily damaged Church of St.
Ephraim, a Syriac Orthodox church
in Mosul, months after this part of
Mosul was taken from ISIS. Photo:
Joel Carillet / iStock
PERSECUTION.ORG 11

A fighter of the Islamic State holds up an IS flag and a weapon on a street in Mosul, Iraq.
In June 2014, ISIS swept into Mosul, rapidly taking over the city from the Iraqi military. The
city was once a rich tapestry of ethnic and religious co-existence, with the majority Sunni
community joined by Shite Muslims, Yazidis, and Christians.
Like many cities across Iraq, Mosul was plagued by sectarian violence during the Iraqi civil
war following the U.S. invasion of the country in 2003. Al-Qaida groups specifically attacked
churches, Christian businesses, and buses filled with Christians with targeted bombings.
The sectarian conflict was so intense that some of the city’s Sunni residents saw the first
months of ISIS’s control of their city as a liberation from the heavy-handed Shiite majority
government forces.
For Mosul’s persecuted Christian community — one of the world’s oldest Christian
communities — ISIS’s entry brought another level of dread. Thousands of Christians fled to
‏”ن“‏ the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and ISIS marked Christian properties with the Arabic letter
or “N,” used as a derogative term for Christians. Believers were forced to choose between
fleeing and losing their properties or submitting to the “jizya” tax and being subject to the
extremist group’s Sharia.
During ISIS’s rule, Mosul became the Iraqi capital of the Islamic State. Great horrors of
slavery markets and oppression still loom over the dark history of the past decade. The
battle for its liberation from ISIS in 2017 constitutes what historians consider the fiercest
urban battle since World War II.
Erbil, Iraq, May 2017: Iraqi Christians worship at the Mart Shmoni church, a Syriac Catholic church
in Ankawa, a suburb of Erbil, Iraq. Most of the parisioners are IDPs, pushed out of their homes in
Qaraqosh during the 2014 ISIS advance.
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Persecution | AUGUST 2024

“The city is ready for new beginnings, and
Christians have an opportunity to do that with
a greater sense of freedom and security than
has been possible for more than two decades.”
- ICC Staffer
PERSECUTION.ORG 13

A Battle for the
heart of iraq
A Timeline
of ISIs’
destruction
And ICC’s
Work to help
Rebuild.
AUGUST 2014 OCTOBER 2014
ICC provided emergency food packages to thousands of displaced families working with
our church partners on the ground.
ISIS, a Sunni terrorist group, returned to Iraq and captured much of central and western
Iraq, displacing hundreds of thousands. Christians who lived in these cities fled to the
northern Kurdish region. Bent on establishing an Islamic state, ISIS started to enforce
its laws with deadly brutality. Christians faced the threat of forced conversion to Islam, a
protection tax, or death.
Kurdish churches attempted to help meet the needs of those who had fled, but they were
unequipped to meet the massive demand. From food to blankets and other non-food
June 29, 2014
ISIS announced
the establishment
of a caliphate
and rebranded
itself as the
“Islamic State.”
items, the needs were urgent and severe. Housing was also a
major concern for many of those who had been displaced.
ICC worked with a coalition of local churches in northern Iraq
to provide these needs for first the Christian community and
then to others who had been displaced. A church in Erbil has
been housing families who had been driven from their homes
for their faith in Christ.
ICC worked with partners on
the ground to transport water
to about 2,500 families (about
12,500 individuals) who
sought refuge in half-completed
and abandoned housing
projects.
August 6-7, 2014
ISIS captured
Qaraqosh, Iraq’s
largest Christian
city, and forced
hundreds of families
to flee.
2015
After more than 1.5 million people were displaced in 2014
when ISIS took control of large parts of Iraq, hundreds
of thousands fled to Erbil in northern Iraq and churches
urgently scrambled to meet the needs of displaced Christians
and other minorities. We partnered to help aid the
church by providing support for small group outreach and
discipleship at the church. This allowed them to continue
to meet the needs while also stewarding the body of
Christ and their neighbors. We equipped 10 small groups
with discipleship materials at a church in Erbil.
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Persecution | AUGUST 2024
Cemetery destroyed by ISIS, Qayyarah, Mosul District,
Northern Iraq. Photo from Wikimedia, Nov. 2016

During the past decade, ICC has supported persecuted Christians in Iraq, especially those affected by the violence and
atrocities committed by ISIS. Following the ISIS takeover of Mosul in June 2014, where Christians were forced to flee
or face severe persecution, ICC stepped in to provide much-needed assistance for those driven from their homes.
ICC has initiated various projects to help displaced Christians rebuild their lives. We’ve started small businesses for those
who lost their livelihoods, constructed water wells to ensure communities have access to clean water, and provided food
relief to those in dire need. We’ve enabled farmers to return to their lands, children to return to school, and entire communities
to regain a sense of normalcy.
Through these initiatives, new businesses have been established, churches have begun to gather again, and the gospel
continues to reach those in need. The Christian community in Iraq was nearly extinct, but the situation showcases God’s
beautiful provision amid destruction and the unbelievable resilience of the Christian community in Iraq.
NOVEMBER 2014
ICC provided winter essentials to displaced families sheltering
in church courtyards, tents, and abandoned buildings.
Hundreds of thousands of minorities, including Christians,
were displaced by ISIS. Some families sought refuge abroad,
while the majority of the displaced families looked for ways
to stay and begin rebuilding their lives in Iraq. With freezing
temperatures and snow on the way, their immediate need
was to find a way to survive the winter months. These families
needed immediate relief before they could even begin to think
about their future.
February 25-26, 2015
ISIS militants abducted at least 200
Assyrian Christians in northeastern
Syria. Released footage showed Islamic
State militants in Iraq smashing statues
with sledgehammers in a bid to crush
what they called non-Islamic ideas.
BUSINESSES WE HELPED START:
• Candy Shop
• Grocery Store
• Beauty Shop
• Event Planning
• Candle Making
• Tea Cart
• Restaurant
• Home Repair Shop
• Butcher
• Taxi Business
• Internet Cafe
• Catering Business
• Ceramic Shop
• Barbershop
• Tailor and Sewing Shop
• Bakery
• Juice Vendor
• Blacksmith Shop
Bashar was displaced from Qaraqosh,
and when he returned in
2017, his market was destroyed.
ICC helped Bashar revive his
market. “I will be able to provide
for my wife’s treatment after being
diagnosed with bone cancer,
and now you have lifted some of
the expenses off my shoulders!”
SUMMER 2015 NOVEMBER 2015 WINTER 2015-2016
ICC provided summer relief aid to
roughly 1,250 Christians as they endured
the hot summer by supplying
fans, water, air coolers, and refrigerators
to multiple communities.
November 13, 2015 ISIS
carried out a series of
coordinated attacks in
Paris, killing 130 people
and injuring nearly 400.
ICC Started Small Business Aid
Kirkuk, Iraq quickly became home
to thousands of families displaced
by ISIS. Families needed resources
and empowerment to begin
rebuilding their lives. ICC helped a
group of 20 former small business
owners with materials and training
to restart their businesses to
get back on their feet and better
provide for their families.
Thousands of displaced families endured
their second brutal winter. ICC provided
multiple rounds of aid to Christians from
Baghdad to Erbil, including heaters,
blankets, coats, and food. ICC supplied
aid to more than 3,000 internally displaced
people, including more than 500 children.
We also worked with a partner church to
distribute heaters to persecuted families.
We directly provided warmth to 1,230
displaced Christians and some of their
neighbors.
PERSECUTION.ORG 15

IN THE LAST 10 YEARS IN IRAQ, INTERNATIONAL
CHRISTIAN CONCERN HAS HELPED:
32,000+ PERSECUTED
CHRISTIANS
APRIL 2016
Relief to Yazidi Neighbors
Many Christians and religious minorities
across Iraq were victimized and attacked
by ISIS. Among those communities worst
hit was Iraq’s Yazidi population. Considered
pagans by ISIS followers, most Yazidi
men caught by ISIS were immediately
executed in mass. Yazidi women and girls
were taken as prizes of war, raped, and
forced into sexual slavery by ISIS fighters.
In recognition of this intense suffering,
ICC assisted Iraq’s displaced and traumatized
Yazidi population with our partners.
Our hope was that this show of love and
solidarity would unite Iraq’s Christian and
Yazidi populations as they continued to
suffer from ISIS and their ideology. ICC
provided winter jackets and other relief.
MAY 2016
ICC Ramped Up Small Business Assistance
We followed up with dozens of families we had helped during the previous
two years and equipped them to start their own small businesses to generate
income.
Kassim, a 20-year-old college student, led his family out of Qaraqosh, including
his father who now suffers from cancer. Kassim’s father “encourage[d] us
to study and he took care of everything.” All of that was put on hold when ISIS
attacked.
To support his family, Kassim wanted to open a car wash in part because he
has a location already secured for it. Without assistance, however, Kassim
couldn’t afford the expensive start-up equipment
like an air and water compressor, vacuums, an
engine cleaner, or a water raiser.
ICC helped Kassim purchase the necessary
equipment for the car wash. “My father used
to take care of everything, [but] I think the day
has come for us to take care of him since he is
having medical treatment,” Kassim admitted.
October 22, 2016
Iraqi forces
retook Qaraqosh,
a Christian area
southeast of
Mosul, which had
been under ISIS
rule since 2014.
NOVEMBER 2017 2018
Dozens of Christian Families Received
Medical Care
Working with our partners, we supplied
medical care to about 600 displaced
Christians whose health had suffered due
to lack of basic necessities and poor living
conditions.
December 10, 2017
An Iraqi military
parade in
Baghdad’s heavily
fortified Green
Zone celebrated
final victory over
Islamic State.
ICC invested in dozens of small businesses
for displaced Christian families including a
market, juice vendor, grocery store, blacksmith
shop, spice shop, internet cafe, and more. After
the war, many Christians fled to neighboring
countries with more stable economies and
better livelihood opportunities. By investing
in local Iraq small businesses, we helped the
Christian population reestablish their lives in
their homeland.
Since 2015, ICC has helped start
200+ SMALL BUSINESSES
for displaced Christians in Iraq.
16
Persecution | AUGUST 2024

6,000+ PERSECUTED
FAMILIES
ISIS’ Evolving
Control of Iraq
APRIL 2017
ISIS’ 2014 invasion, coupled with the battle to retake the Nineveh
Plains, left the region devastated. ISIS had invaded the Nineveh Plains
with genocidal intentions against Christians. As they realized that their
ultimate defeat was inevitable, ISIS doubled down on its efforts to damage
infrastructure. In this way, it made every effort to make the return
of Christians to the Nineveh Plains impossible.
Despite ISIS’s efforts, Christians are returning. Qaraqosh, once the
largest Christian city in Iraq, is being revived. Rebuilding, however, is
fraught with challenges. Many Christians are hesitant to return home if
there is no infrastructure in place to support them. Water is especially
lacking, as it is sourced from Mosul and thus is dirty and inconsistent.
Qaraqosh’s water supply is often cut. Independent wells are critical
sources of clean and stable water flow for returning families. These
wells give Christians greater confidence to live in their homeland and
return from displacement. ICC strategically builds wells in populated
areas throughout the community to maximize their benefit.
Throughout the next few years, ICC will help establish to more than 15
wells throughout Qaraqosh and other ISIS-affected areas of Iraq.
December 2014
April 2015
MAY 2018
One of ICC’s local partners had operated a mobile medical clinic in
Dohuk since August 2015 to help many of the Christian victims in the
region. As part of ICC’s Community Rebuild fund, we helped provide
88 displaced Christians with medication they desperately needed.
One of the patients shared, “I’m from Batnaya. We have been displaced
for four years and a half. We went to Ainkawa and have been
living in caravans then we went to Duhok, later we came here. We
thank you in hundred and thousand times for all your efforts in providing
this aid, in which, without your support, where will we have money
to buy the medicine?… We have been here for more than a year and
half and we didn’t receive any assistance. We thank you for your help.”
October 2015
IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, INTERNATIONAL
CHRISTIAN CONCERN HAS IMPLEMENTED
MORE THAN 250 INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS.
September 2017
PERSECUTION.ORG 17

2019
ICC Started Chicken Farms
After ISIS attacked Qaraqosh in 2014, thousands of Christians
were forced to flee. During displacement, they lived off of their
savings and completely lost all income. ISIS was defeated in the
fall of 2017, and various groups estimate that 40% to 50% of
Christians have now returned home. Qaraqosh is the largest distinctly
Christian city in the Nineveh Plains, and is slowly busling
back to life.
Prior to the ISIS invasion, Qaraqosh was the agricultural hub of
the Nineveh Plains. Poultry farms were especially popular as
nearly 250 farmers raised raised chickens. When ISIS invaded,
they sought to occupy the cities where Christians once lived.
To maintain their occupation, they set up a defensive perimeter
around the cities. In the case of Qaraqosh, the natural perimeter
cut through the farms. ISIS ransacked the farms, destroying
them and using them both as a lookout and point of cover from
coalition maneuvers. With the destruction of these farms, Qaraqosh’s
economy was destroyed.
Resurrecting Hope in Iraq
In the war-ravaged city of Qaraqosh where darkness consumes
the once vibrant Christian community, Behnam’s story stands as
a testament to the spirit of resilience.
“The help you provided to me is not forgettable,” he shared. “I
was in dire need because I was drowning in debt.”
Three years ago, Behnam received assistance from ICC, an opportunity
that breathed new life into his struggling chicken farm.
The grant allowed him to weather the storms of loss, enabling
him to persevere even when the odds seemed insurmountable.
“It is not the right thing to abandon the farm without chickens.
You saved me,” Behnam expressed. “I was on the verge of giving
up on farming when you crossed my path three years ago.”
Looking back to 2020, we unraveled the harrowing tale that
brought Behnam to this point. Before the invasion of ISIS in
2014, the predominantly Christian city of Qaraqosh was a hub
for agriculture, particularly chicken farming. When ISIS swept in,
however, countless farms were ransacked and the once-thriving
economy was left in ruins.
October 26, 2019
The Baghdadi era of ISIS ended
when the leader was killed in
a U.S. raid in northern Syria.
Since 2019, ICC has started
43 FARMS
including chicken and sheep farms.
Behnam holds his
chickens as he begins to
restart his farm after ISIS
invaded Qaraqosh.
Behnam had embarked on his chicken farm just before the ISIS
invasion, driven by a desire to spend more time with his family.
Tragically, his dream was shattered as he and his family were
forced to flee from the advancing terror. In the years that followed,
Behnam toiled
relentlessly, scraping
together meager savings
with the hope of
rebuilding his farm
one day.
Behnam was dealt another cruel blow when his
daughter was involved in a severe car accident. Miraculously,
she survived, but the exorbitant medical expenses wiped away
the family’s savings. As the dust settled and Qaraqosh regained
a semblance of safety, Behnam returned to find his house in
ruins, leaving him destitute and devoid of the means to resurrect
his cherished farm.
ICC partnered with Stand With Iraqi Christians to provide Behnam
with chicks, fodder, and essential farming equipment, alleviating
the initial financial burden that had haunted his dreams.
This lifeline enabled Behnam to rebuild his farm and allowed him
to provide for his family independently in the long run.
Beyond being a source of sustenance for Behnam’s family, the
resurrected farm breathes life into the heart of Qaraqosh. By reviving
the agricultural backbone that once defined the city, there
is renewed hope for restoring a thriving community.
18
Persecution | AUGUST 2024

2020 2021-PRESENT
COVID-19 Pandemic Hit the Displaced
Many Christians lost their entire savings because of their displacement.Some
fled to Baghdad thinking there would be more
jobs available.
However, when the coronavirus pandemic reached Iraq in early
March, officials started a quarantine. Job opportunities quickly
faded. ICC distributed relief packages with food, medicine, and
other household necessities to dozens of struggling Christian
families.
In 2020, ICC distributed
545 FOOD PACKAGES
to more than 2,000 persecuted
Christians in Iraq.
March 5-8, 2021
Pope Francis visited parts of northern
Iraq, including Qaraqosh, once held
by ISIS. The Pope prayed among ruined
churches in Mosul before meeting
Christians. This trip marked an attempt
to mend bridges between different faiths
in Iraq.
Homemade candles Farah
made for her small business
that ICC helped her
start to support her family.
ICC continues to work with Christians whose lives were
forever changed due to displacement from the ISIS
invasion. Many of the Christians in the region have been
driven out and have relocated to other countries. ICC is
commited to shepherding the Christians who’ve returned
to their homelands through small business aid and restarting
farms in the area. Our hope is to revive the once-thriving
Christian community in beautiful Iraq.
Flicker of Faith
Farah had endured more hardships in her young life than
most people could ever imagine. The invasion of ISIS had
turned her world upside down, shattering her dreams and
tearing apart her family’s stability.
Her father’s medical conditions only added to their
burdens, requiring visits to doctors and costly medications.
Even as ISIS invaded their area, Farah defied the
odds and completed her exams, earning her diploma in
mechanical engineering. But the aftermath of the conflict
had left her family in dire straits, relying solely on food aid
to survive.
Farah’s heart ached as they returned to their once-devastated
home, hoping to find solace within its familiar
walls, only to discover that nothing remained. Through the
help of their extended family members, they were able to
rebuild their home.
After moving back home, Farah searched for a way to
support her family. By the end of 2020, Farah started a
scented candle business. But Farah lacked the necessary
resources to produce high-quality candles.
ICC supplied her with the proper equipment needed to
flourish in her online business. Gratitude overflowed from
her heart as she held the tools in her hands, realizing
that they represented so much more than mere objects.
They symbolized an opportunity — a chance to break free
from the chains of her financial constraints and create a
business that would not only sustain her family but also
empower her dreams.
“I was very happy that I now have the tools I need
because I could not afford to buy them due to my
financial situation,” Farah expressed. “I used to face
difficulties in making the candles because of the bad
quality of items, but I will no longer worry in this
regard, and I will focus on developing my business.
Thank you so much for helping me to get the tools to
produce better quality candles.”
PERSECUTION.ORG 19

A Decade of Destruction
RESILIENCE PREVAILS AMONG CHRISTIANS WHO RETURNED HOME
Qaraqosh, Iraq (May 20, 2017): At the entrance to
Qaraqosh, a 50-year-old Syriac Catholic sells ice from
the back of a truck. Qaraqosh, located a few kilometers
from Mosul, was Iraq’s largest predominately Christian
town until 2014, when residents fled the ISIS advance.
Photo: Joel Carillet / iStock
20
Persecution | AUGUST 2024

MORE WAYS TO PRAY
The destruction in the old city of Sinjar, Iraq after war with the
Islamic State. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
A Year After Jaranwala
Pray for those in the Christian community of Jaranwala,
Pakistan as they face the year anniversary after the traumatic
attacks on their homes.
— READ MORE ON PAGE 8
Community Farms
Farms throughout the Qaraqosh region were taken over by
ISIS fighters, tunnels were dug under their land, and crops
were destroyed. ICC is working to rebuild farmers’ livelihoods
by providing the necessary supplies to start chicken and sheep
farms. Pray for the health of their livestock and the success of
their farms.
— READ MORE ON PAGE 18
From 2014 to 2016, the Church of the Immaculate Conception
in Qaraqosh was occupied and heavily damaged by ISIS. In the
months after ISIS was pushed out, a blue cross was attached to a
damaged pillar, a sign of hope in and after suffering. Photo: Joel
Carillet / iStock
Small Business Success
ICC has come alongside dozens of Christians who’ve lost
everything due to ISIS’ reign throughout Iraq, specifically
Christian villages in the country. ICC has worked to rebuild,
restore, and restart small businesses of Christians throughout
the region. Pray for the success of their small businesses as
they resettle into their daily lives.
— READ MORE ON PAGE 19
Pray for the Persecutor
Though the Islamic State’s stronghold has dissipated from
Iraq, Islamic extremism is on the rise in Africa. Pray for those
who persecute, that their heart would be soften and they
would turn to God for forgiveness.
Erbil, Iraq (2017): Iraqi Christians worship at the Mart Shmoni
church, a Syriac Catholic church in Ankawa, a suburb of Erbil, Iraq.
Most of the parishioners are IDPs, pushed out of their homes
in Qaraqosh during the 2014 ISIS advance. Photo: Joel Carillet /
iStock
PERSECUTION.ORG 21

Crowns of Courage
HIGHLIGHTING THOSE WHO HAVE SACRIFICED EVERYTHING FOR CHRIST
FROM ACCUSATION TO DEATH
THE HARROWING TALE OF
NAZIR MASIH
22
Persecution | AUGUST 2024

Background Photo: TExterior Shot of Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Photo by Shazaf Zafarr / Unsplash
In Pakistan and many other persecuted nations,
blasphemy laws have served effectively as a
death sentence for Christian minorities. In
addition to the obvious legal consequences of
these discriminatory laws, extremists often take
matters into their own hands to settle personal
scores, incite violence, and target Christians and
minority communities.
Not even the most vulnerable communities,
whether the elderly or the mentally disabled, are
safe from these hateful attacks.
On May 25, 2024, a large mob filled the streets
of Mujahid colony in Gillwala, a predominantly
Christian community in Sargodha, Pakistan. They
descended on an elderly Christian man, Nazir
Masih, based on rumors that he had burned pages
of a Quran.
The mob also looted and burned a shoe shop
owned by Masih’s son, Sultan Masih, and burned
the family’s home, where Nazir, his two sons, and
10 other family members live.
Several videos of the attack circulated on social
media. ICC obtained additional footage of the
attack from sources in the area. One video shows
Nazir lying still on the ground, his face bloodied as
several men kick his lifeless body. Another shows
Nazir sitting on the ground, covered in dust and
blood, as the angry mob surrounds him.
Although Masih was transported to a local
hospital, the damage was already done. Nine days
after the mob attacked, Masih succumbed to his
injuries.
In response to the attack, an ICC staffer expressed,
“Islamic radicals are mercilessly beating the
elderly on false blasphemy accusations. The
existence of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws sends a
message to Islamic radicals that this mob violence
is justified. The laws are used as a weapon against
Christians and allow this behavior to continue
among Pakistan’s most vulnerable communities.”
Thankfully, the authorities have taken appropriate
action to exact justice in the wake of this tragedy.
Dozens of mob participants have been detained
for their involvement in Masih’s death and police
are investigating the blasphemy accusations
leveled against him. The authorities have also
placed several members of Masih’s family in
protective custody.
The death of Masih is not only tragic, but also
reflective of a much larger problem plaguing
Pakistan’s minorities. Until greater action is taken
to overturn these unjust laws, extremists will
continue to misuse them and carry out similar, if
not greater, acts of violence.
PERSECUTION.ORG 23

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Soldiers stand outside Saint George
Church in Qaraqosh, a mostly Christian
city near Mosul that was occupied and
ravaged by ISIS from 2014 to 2016. The
soldiers are Iraqi Christians. Photo:
Joel Carillet / iStock
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