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Iraqi Christian Relief Council

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Iraqi Christian Relief Council
AbbreviationICRC
Founded2007; 17 years ago (2007)
Legal status501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Key people
Juliana Taimoorazy (founder and president)[1][2]
Rev. David Fischler (board member)
Angela Nichitoi (board member)
Violet Khamoo (board member)
Dr. David Masters (board member)
Denise Bubeck (board member)
Armand Ciabatteri (advisor)
John Stenson (advisor)
Joseph Auteri (advisor)
Revenue (2016)
$1,064,001[3]
Websiteiraqichristianrelief.org

The Iraqi Christian Relief Council (ICRC) is an Assyrian-based[2][4] Christian nonprofit organization founded in 2007 by Assyrian activist Juliana Taimoorazy.[2] The ICRC describes its primary purpose as being to advance the humanitarian and political protection of persecuted Assyrian Christians who live in post-war Iraq,[1][5] whose population has dwindled from 1,500,000 in 2003[6][7][8] to about 150,000 just 17 years later in 2020[9][10] due to ongoing persecution and instability in their homeland.[11][12]

Background

The organization's self-described mission statement is:

"To educate the people around the globe about Iraqi Christian persecution, ask for prayers, and raise funds to support their basic humanitarian needs and partake in rebuilding their lives."[1][13]

The ICRC goes on to elaborate in their statement of faith:

  • Our faith is Christianity. We believe the Bible to be the inspired written Word of God. We encourage prayer for the persecuted Christians, not only in the Middle East, but around the globe, because we have witnessed and experienced the power of prayer. We believe in the loving Trinity of three equally Divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  • We do not discriminate against any Christian denomination. We are all members of the one Body of Christ, regardless of our theological differences.
  • We affirm that the Assyrians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs) are the indigenous people of Iraq and that they thereby have the rights of existence, self-administration, and self-defense in their ancestral homeland, the province of Nineveh.
  • We believe that the State of Israel (Yisrael) has the right to exist and to thrive as a democracy in the Middle East.
  • We strongly denounce the atrocities that Islamist extremism is committing against humanity, especially against Christians.
  • We believe that the essential solution for the Middle East and the whole world is Jesus.
  • Our first obligation is to help and care for our own Christian brothers and sisters who are in the greatest need.
  • We will continue to employ all resources at our disposal to help save the lives of Christians who are persecuted, in the most transparent, ethical, and sacrificial manner, reflecting Christ's love for his Church.[1]

History and activities

Founding and early history

The Iraqi Christian Relief Council was founded in 2007 by Juliana Taimoorazy. Taimoorazy started the organization in response to ongoing Assyrian persecution in their homeland of Iraq.[14][15][16] According to Taimoorazy, the ICRC did not initially receive very much attention from American officials until the 2014 ISIS invasion of the Assyrian homeland.[2] Since then, it has raised awareness through political advocacy, humanitarian support, and hosting public events, such as candlelight vigils.[17]

Humanitarian activities

The ICRC predominantly provides humanitarian aid to Assyrians in Iraq.[18][19][20] The majority of the aid goes through the Assyrian Aid Society[21] and Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena in Northern Iraq.[2] The ICRC also provides humanitarian assistance to Assyrian refugees from Iraq in other countries in the Middle East, including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.[2][1][22] In the year 2016, the ICRC provided humanitarian aid to 95,000 Assyrian Christians in Iraq.[22]

The ICRC launched Operation Return to Nineveh in 2016. The project has allowed for the rebuilding of community centers, schools, homes, and churches destroyed by ISIS in predominantly Assyrian-Christian areas of Iraq. It has also further encouraged the establishment of Nineveh Plain Province to act as a safe haven for Assyrians in Iraq.[23][24]

Assyrian Political advocacy

Taimoorazy has also met with Iraqi parliamentarians on behalf of ICRC to discuss the creation of a Christian province in Iraq.[25][26]

In August 2019, the ICRC and 15 other Assyrian organizations released a coalition letter thanking Representative Josh Harder for the creation of House Resolution 537, which would have the United States officially recognize the Assyrian genocide if passed.[27]

On behalf of the ICRC's leadership, Taimoorazy criticized the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) independence referendum for its potential negative impact on the Assyrian population of the region, and criticized the threats of violence issued by the KRG against Assyrians who protested the referendum.[28][29]

The ICRC released an official statement in 2020 condemning the refusal of the government of Turkey to investigate the disappearance of Assyrian couple Hurmiz and Shimoni Diril.[30][31]

COVID-19 response

In 2020, the ICRC started the Save Those Who Save Lives Campaign. The campaign pledged $5,000 on behalf of ICRC to provide masks to healthcare workers in the United States as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[32][10]

The ICRC also joined 27 other Non-governmental organizations and signed a letter calling on Iraqi authorities and the United Nations to implement measures aimed at preventing a humanitarian and security catastrophe in Sinjar, Tel Afar, and the Nineveh Plain as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[33][34]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Council, Iraqi Christian Relief (26 February 2007). "Join Iraqi Christian Relief Council in Bringing Hope to the Broken". Iraqi Christian Relief Council. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Snell, Joe (March 21, 2018). "Juliana Taimoorazy builds bridge between Assyrians, non-Assyrians". The Assyrian Journal. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  3. ^ "2016_IRA001_Iraqi Christian Relief Council" (pdf). fk advisors. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  4. ^ "An Assyrian-run nonprofit supporting, protecting, and defending persecuted Christians in Iraq and the Middle East". Twitter. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  5. ^ Council, Iraqi Christian Relief (26 February 2007). "Join Iraqi Christian Relief Council in Bringing Hope to the Broken". Iraqi Christian Relief Council. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Iraqi Assyrians: Barometer of Pluralism". Middle East Forum. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  7. ^ Significant Insights - Albert Nader & Juliana Taimoorazy on YouTube
  8. ^ https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/mass-christian-immigration-iraq-makes-future-church-uncertain
  9. ^ "Population Project".
  10. ^ a b Answer the Call Episode 1: Juliana Taimoorazy Iraqi Christian Relief Council on YouTube
  11. ^ Frantzman, Seth J. (3 June 2018). "Eastern Christians find common language on Israel trip". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  12. ^ https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/saving-nineveh-a-catholic-daughter-fights-for-her-people
  13. ^ https://www.skevanston.com/episodes/juliana-taimoorazy-iraqi-christian-relief-council-and-the-philos-project
  14. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va6dYfn_GdM
  15. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-l41f7L-Gk
  16. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ScMF4xp5wM
  17. ^ https://juicyecumenism.com/2015/09/21/standing-for-the-suffering-church-vigil-for-persecuted-christians-in-the-middle-east/
  18. ^ https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/isis-threat/few-remaining-iraqi-christians-prepare-for-christmas-as-lands-liberated-from-isis-475216
  19. ^ http://www.thericatholic.com/stories/iraqi-christian-remains-faithful-despite-severe-religious-persecution,6747?
  20. ^ https://aleteia.org/2016/02/01/genocide-is-also-killing-cultures-and-destroying-communities/
  21. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1eTpE8dwl4
  22. ^ a b "How This Iraqi Relief Organization is Helping Christian Families in the Middle East". CBN News. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  23. ^ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iraqi-christian-relief-council-launches-a-new-campaign-in-support-of-rebuilding-in-a-future-nineveh-plain-province-300357095.html
  24. ^ https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/iraqi-christian-relief-council-operation-return-to-nineveh
  25. ^ Editorial, Jpost (6 March 2016). "International Women's Day: Founder of ICRC discusses her role in saving middle east christians". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  26. ^ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iraqi-christian-relief-council-launches-a-new-campaign-in-support-of-rebuilding-in-a-future-nineveh-plain-province-300357095.html
  27. ^ https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/6ae567_391fed2a2a3e4d6fba6e4128b374b620.pdf
  28. ^ al-Shibeeb, Dina (September 6, 2017). "As Kurdistan referendum looms, Iraqi Christians redefine positions". Al Arabiya. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  29. ^ Smith, Jesserer (October 3, 2017). "Kurdish Referendum May Imperil Christian and Minority Safe Haven in Iraq". National Catholic Register. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  30. ^ https://www.persecution.org/2020/01/23/priests-parents-vanish-southeastern-turkey/
  31. ^ https://christianpersecutionnews.com/turkey-family-of-priest-abducted-by-unidentified-men-in-turkey/
  32. ^ Council, Iraqi Christian Relief (14 April 2020). "Iraqi Fund Pays It Forward To The American People". PR Newswire. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  33. ^ https://www.assyrianpolicy.org/post/joint-ngo-statement-humanitarian-and-security-implications-of-the-covid-19-crisis-in-northern-iraq
  34. ^ https://www.religiousfreedominstitute.org/blog/joint-ngo-statement-highlights-health-and-security-risks-from-covid-19-crisis-for-vulnerable-iraqi-communities
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