2018 Victories: Defending the Persecuted Church Around the World and Here at Home

This is the latest installment in a year-end series looking back at some of the numerous victories by the ACLJ in 2018.

For nearly 3 decades, the ACLJ has been committed to protecting religious liberty and defending the persecuted Christian church around the globe. Never before has this mission been more crucial in the wake of the atrocities of the vile terrorist armies of ISIS.

ISIS may be on the run, but its campaign of genocide left many Christian victims in need.

In a major step forward, the U.S. government secured a major concession from the U.N. allowing relief aid to be delivered directly to Christians and other religious minority victims.

We aggressively advocated for this aid, sending numerous legal letters to key figures in the international community to officially declare the ISIS atrocities against Christians as genocide, in order to trigger the provisions of the Genocide Convention and provide relief and aid to the victims.

In Egypt, evil jihadists who waged a bloody campaign against Christians are finally receiving justice.

Vicious gunmen have opened fire on busses full of innocent Christians. ISIS suicide bombers have massacred Christian women and children in Egypt as they sat in church.

In a major victory, an Egyptian court sentenced 17 Islamic radicals to death for their role in these cold-blooded massacres.

Another 19 defendants received life sentences, and nine others were given 15 years in prison. We have long advocated for the perpetrators of persecution to be brought to justice.

Violence against Christians is also sweeping across Pakistan. Christian families have been murdered by jihadists with machineguns. Suicide bombers have murdered scores of Christians at Easter Sunday services. Yet Pakistan’s government does nothing.

As a result,  the U.S. State Department placed Pakistan on a Special Watch List due to Pakistan’s treatment of Christians and other religious minorities.

In another big move to make Pakistan protect Christians, the U.S. cut security funding to Pakistan, citing its failure to crack down on terrorist groups.

We have long advocated in Congress and at the U.N. to hold Pakistan accountable for its persecution. We work tirelessly through our office on the ground in Pakistan to defend numerous Christians in Pakistani courts.

These are massive victories for the persecuted Church, but there is much more to be done.

Christians live under the looming shadow of violence in countries like Pakistan, Nigeria, and Egypt because of their faith.

The ACLJ went directly to the U.N. urging the worlds’ leaders to demand Pakistan fulfil its obligations to protect Christians from being terrorized and killed because of their faith. Our submission insisted Pakistan repeal or amend its ambiguous and oppressive blasphemy laws.

We also went to the U.N. to demand action to end the nightmare for Nigeria’s Christians living in danger every minute of abduction, torture, and murder by radical militias still pledged to ISIS.

To help the ACLJ continue to have the resources we need to make these victories possible and continue these fights, please consider making a Tax-Deductible donation to the ACLJ through our year-end Matching Challenge. Your gift will be DOUBLED dollar-for-dollar through the end of the year.

You can read more in the ACLJ’s 2018 Victories series here.

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