10/14/2018 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – In July, International Christian Concern participated in the first ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom hosted by the United States Department of State. The event clearly placed international religious freedom as a core component of the United States foreign policy platform.

As part of the 3-day ministerial, ICC hosted a roundtable focused on the per­secution facing Nigeria’s Christians in the Middle Belt region. Led by ICC’s Advocacy Director, Matias Perttula, the roundtable hosted diplomats, policy experts, and NGO leaders. Through the discussion, ICC successfully argued the significance of radical Islam in the con­flict (a reality often overlooked by policy officials) and the need to view the crisis from the prism of religious persecution.

ICC was the only organization to host an event focused on Nigeria and highlighted the need for the United States and the inter­national community to apply political pres­sure on Nigeria’s Buhari administration.

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming tomorrow.

For interviews with Matias Perttula, Advocacy Director, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: [email protected]