In Defense of Christians (IDC)

In Defense of Christians (IDC) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to protect and preserve Christian communities, culture, and heritage in the Middle East. IDC advances its mission through government relations, public affairs, and education. 1

Read More

At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3), Fiscally Sponsored Project
Website:

indefenseofchristians.org

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Location:

Washington, DC

Formation:

2014

Executive Director:

Richard Ghazal

Location: Washington, DC View on map
Tax ID: 46-2571927
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $42,754 Revenue: $2,150 Expenses: $13,820

Contents

    In Defense of Christians Advocacy is the political advocacy sister-group of In Defense of Christians and is primarily concerned with promoting human rights in the Middle East. 2

    In 2023, the Institute on Religion and Democracy acquired In Defense of Christians. 3

    Activities

    In Defense of Christians was established in 2014 to protect and preserve Christian communities, culture, and heritage in the Middle East. IDC claims that Middle Eastern Christian communities are the target of steady and intense persecution and speaks on their behalf. In Defense of Christians seeks dignity and security for all people in the Middle East regardless of religion or ethnicity. 1

    In Defense of Christians provides statistics on each of the countries of the Middle East, including religious demographics with a focus on the Christian population, a brief description of the country’s Christian history, and the challenges facing Christians living in that country. 4

    In Defense of Christians’ accomplishments include an official recognition of genocide for the victims of ISIS, the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act, Congressional recognition of the Ottoman Empire’s Genocide against its Armenian Christian community, and the Biden administration’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide which occurred between 1915 and 1923. 5

    Funding

    In Defense of Christians is a project of the Institute on Religion and Democracy. Previously, IDC was funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While IDC did not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from In Defense of Christians Advocacy ($50,000 in 2020), 6  the Anthony R. Abraham Foundation ($25,000 in 2022),  7 and the Philos Project ($25,000 in 2016). 8

    People

    Leadership

    Richard Ghazal is the executive director of In Defense of Christians. Ghazal is a retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer and Judge Advocate, and formerly worked as a federal criminal prosecutor, a legal advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force, and a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. 9

    Andrew Doran is a co-founder and senior advisor at IDC. Doran formerly worked on the policy planning staff of the U.S. Secretary of State and on the executive secretariat of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO at the U.S. Department of State. Doran is a former senior research fellow with the Philos Project. 10

    Advisory Board

    Thomas G. Abraham is the chair of the Anthony R. Abraham Foundation. 11

    John Ashcroft is a former U.S. Attorney General during the George W. Bush administration, a former president of the National Association of Attorneys General, a former governor of Missouri, and a former member of the Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Affairs during the Reagan administration. 12

    Alberto M. Fernandez is the vice president of the Middle East Media Research Institute. Fernandez is a former president of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks and a former U.S. Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea. 13

    Neemat Frem is a Lebanese politician, a member of the Lebanese Parliament, and the president of the executive board of the national political movement Project Watan. Frem is the founder of the Better Lebanon initiative, a former president of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, and formerly presided over the Maronite Foundation in the World. 14

    Aram Hamparian is the executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America. 15

    Kamal Ibrahim is a Chicago-based spinal surgeon who sits on the advisory board of Coptic Solidarity. 16

    Nadine Maenza is the co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable and chair of the Institute for Global Engagement. Maenza is a former member of the Commission on International Religious Freedom during the first Trump administration. Maenza sits on the boards of both the Sinjar Academy and Freedom Research Foundation. 17

    Marc Malek is the founder of Conquest Capital Partners. 18

    Robert Nicholson is the executive director of the Philos Project. 19

    Nermien Riad is the founder and executive director of the international Christian development organization, Coptic Orphans. 20

    Alex Shalaby is the president of the advisory board at the Agora School of Business and the chair of the boards of both the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy and Hands Along the Nile. Shalaby formerly sat on the boards of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, the Bi-national Fulbright Commission, INJAZ, and Seeds of Peace. 21

    Samuel Tadros is a former senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a former distinguished visiting fellow in Middle Eastern Studies at the Hoover Institution, and former professorial lecturer at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. 22

    Mark Tooley is the president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy and editor of Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy. 23

    Donor Organizations

    AmazonSmile Foundation (nonprofit)

    Anthony R. Abraham Foundation (nonprofit)

    Blake Family Charitable Foundation (nonprofit)

    Delapena Foundation (nonprofit)

    Donor Advised Charitable Giving (nonprofit)

    Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund (nonprofit)

    In Defense of Christians Advocacy (nonprofit)

    Jeffrey I. Simons Foundation (nonprofit)

    Philos Project (nonprofit)

    Related Organization

    In Defense of Christians Advocacy (nonprofit)

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $42,754 $2,150 $13,820 View
    2023 $51,951 $261,412 $499,601 View
    2022 $297,421 $315,397 $402,487 View
    2021 $390,034 $502,579 $358,486 View
    2020 $242,368 $513,183 $277,757 View

    Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2014

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $198,694
    • Number of Grants: 17
    • Number of Funders: 12

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $50,0002020 In Defense of Christians Advocacy IncSupport shared mission of advocacy on behalf of persecuted Christians and other minorities in the greater middle east and throughout the world.
    $25,1552021 Anthony R. Abraham FoundationReligious/Humanitarian
    $25,0002022 Anthony R. Abraham FoundationReligious/Humanitarian
    $25,0002020 Anthony R. Abraham FoundationReligious/Humanitarian
    $12,9002022 Donor Advised Charitable Giving, Inc.INTERNATIONAL, FOREIGN AFFAIRS
    $7,1502025 Donor Advised Charitable Giving, Inc.INTERNATIONAL, FOREIGN AFFAIRS
    $5,3502023 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $4002021 Jeffrey I Simons Foundation IncRELIGIOUS
    $2002022 Jeffrey I Simons Foundation IncRELIGIOUS
    $442022 Amazonsmile FoundationGENERAL SUPPORT

    Contact InfluenceWatch to report errors, suggest edits, or provide tips for additional profiles.

    Contact Us

    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “About Us.” In Defense of Christians. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://indefenseofchristians.org/about-us/.
    2. In Defense of Christians, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Schedule R, Part II.
    3. The Institute on Religion & Democracy Inc., Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Schedule O, Part III, Line 2.
    4. “Countries in Focus.” In Defense of Christians. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://indefenseofchristians.org/countries/.
    5. “Milestone Accomplishments.” In Defense of Christians. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://indefenseofchristians.org/accomplishments/.
    6. In Defense of Christians Advocacy, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2020, Schedule I, Part II.
    7. The Anthony R. Abraham Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2022, Part XV, Line 3.
    8. Philos Project, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2016, Schedule I, Part II.
    9. “Richard Ghazal.” In Defense of Christians. Accessed June 26, 2025. https://indefenseofchristians.org/people/richard-ghazal/.
    10. “Andrew Doran.” In Defense of Christians. Accessed June 26, 2025. https://indefenseofchristians.org/people/andrew-doran/.
    11. “Thomas G. Abraham.” In Defense of Christians. Accessed June 26, 2025. https://indefenseofchristians.org/people/thomas-g-abraham/.
    12. “John Ashcroft.” National Governors Association. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://www.nga.org/governor/john-ashcroft/.
    13. “Alberto Fernandez.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/amfernandez1/.
    14. “About Neemat G. Frem.” Neemat Frem. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://www.neematfrem.com/en/about-neemat-g-frem.
    15. “Aram Suren Hamparian.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/aram-suren-hamparian-34aa44a/.
    16. “Kamal Ibrahim.” Hands Along the Nile. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://www.handsalongthenile.org/staff/kamal-ibrahim-m-d-f-r-c-s-c-ma-board-member/.
    17. “Biography.” Nadine Maenza. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://nadinemaenza.com/biography.
    18. “Marc H. Malek.” Conquest. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://www.conquestcp.com/mhmalek.
    19. “Robert Nicholson.” Tikvah. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://tikvah.org/faculty/robert-nicholson/.
    20. “Leadership Team.” Coptic Orphans. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://copticorphans.org/leadership-team/.
    21. “Mr. Alex Shalaby.” Agora University. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://agora.edu/team/alex-shalaby/.
    22. “Samuel Tadros.” Hudson Institute. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://www.hudson.org/experts/635-samuel-tadros.
    23. “Mark Tooley.” Institute on Religion and Democracy. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://theird.org/person/mark-tooley/.