WASHINGTON, DC – Texas Senator Ted Cruz heads the lineup of speakers and panelists featured at the Capitol Hill Policy Day at the Capitol Visitor Center on June 5, 2018. The conference, sponsored by International Christian Concern, will focus on “the crisis of violence in Nigeria brought about by both Boko Haram and Fulani militants.”

The conference will run from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm and it is open to the public.

The event will include members of Congress and their staffs, ICC staff, and other NGOs working in the religious freedom and human rights arenas, and members of the media. The public will be able to interact with ‘like-minded champions of international religious freedom.”

The focus on the victims of violence in Nigeria is warranted by the violence perpetrated upon innocent villagers. Hundreds of young Chibok school girls have been captured by Boko Haram. Some girls have been able to escape. Others are listed as missing or are counted among the reported 60,000 people who have died.

One of those young girls who had been captured by Boko Haram and was able to escape is Joy Bishara. Joy is now a student at Southeastern University, a private Christian school in Lakeland, Florida, training dedicated servant leaders to engage the culture and make an influence for Jesus Christ. Joy will be a highlight of Capitol Hill Policy Day as she is listed as one of the other featured speakers.

Watch this 2-minute video of Joy Bishara describing her escape from Boko Haram.

Other featured speakers include:

• Terwase Orbunde, Chief-of-Staff to the Governor of the Benue State in Nigeria
• Kristina Arriaga de Bucholz, Vice Chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
• Chris Smith, Congressman for the New Jersey 4^th District
• Randy Hultgren, Congressman for the Illinois 14^th District
• Frank Wolf, Retired Congressman for the Virginia 10^th District
• Kent Ingle, President of Southeastern University

International Christian Concern has issued the following Call for Action:

“Both Boko Haram and the Fulani have overwhelmingly targeted Christian communities. The Nigerian government must act to (1) reclaim the land that has been stolen by Fulani militants and issue it back to its original owners, (2) rebuild communities that have been destroyed, (3) protect Nigerian citizens from future attacks, abductions, violence, and disorder perpetrated by Boko Haram and the Fulani.”

Sources:

• Christian News Wire, International Christian Concern to Host Annual Policy Day Event June 5th on Capitol Hill
• International Christian Concern, Capitol Hill Policy Day
• Eventbrite, Capitol Hill Policy Day
• New York Times, Tales of Escapees in Nigeria Add to Worries About Other Kidnapped Girls

Image Source:

• By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America (Ted Cruz) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons