About

Objectives of ICIN

The objectives of the charity ICIN is the relief of hardship and distress of Iraqi Christians of all denominations following the war of 2003. Recently other Middle Eastern Christians who took refuge in Iraq were included as well as some other minorities such as Yezidis.

The charity operates under a Model Trust Deed (GD2) dated 30 April 2007 and the Charity Commissioner’s approval to register the charity name dated 31 May 2007.

Soon after 2003, extremist Muslim groups of various persuasions targeted Christian and other minorities. Priest and innocent individuals were abducted, robbed, tortured and/or or killed. Churches and other places of worship destroyed and some suffered collateral damage.

In 2006 the district of Dora in Baghdad was emptied by the threat: ‘convert to Islam, leave your homes or you will be killed’  The majority then left to Syria or the safer area of Kurdistan. Gradually Mosul became the centre of extremist Sunni groups and in 2014 one of them (ISIS) took full control of Mosul under the leadership of Abu Bakir al-Baghdadi. Christians were asked to leave Mosul. This was followed by attacks on the villages of the Nineveh Plain, who left their homes to Kurdistan. Over 12,000 individuals were left homeless and penniless.

ICIN addresses the needs of those who are still in Iraq as well as those who left to neighbouring countries with the intension of emigration to western countries.

Financial aid is generally provided through local church hierarchies and special programmes are designed to cover financial, medical and educational. Each programme has to receive reports showing how the money sent is spent.

In June 2014, the trustees decided to widen the scope of its objectives to include other Christians of the Middle East. The objectives of the charity are now “The relief of financial hardship, sickness, and distress amongst Christians and others living in Iraq or formerly having lived in Iraq.”.