A coalition birthed in 1998 to protect and serve the Christian Community, Minorities, and the Oppressed Castes
- The All India Christian Council (aicc) is a nation-wide alliance of Christian denominations, mission agencies, institutions, federations and Christian lay leaders. We have lived and worked side by side in the name of Christ through several decades.
- The formation of the AICC in 1999 was the spontaneous response of these entities who sought to have a united voice to protect and serve the interests of Christians. The alliance now cuts across denominational barriers to act against the growing violence and hate campaigns against the Christian community, minorities and oppressed castes. We are unique for several reasons. The idea from the beginning was to pursue proactive and not just reactive actions to help the Christian community and other minorities, as well as Dalits, tribals and backward communities … (about /Who we are 1/2).
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Postal address: All India Christian Council, P. O. Box 2174, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, 500003;
Contact.
About /Who we are 2/2 … We mobilize committed and talented people to put their energies into safeguarding these peoples through all constitutional means.
We now have a large network of activists in most states of India who carefully document discrimination and atrocities, strengthen our nation’s communities, and promote equal treatment of people. The aicc is the largest alliance in India of Church bodies and Christian entities that are actively carrying out Christ’s sacrificial mission. The aicc is fully committed to the Church’s mission of demonstrating the love of Christ in society through word and deed. The aicc supports freedom of conscience and India’s pluralistic culture, encourages tangible expression of Christ’s loving mission, and defends the right of all Indians to practice his or her faith. The aicc believes the right to practice one’s faith includes a responsibility to respect the freedom of conscience for people of other faiths.
What do we believe? The aicc is built around two commitments. The council will maintain its integrity in these two areas:
- The commitment to the unique person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His compassion to a needy humanity.
- The commitment to secular, pluralistic and democratic India.
Composition and Affiliation – The fast growing aicc membership includes over 5,000 associations, federations, denominations, institutions, NGOs, mission agencies and Christian lay leaders as of early 2006:
- The aicc allies and works together with major ecclesiastical bodies in the country, crossing denominational boundaries in its perspectives, leadership, work and commitment.
- The aicc works with civil liberties and human rights groups and leaders.
- The aicc networks with Indian associations abroad.
- The aicc networks with international human rights groups such as Dalit Freedom Network, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and such other groups.
Our Functions: The Council operates through various divisions of leadership such as National Executive body, State, District and Zonal units.
Fact Finding Missions: When major atrocities or cases of discrimination are reported, small groups of investigators are sent out. They collect facts and interview victims, community members, and authorities before reporting to our national office.
Advocacy Units: A team of eminent lawyers across the nation pursues constitutional, social and civil justice for all members and partners of the council in the country.
Communication Network: The research, information, and communication division examines human rights practices and socio-economic issues and conditions. Then information and recommended actions are reported to council members and concerned partners.
Active Integration: Maintaining its non-political and non-violent ethos as well as its commitment to nation building, the council promotes active integration with all other civil liberties groups and associations in the nation. We celebrate India’s rich cultural diversity, and the Council is committed to building bridges of peace and communal harmony everywhere.
Relief and Rehabilitation Projects: During national calamities, the Council rallies members to help suffering victims. We have partnered with relief agencies and other reputable organizations to assist victims of the Orissa super cyclone (1999), Gujarat earthquake (2001) and Asian tsunami (2004). The Council also helps with localized tragedies such as floods in Mumbai.