ISIS Targets and Kills More Christians In Egypt as Genocide Continues

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ACLJ.org

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January 5, 2018

3 min read

Persecuted Church

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Christians face grave danger in Egypt and are targeted year round by violent Islamic terrorists.

One of the most recent examples of the relentless persecution occurred on Friday, December 29, 2017, when, according to reports, jihadists carried out two terror attacks against Coptic Christians resulting in the death of 9 victims.

The first attack was carried out by at least one ISIS terrorist on a motorcycle who attempted to storm a Church in south Cairo before being killed by security forces.  The terrorist was found wearing an explosive belt that, if successfully detonated, would have resulted in numerous deaths.  However, this attack still resulted in the death of seven victims, including six civilians and one police officer. Others were wounded.

That same day, ISIS carried out a second attack, this one against a Christian-owned shop. Two people were killed.

ISIS later claimed responsibility for both of these attacks.

Just a few days later, another jihadist gunman on a motorcycle shot and killed two Coptic Christians on New Year’s Day as they were helping a neighboring shop owner move boxes into his car.

According to BBC, “More than 100 Christians have been killed in Egypt in the past year, with most attacks claimed by the local branch of IS militants.”

One commentator, describing the situation as an “ongoing crisis,” had this to say about the continual assault on Christians in Egypt: “It’s more continuity than change, we still need more details to come up, but so far Egypt has witnessed over 2,000 attacks in the last three years.” Think about that: over 2,000 attacks in three years – that’s an average of nearly two attacks per day.

Remember, it was just over a year ago, in December of 2016, that a “bomb ripped through a section reserved for women at Cairo’s main Coptic cathedral during Sunday morning Mass, killing at least 25 people and wounding 49, mostly women and children.”

And then, in April of 2017, ISIS “suicide” bombers carried out two attacks within hours of each other striking two Coptic churches on Palm Sunday. These attacks resulted in 44 deaths and 126 wounded, making it the deadliest attack on Coptic Christians in decades.  Just one month later, in May, terrorists riding in three SUVs opened fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians. They killed 28 and wounded 22 more.

These horrific examples are just some of the most deadly attacks, and we must all remember that much of the persecution against Egypt’s Christians does not make international headlines. 

We ask that you keep the families and the victims in your thoughts and prayers. But we also must take action. We will continue advocating for those facing ISIS genocide and pressuring leadership in the United States, the United Nations, and elsewhere in the international community to stand up against these barbaric acts; to protect the victims; and to defeat ISIS any and everywhere they operate – including Egypt.

You can join us and make your voice heard. Sign our petition urging world leaders to stop the ISIS genocide and protect Christians.