The Islamic State is vowing to further eradicate Christians from Egypt, releasing a disturbing 20-minute video that pledges additional violence, chaos and death.
The video features Abu Abdullah al-Masri, the suicide bomber who attacked a Christian church in December and killed 29, with the narrator proclaiming that the December attack was just the beginning. Christians, according to the Wilayat Sinai Islamic State affiliate behind the video, are the Islamic State’s “favorite prey,” as CBN News reported.
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The clip also proclaimed that Bible-believers are no longer considered “dhimmis” — non-Muslim individuals protected by the government under Islam. Instead, they are now believed by the Islamic State to be aiding the west against Muslim nations, according to the Associated Press.
“Oh worshippers of the cross … the soldiers of the state are watching you,” a masked man identified as as-Masri said in the clip.
At another point, the narrator continued, “Finally, to my brothers in captivity: Rejoice, you believers, do not falter or grieve. I swear to God we will very soon liberate Cairo and free you from captivity. We will come bearing explosives, I swear we will, so rejoice, you believers.”
Coptic Christians make up 10 percent of Egypt’s population and have always been targets of militants, but more specifically in recent years, as attacks on this minority group have ramped up. The problem became particularly pronounced after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi overthrew Muslim Brotherhood-aligned leader Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
While el-Sisi has been said to be friendly to Christians, problems on the ground have not improved and many Christians have subsequently felt disenchanted.
The Christian Post reported last week that Gamal Tawfiq, a 50-year-old Christian teacher, was shot on his way home from school, calling the rise in anti-Christian crime “alarming.”
And militants killed two additional Christians north of the Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday. Saad Hana, 65, and his son, Medhat, 45, were murdered, with the extremists shooting Saad and burning Medhat alive, according to the AP.
(H/T: CBN News)
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