This past weekend, IS-affiliates in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt killed over 300 Egyptians, the deadliest attack in the country’s recent history. IDC condemns this cowardly murder of unarmed, non-violent believers in a place of worship.
“The targeting of believers, whatever their faith, is a grave concern,” said IDC’s President Toufic Baaklini. “Vulnerable communities continue to be targeted in houses of worship in Egypt. We call on the U.S. to work with Egypt’s government to ensure that churches and mosques likely to be targeted by terrorists are protected.”
This year alone, several Christians were killed in the city of El Arish in Sinai and the community was forced to flee; dozens of Christians were killed in attacks on churches on Palm Sunday; and many children were killed in an attack on a Christian bus tour in Minya province.
IDC calls for increased global efforts to combat terrorism, weaken extremist ideology, and cut off the funding sources of radical fundamentalist ideology.