Cairo, Egypt, Mar 2, 2017 / 15:27 pm
A spike in attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt, spurred by a video threat from ISIS, has drawn the prayers and concern of advocates, who are urging global leaders to take notice.
"Americans need to know that one of the oldest Christian communities in the world is under threat from being completely pushed out of Egypt," which would be disastrous both for Egypt and for Christianity itself, Philippe Nassif, executive director of the advocacy group In Defense of Christians, told CNA.
"We pray for those suffering terrorism and violence, for God to grant them peace and reassurance that they are not forgotten by Him or by all those who not only witness their plight but strive to advocate for them," His Grace Bishop Angaelos, general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, said Tuesday.
There have been 40 reported murders of Christians in Egypt in the last three months, Bishop Angaelos said in a recent statement, "culminating in the most recent murders of seven Christians in Al-Arish," the largest city in the country's Sinai region.