Egypt – new frontline in religious cleansing of Christians
Barnabas Fund 13/07/2017
It is now becoming clear that jihadists are beginning attempts to religiously cleanse Egypt of non-Muslims.
Islamic State in Sinai in March told 200 Christian families to leave Al Arish or be killed. Jihadists are also targeting Christians elsewhere in Egypt.
In fact, Islamic State (IS) now has two separate groups, one in Sinai and one in the rest of Egypt. The group’s leader indicated that attacking Christians and churches was a specific part of their strategy, asserting that it is permissible to shed even the blood of Christian women and children.
This is exactly what we saw earlier in Iraq beginning in 2004, and in Northern Nigeria since 2006.
One small ray of hope is that IS has admitted that attacks on Christians is failing to persuade Egyptian Muslims to adopt jihadi ideology. IS has complained that many Egyptians offer Christians “condolences” rather than kill them if they won’t submit to the humiliating conditions of sharia law.