Al Arish (Agenzia Fides) - The announced series of murders against Coptic Christians in northern Sinai in recent weeks, has caused the flight of more than 100 Christian families, who moved from the capital al Arish to the city of Ismailia, 120 km east Cairo. The precipitous transfer of Christian families began after a Copt was killed last Thursday by a terrorist commando, while he was in his house. Since then, the position of Islamic institutions on the new spiral of violence that has hit the Egyptian Copts have multiplied.
The House of Fatwa (Dar al Ifta al Misryah), the Egyptian body chaired by the Grand Mufti of Egypt and responsible for disseminating guidance pronouncements and dissolve doubts and disputes regarding the application of the precepts of the Koran, has issued a statement to condemn the series of murders, stressing that the orchestrated campaign by jihadist groups against the indigenous Christians of Egypt aims at explicitly sabotaging national unity. Even the spokesman of al-Nur, the ultra-conservative Salafi Party, have publicly expressed its condemnation of targeted killings against Coptic Christians that took place in northern Sinai, stressing that they "go against the teachings of Islam". Even Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II and Prime Minister of Egypt, Sherif Ismail spoke, during a telephone conversation, about the displaced Christians and the urgency to protect Christians in the region from new attacks.
The North of Sinai has long been the epicenter of violent actions perpetrated by jihadist groups against military, police and civilians.
When the sequence of killings of Christians in Sinai had already begun, the Islamic State (Daesh) released a video message in which they claim a new campaign of targeted violence against the Copts, defined by jihadists as "their favorite prey". The video message shows the young suicide bomber who on December 11 blew himself up in Botrosiya church, adjacent to the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo, killing 29 persons. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 27/02/2017)
The House of Fatwa (Dar al Ifta al Misryah), the Egyptian body chaired by the Grand Mufti of Egypt and responsible for disseminating guidance pronouncements and dissolve doubts and disputes regarding the application of the precepts of the Koran, has issued a statement to condemn the series of murders, stressing that the orchestrated campaign by jihadist groups against the indigenous Christians of Egypt aims at explicitly sabotaging national unity. Even the spokesman of al-Nur, the ultra-conservative Salafi Party, have publicly expressed its condemnation of targeted killings against Coptic Christians that took place in northern Sinai, stressing that they "go against the teachings of Islam". Even Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II and Prime Minister of Egypt, Sherif Ismail spoke, during a telephone conversation, about the displaced Christians and the urgency to protect Christians in the region from new attacks.
The North of Sinai has long been the epicenter of violent actions perpetrated by jihadist groups against military, police and civilians.
When the sequence of killings of Christians in Sinai had already begun, the Islamic State (Daesh) released a video message in which they claim a new campaign of targeted violence against the Copts, defined by jihadists as "their favorite prey". The video message shows the young suicide bomber who on December 11 blew himself up in Botrosiya church, adjacent to the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo, killing 29 persons. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 27/02/2017)
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