Will we send cruise missiles into Islamic State bases in Egypt? No, that wasn’t on Obama’s to-do list, which is apparently guiding Trump’s foreign policy at this point. The U.S. Embassy issued the usual pro forma condemnation, which accomplishes nothing except manifest the virtue of the one issuing it. Genuine action against those Muslim groups that have decimated the Christian populations of the Middle East is unlikely to be forthcoming. (RS)
Update: Death toll now up to 28
At least 13 people have been killed in an explosion at a church in northern Egypt, state media say.
The blast targeted St George’s Coptic church in the city of Tanta in the Nile Delta.
A number of television channels said at least 40 people had been injured in the Palm Sunday attack.
The cause of the explosion is not yet known but Egypt’s Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamist militants in recent years.
Provincial governor Ahmad Deif told the state-run Nile channel: “Either a bomb was planted or someone blew himself up.”
A search is under way for any more explosives which could be in the vicinity.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionCairo’s Coptic Cathedral was damaged by an explosion in December
Violence against Coptic Christians has risen in recent years, especially since 2013, when the military overthrew the elected president and launched a crackdown against Islamists.
Some supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, blamed Christians for supporting the overthrow.
In December last year, 25 people died when a bomb exploded at the Coptic cathedral in Cairo during a service.
And in February, militants from the Islamic State group warned of more attacks against Copts, who make up about 10% of Egypt’s population.
The explosion occurred as Coptic Christians were celebrating Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem.
On 1 April, an explosion outside a police training centre in Tanta injured 16 people.
What is the Coptic Christian faith?
The Coptic Orthodox Church is the main Christian Church in Egypt. While most Copts live in Egypt, the Church has about a million members outside the country.
Copts believe that their Church dates back to around 50 AD, when the Apostle Mark is said to have visited Egypt. Mark is regarded as the first Pope of Alexandria – the head of their church.
This makes it one of the earliest Christian groups outside the Holy Land.
The Church separated from other Christian denominations at the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) in a dispute over the human and divine nature of Jesus Christ.
The early Church suffered persecution under the Roman Empire, and there were intermittent persecutions after Egypt became a Muslim country. Many believe that continues to this day.
With Christmas behind us, the muslims are gearing up for Easter.
This is clearly a war; and one we are not winning.
Yea while Christians celebrate Jesus’s resurrection those of the faith we cannot name will celebrate their deaths.
Nothing can stop the defeat of Islam eventually. It could be pretty rough before that takes place. Persecution has been been the lot for Christians since the earliest days of the Church. North Korea is one of the most vicious, all Muslim nations to varying degrees, Soviet USSR was as bad as North Korea now and China still persecutes Christians who do not toe the party line. The church has survived. It may well take a different form in the future, including meeting in private homes instead of dedicated buildings. The church is flourishing in China, some say because persecution sorts out the real from the false believers. I cheated and read the end of the Book. It does not turn out well for God’s enemies!
This quote from GotQuestions describes persecution for true Christians succinctly:
Question: “How should a Christian respond to persecution?”
Answer: There is no doubt that persecution is a stark reality of living the Christian life. Christian persecution is to be expected: the apostle Paul warned that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus said that, if they persecuted Him, they will also persecute His followers (John 15:20). Jesus made it clear that those of the world will hate Christians because the world hates Christ. If Christians were like the world—vain, earthly, sensual, and given to pleasure, wealth, and ambition—the world would not oppose us. But Christians do not belong to the world, which is why the world engages in Christian persecution (see John 15:18–19). Christians are influenced by different principles from those of the world. We are motivated by the love of God and holiness, while the world is driven by the love of sin. It is our very separation from the world that arouses the world’s animosity (1 Peter 4:3–4).
sadly Christians of Egypt start doubting that Trump will be the one supporting them !…and he was the last hope for 15 million people….