Egypt's Christians back government, military, in battle with Islamic militants

July 02, 2015

The Coptic Orthodox Church has issued a strong statement of support for the Egyptian military, following a series of attacks by Islamic extremists on military bases in north Sinai.

The Coptic Church was that the Egyptian military is engaged in a struggle “against the forces of evil,” and prayed that God would “save Egypt from evil.” The statement is particularly significant because in the past, the Egyptian military has been viewed as hostile to the Christian minority in the Sinai region, but the rise of Islamic extremism, and clashes between the army and Islamic State terrorists, have changed that dynamic.

A spokesman for the Catholic bishops of Egypt also issued a statement calling for national unity in the battle against terrorism. Father Rafic Greiche said that “it is time to be united against terrorists, against those who want to provoke violence and bring the war to the Sinai peninsula.” He said that the people of Egypt as “together with the president and all those fighting against terrorism."

 

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Further information:

• The Coptic Church after the jihadist attacks in Sinai: we are on the side of the military fighting "evil forces" (Fides)
• For Catholic Church, the Egyptian people is united in the fight against Jihadist terrorism (AsiaNews)