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Save the Persecuted Christians Coalition: Governments That Won’t Protect Religious Minorities Allow Terrorism to Spread
As Seven Christians Are Violently Murdered in Egypt, Coalition Says U.S. Must Lead Global Response to These Atrocities
WASHINGTON—A new article published by the Gatestone Institute details the savage and violent killing of seven Christians in Egypt earlier this month, at the same place and in the same manner as a massacre of 28 pilgrims that took place May 26, 2017, leaving the local bishop to denounce the Egyptian government’s failure to protect its targeted and traumatized Christian population.
In “A Bloodbath for Christians, No Response from Egypt,” Raymond Ibrahim reports, “Despite Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s many conciliatory and brotherly words to the nation’s Christian minorities, they have suffered more under his rule than any Egyptian leader of the modern era, partially because ISIS arose during his term. In December 2017, a gunman killed 10 worshippers inside a church in Helwan. One year earlier, 29 Christians were killed during twin attacks on churches. On Palm Sunday in April 2017, a suicide bombing of two churches killed nearly 50 people and injured more than a hundred.”
The Save the Persecuted Christians (STPC) Coalition says this is an opportunity to call out the many governments who are fostering terrorism by failing to ensure protections of, and civil rights to, religious minorities and especially Christians.
“Terrorists are acting with great impunity in Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, India and elsewhere,” said Dede Laugesen, director of the Coalition, which advocates on behalf of 215 million Christians facing heavy persecution worldwide. “Every day, the body count grows, with Christians being the No. 1 target. When governments won’t protect religious minorities, terrorism spreads and the world becomes more dangerous. The United States must lead the global response to these atrocities and impose high costs on governments and individual leaders who fail to protect Christians and other vulnerable communities of faith. If the U.S. and its allies don’t stand for these unfortunate victims of religious-based violence, you can bet we will see more of the same violence happening here at home.”
The STPC Coalition works diligently to disseminate actionable information about ways in which Americans can help those in Egypt, and elsewhere, who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ. Especially in light of immense global oppression, raising awareness about Christian persecution is crucial, as violence toward and imprisonment of Christians occurs so routinely it rarely makes the news.
For example, according to Open Doors, 255 Christians are killed worldwide every month. 104 Christians are abducted. 180 Christian women are raped, sexually assaulted or forced into marriage. 160 Christians are detained or imprisoned without trial. And 66 churches are attacked. Every month.
With such staggering statistics, and the knowledge that most of these crimes are not covered in the media, the STPC Coalition developed a dedicated news aggregator—www.ChristianPersecutionNews.com—to capture current instances of persecution that do make the news and to provide readers an easy way to share these heartbreaking stories with others.
One of the simple and economical ways Americans can render support is by encouraging their pastors and faith leaders to visit www.SaveThePersecutedChristians.org and to order a free banner to display in front of their houses of worship. These simple banners feature a graphic “Save Us” plea with a cross and the coalition’s website where Americans can learn about the global persecution of Christians and find out more about what they can do to help stop it.
With so much of the world’s population attacked, imprisoned or exiled for their beliefs—such as Christians in Egypt—the need for the sort of movement the STPC Coalition is working to foster has never been greater. Its efforts are modeled after a campaign that helped free another population suffering from heavy persecution, Soviet Jews, by holding its persecutors in the Kremlin accountable and imposing real costs for its repression of people of faith. The Coalition’s movement in our time aims to provide American policymakers with the popular support they need to effect real change worldwide and lastingly alleviate the suffering of those persecuted simply because they follow Jesus Christ.
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