Christian Leaders Condemn Horrific Terrorist Attack on Egyptian Mosque
Two Christian leaders from Washington D.C. are speaking out against the heinous terrorist attack which took place at a mosque in Egypt early on Friday, according to the National Association of Chiefs of Police. At least 300 congregants were left dead and numerous attendees were wounded in the attack on the mosque located in the north Sinai which has brought new devastation to the already chaotic Arab nation.
The attack took place at the Rawdah mosque in the town of Bir al-Abd, about 20 miles outside of the North Sinai capital of el-Arish. The Sinai has experienced numerous attacks by radical Islamists ever since the U.S.-backed overthrow of Egyptian dictator President Hosni El Sayed Mubarak.
Rev. Rob Schecnk, President of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute in Washington, DC and senior fellow of the Centre for the Study of Law and Public Policy at Oxford in Oxford, UK states:
“Every murder is a violation of God’s Commandment protecting the sanctity of human life. Today’s atrocious attack in Egypt against innocent people, including children, gathered peacefully for religious reasons is the most appalling expression of this grievous sin. As Christians we pray for those who have lost loved ones and for victims that are injured and traumatized and for justice to be done in apprehending, prosecuting, and punishing the perpetrators. It bears noting ISIS has once again committed an atrocity against not only fellow Muslims, but Sufis, a people committed to a peaceful way of life. May God deliver us all from this despicable satanic contempt for human life.”
Sufi Islam is seen by some counterterrorism experts as a way to draw people — especially young, impressionable people — away from the radicalism of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), al-Qaeda branches and offshoots, and several other violent Islamic organizations.
Rev. Patrick Mahoney, Pastor of Church on the Hill and Director of the Christian Defense Coalition in Washington, D.C., made the following statement on Friday:
“Our heart’s break today over the senseless and horrific attack against worshipers at an Egyptian Mosque. This terrorist attack against innocent life must be condemned by the Christian community with the same passion we would have if it was an attack against a Christian church. We stand shoulder to shoulder today with all faith communities in a loud, public and united voice saying, we will never rest or be silent until this violence comes to an end.
“Let us continue to pray and work for a world in which people are allowed to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience and religious beliefs free from persecution and attack.”
According to Great Britain’s Sky News: Jihadists last year beheaded an elderly Sufi leader on charges of witchcraft, and the group published a newsletter saying combating Sufism was a priority.
