On 1 March, three Coptic Christian brothers were brutally murdered by a group of six Muslims who claimed the attack was a “revenge killing” after the death of their own family member seventy years ago.
The three brothers, Youssef Youssef, Afifi Youssef and Bushra Youssef, were working on their agricultural land at the time of their death.
Their attackers, from Jaweer village, shot the men in Ibshadat village of Mallawi district and then cut and mutilated their bodies. The attackers reportedly danced as they committed their crime. The village from which they came also celebrated with musical instruments when they heard the news. The family and friends of the Youssef Youssef family mourned and wailed upon hearing about the men’s death.
Lawyers and those familiar with the incident reported that the men knew nothing of the killing that happened when their father was younger and that the manner of the recent murders did not match those of typical revenge killings. Some remarked that the mutilating of the corpses made it clear that the violence was linked to religious identity and mirrored the killings of the Islamic State.
It has been reported that those responsible for the killing returned to their village saying
“Allahu Akbar” (Allah is greater).
The men were swiftly captured and arrested by the police and later confessed their crimes and even demonstrated how they killed the Christian men. They are now standing trial for the murder of the three Christian brothers, one of whom has six children.
Source: International Christian Concern
Let us pray.
Ask the Lord to be near to the victims’ loved ones. Pray they will seek Him for comfort as they try to cope with the shock and the brutality of the crime.
Ask for justice for these families and pray that the Lord will somehow use this tragedy for good.
Pray the church across Egypt will be unified in their grief but also their determination to continue to stand firm in the faith.