Statement on the Murder of Ethiopian Christians in Libya

Statement by His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, following the murder of Ethiopian Christians in Libya

20 April 2015

The confirmation of the murder of Ethiopian Christians by Daesh (IS) in Libya has been received with deep sadness. These executions that unnecessarily and unjustifiably claim the lives of innocent people, wholly undeserving of this brutality, have unfortunately become far too familiar. Once again we see innocent Christians murdered purely for refusing to renounce their Faith.

The Christians of Egypt and Ethiopia have had a shared heritage for centuries. Being predominantly Orthodox Christian communities with a mutual understanding of life and witness, and a common origin in the Coptic Orthodox Church, they now also share an even greater connection through the blood of these contemporary martyrs.

This sad news came on the day that His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury visited His Holiness Pope Tawadros II in Egypt to personally express his condolences following the similar brutal murder of 21 Coptic Orthodox Christians in Libya by Daesh in February of this year. 

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Omid Safi – 12 Essential Points About the Offensive Film on the Prophet Muhammad, and the Subsequent Reactions in Libya & Egypt

Omid Safi is a Professor of Islamic Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, specializing in contemporary Islamic thought and classical Islam. An award-winning teacher and speaker, his most recent book, “Memories of Muhammad,” looks at the biography and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad.

Here are the points he presents in an article published by Religion News Service:

1)  This is not an issue of Freedom of Speech vs. religious sensitivity

2)   Al-Qaeda, not Libyans, is behind the murder of the US ambassador

3)  The Libyan authorities and religious scholars have condemned this attack

Fundamentalism Kills – Including in Its Christian Version

What happened recently in Libya, where the American Ambassador and three of his aides have been killed most probably by a Salafist commando, raises again the spectrum of religious fundamentalism.

Following initial reactions, first of the American administration and then of Western media, what strikes me is clear, and absolutely legitimate, I would add, condemnation of violence inspired by Islamic fundamentalism. Yet, at the same time, in the same reactions, I see much less willingness to expose and condemn Christian and Jewish fundamentalists that, in fact, are equally guilty, at least morally speaking, of the killings in Libya.

EuroTopics – The West Repeats Old Mistakes in Libya

The West runs the risk of making the same mistakes with the reconstruction of Libya as it did in Iraq and Afghanistan, writes the conservative daily Magyar Nemzet: “The tasks include training the local police and army (the former members of the military are well trained but politically unreliable), preparing the future political elite for the transition to democracy and guaranteeing security with the blue helmets. Unfortunately this strategy is by and large the same as the one used in Iraq and Afghanistan. And just like in these countries, the West is now disregarding local particularities and the influence of the tribes in Libya. Furthermore it steadfastly believes that the rebels are ardent revolutionaries, Rambo-like on the outside but Herman Van Rompuy-like on the inside, and that they will never forget who they have to thank for their power.” (01/09/2011)

» full article (external link, Hungarian)

No surprise at all on this one.

Libya’s Religious Leaders take Surprising Position: | Religion Dispatches

Libya’s Religious Leaders take Surprising Position: | Religion Dispatches.

I highly recommend that you read this article if you want to understand the religious scene of what is happening these days in Libya.

Free Benghazi, in Libya

It reminds me of Romania, in 1989.

Cele mai putin libere locuri din lume

Săptămânalul Foreign Policy publica pe 2 iulie un remarcabil fotoreportaj intitulat  “The Least Free Places on Earth”.

Vă invit să citiţi AICI textul scurt şi incisiv. Şi, mai ales, să vedeţi fotografiile extrem de relevante.