Following the deadly attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt on Palm Sunday, the beginning of the Christian Holy Week, many religious leaders, groups and organizations have spoken out to express their outrage and affirm their fundamental religious commitment to peacemaking. In addition to the statement below, both ING and the Evergreen Islamic Center have spoken out.
At the threshold of this sacred and holy season, when our Christian and Jewish sisters and brothers observe and celebrate the hope of new life and liberation from oppression, we are reminded that terrorism takes no holiday.
Gruesome images of torturous atrocities committed by Islamist militants (so-called ISIS) against Coptic Christians in Egypt, praying on Palm Sunday in their sacred sanctuaries, justifiably haunt the consciences of those who live in lands where the freedom to practice religion is enshrined in and protected by the laws by which they are governed.
As San Francisco Bay Area religious leaders, we speak out with a unified voice to decry these acts of horror and denounce all expressions and acts of religious persecution. We pray for those who have perished and all who have suffered as the result of these crimes against humanity.