Vigilance on Behalf of Oppressed Christians

The photo above is taken in a Coptic Christian church in Cairo, Egypt after a bombing early in December of 2016. Human Rights Watch tells us that there have been more attacks on Christians in Egypt since then, including seven murders in towns in the north of Sinai which have probably been carried out by ISIS assassins:

The recent attacks in al-Arish – and earlier killings there and in northern Sinai towns such as Rafah and Sheikh Zuwayd – are not communal, or provoked by a particular incident. Gunmen targeted Christians apparently not for who they were – a veterinary surgeon, pharmacist, teacher, shoe merchant – but apparently to frighten the small Christian communities to flee en masse. And in the context of protracted fighting between Egyptian security forces and ISIS, to demonstrate Egypt’s incapacity to protect lives and property.

Although I have written about incidents like this before I will continue to share these grim reports because we can easily forget or push to the back of our minds the persecution of brothers and sisters in Christ in places where they are in the minority.

In other countries Christian organizations are pulling up stakes because of hostile conditions. We've heard recently that a number Christian aid organizations are leaving India because of what is an increasingly negative governmental response to their work, even though there are no attempts on their part to proselytize.

Persecution or exclusion on the basis (including travel bans) is a blight, regardless of the religion. We need to be vigilant and aware of how it is expressed here in Canada and around the world. We must stand in solidarity with oppressed Christians who often have no voice.

Thoughts?