ICC Note: Egypt has been devastated by the brutal murder of 21 Christians, 20 known to be Egyptian workers from Egypt. 13 of the men were from one small town in Upper Egypt. The families are grieving having seen in gruesome fashion the ways in which their loved ones were killed.
02/17/2015 Egypt (NPR) Over the weekend a video emerged apparently showing the Libya branch of the self-proclaimed Islamic State beheading 21 men. All but one were confirmed to be Christian laborers from Egypt.
While this new variation on brutality shocked people around the world, the horror — and sorrow — hit hardest in a small, poor Egyptian town: Residents say 13 of the men were from El-Aour, a hamlet on the Nile River that is a mix of Christians and Muslims.
On the day people found out about the massacre, the local priest says, there were screams coming from every house and every street.
On Tuesday, in order to offer comfort, the church in el-Aour played a recording of a sermon from the late Coptic Pope Shenouda. In it, he describes the virtues of a martyr: A martyr loves God; a martyr is brave.
Relatives bow their heads in prayer, as they’ve done every day since the posting online of the gruesome video showing their loved ones being beheaded, purportedly in Libya’s capital, Tripoli.
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