Coptic Christians increasingly endangered in Libya and Egypt

c. 2015 Religion News Service

CAIRO (RNS) The gruesome video released by militants from the Islamic State showing the killing of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya has focused the world’s attention on the plight of Christians there and the government’s ability to respond.

But Libyan Christians have long been ruthlessly targeted expressly for their faith, and the Coptic community in Egypt has been virtually powerless to help them.