Christians in Libya face rising attacks

With the growing strength and number of extremist Islamic groups, Libya has become a  dangerous place for Christians, who are the targets of kidnapping and murder at the hands of extremists who now control most of the country.

In February an armed militia pledging allegiance to the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria released a video allegedly showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians. The video led to Egyptian air strikes on Libyan soil.

In the chaotic aftermath of the fall of Muammar Qaddafi’s regime, the influence of the militias that sprang up to fight the dictator began to grow. At first they were charitable, offering medical services and financial support to communities left destitute by the revolution. These militias were disparate and mostly formed along tribal, political, or family lines. But those that defined themselves by religion proved the most dangerous.