Egypt (International Christian Concern) – On February 15, 2015, twenty Egyptian Coptic Christians and one Ghanian Christian were killed by terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State on the beaches of Libya in a gruesome video published by the terrorist group. The beheading of the Christians seven years ago was remembered by the Coptic Orthodox Church this year, along with many around the world.

Celebrations, prayers and services were held in Egypt in memorial of the martyrs who were captured in January 2015 and later killed, with the Islamic State publishing the video on February 15 of the same year.

The memorial events culminated this year at the shrine-museum in Al-Awar, the village from which many of the martyrs came. The bodies of the martyrs were discovered in September 2017 in a mass grave and rehomed to the shrine of the Martyrs of the Faith and Homeland Church.

The call from the Coptic Christians is to remember the world’s martyrs and face the realities of Christians living in the region.