Dr Mouneer Anis responds to ISIS attack on the Sufi community in Bir al-Abed

Responding to the terror attack on the al-Rawda mosque in the Egyptian town of Bir al-Abed, in the North Sinai, which left hundreds dead and many people injured, the Bishop of Egypt, Mouneer Anis, has said he is “deeply saddened” by the “cowardly terrorist” attack. Bishop Mouneer has released the following statement.

It was reported that a group of terrorists bombed the mosque, and opened fire on the people during the Friday prayers at 1.30 pm. It is said that most of the people killed are Sufis. It is known that militant Salafi and Jihadist groups consider Sufis as heretics. They used to target policemen, soldiers and Christians but now Muslims are also targeted. No group is exempt. This massive bloody attack is the largest during the last few years.

Many world leaders condemned the attack and expressed their support to Egypt in its war against terrorism. We, Egyptians, are determined to fight terrorism and support President Abdel Fatah El Sisi who is leading the war against terrorism in the region.

Terrorism is a great threat to the whole world. This fact puts the responsibility on the international community to stop all groups and organisations which financially support these terrorist groups. These organizations take advantage of the freedom in the European countries to raise funds to support terrorists to carry out their bloody attacks on human beings.

Please pray for the families who lost their loved and the injured.