Christian Minorities Under Attack in Iraq and Egypt

Announcement

Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on the increased sectarian violence in Iraq and Egypt.

Last October, at least 70 people were killed during a siege on Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad making it the worst massacre of Iraqi Christians since 2003. The Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaeda affiliate, claimed the attacks were in response to actions by the Coptic Church in Cairo. Less than two months later, extremists bombed the homes of more than a dozen Christian families throughout Baghdad. On New Year’s Eve in Alexandria, Egypt, at least 21 people were killed by a suicide bomber while leaving a Coptic Church following a worship service. It was the worst violence against the country’s Christian minority in a decade.