On May 26, 2017, in western Egypt, terrorists disguised in military fatigues pulled over a bus of Christians and ordered them to recite the Islamic declaration of faith. Out of their deep love for Christ, these faithful believers refused, and the terrorists opened fire, murdering 28 people.
After the bus attack, Help The Persecuted reached out to survivors and began assisting them financially.
“Having met with the families who were impacted, you couldn’t help but notice the absence of men in the room,” says Help The Persecuted President Joshua Youssef. “It was almost all women and children because many of the men were killed that day.”
One woman affected shared that her husband, mother, sister, uncle, brother-in-law and niece were all killed that same day.
Another spoke about her daughter Murvi who was the youngest one martyred. Murvi always told her mother, “When I grow up, I want to serve Jesus.” She was sitting in the front of the bus and boldly claimed to the terrorists that she was a Christian. That’s when they shot her twice.
Not only must these families cope with the suffering of deep grief, but many of them will also struggle to maintain their lives with the loss of a family income. Consider how the loss of just these three Christian men has impacted their families:
Jabare, a young man in his early twenties, worked as a carpenter. He spent his days faithfully following Christ as he worked to support his entire family, including his ill father.
Husani was the sole provider for his family, with a wife, three young children, and an elderly mother.
Masudah was a generous man with a servant heart. He worked as a mechanic and, despite his small salary, was known for constantly helping those in need. He also left behind a wife and three children.
When commanded to deny Christ, each of these men refused—paying the ultimate price. And with their deaths, three families have been left destitute.
Help The Persecuted’s field teams are tirelessly working to meet the urgent physical and spiritual needs of these families. The survivor’s are pressing forward in grace and with deep faith that God will meet their every need.
A board member traveling with the ministry said, “These aren’t accidents of terror. These are specific targets for being Christian.” He and others witnessed how Help The Persecuted’s field teams, embedded in the Middle East and North Africa, are following up, supporting, and discipling Christians facing persecution today. “I was blown away by the staff. It’d be easy to just provide financial support—but they’ve invested their lives in these people. And I think that’s much more valuable.”