This is Why I Support the Copts

I don't ordinarily cross-post my Forgotten Minority stuff here at TAB, but I think that this story exemplifies the importance of supporting the Copts and all Christians who are persecuted under Islam more generally.

I support the Copts because (1) They, like Israel, are on the front lines of jihad every single day, whether or not they choose to be; unlike Israel, they have no army or air force to protect themselves. (2) They have the moral upper hand, recognize evil when they see it, and stand against it. They love Israel and the United States, which is rare in the Middle East, and often leads to their own persecution. If they are willing to be persecuted for standing up for what is right, then we need to stand for them, too.

Generally speaking, the Copts are a strong force for good in the world.

The National American Coptic Assembly has laid out their official position regarding the Israeli-Arab conflict, and they have again taken the moral high ground by coming out strongly in favor of Israel, and by recognizing Israel as a force for peace, human rights, and freedom.

We recognize the sacred right of the state of Israel and the Israeli people to the land of historic Israel. “The right of return” of the Jewish people to the land of their foremothers and forefathers is a sacred right. It has no statute of limitation. The return must continue to enrich the Middle East .

We recognize Jerusalem as simply a Jewish city. It must never be divided. She is, and shall always be, the united capital of Israel.

The future of the Palestinians lies with the Arab states. A Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria constitute an imminent danger to world peace.

We believe that the Wahabi/Muslim Brotherhood’s religious ideology and its power structures are threats not only to Israel and other non-Arab, non-Muslim peoples in the Middle East, but also to world peace.

We believe that the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the achievement of a genuine peace in the Middle East can only be visible.

In any current or future peace treaty among all parties involved in the Middle East conflict, the following must be part of such a treaty:

All parties to this treaty recognize Mecca and Medina to be the holiest cities in Islam, whereas Christian and Jewish parties to this treaty give up and surrender in full any and all legal and historical rights to these cities. All parties to this treaty recognize a united Middle East.

In conclusion, Copts and Jews share the same history in the Middle East. Both populations had been living prior to the rise of Islam. They also faced a great magnitude of discrimination and persecution during the past 1400 years. However, Copts are not seeking to create their own state, like Jews.

Egypt should be their own state, as it once was. Egypt is the Coptic Holy Land. Barring that, Israel should take back the Sinai diplomatically, as they have every right to do under international law (since the Arabs have failed to uphold a single term of the Camp David Accords, and since Israel no longer enjoys true US support), and give it to the Copts. Both the Copts and the Israelis would be safer and more secure with the Copts living in the Sinai.

Christians recognize Israel as their ally. Jews need to give Christians credit where it is due.

Christians are the most persecuted group in the world right now. If you're interested in Coptic persecution, check out the Forgotten Minority. To keep up with the persecution of Christians under Islam, subscribe to the Bulletin of Christian Persecution on the lefthand column of Political Islam's webpage.