On the fifteenth of February, 2015, twenty-one Christians were beheaded in Libya on the shores of the Mediterranean by members of the extremist group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Twenty of the men beheaded were Coptic Christians. Coptic Christianity is an ancient branch of Christianity in Egypt. It has a particular connection with the Evangelist Mark, who was believed to have founded the Christian Church in Alexandria shortly after 33AD. Egypt and, in particular, the city of Alexandria, produced some of the great theologians of the early Church: Athanasius, Clement and Cyril of Alexandria, and Origen.

These 21 men had been working in Libya as construction workers when they were kidnapped by ISIL in two separate raids in December 2014 and January 2015. They were purportedly executed on the beach opposite a hotel.

This icon to the left was written by a Coptic Christian, Tony Rezk. In the image, the martyrs’ crowns descend upon the Copts and one man whose darker skin represents his difference. One of the men captured with them from the construction site was not an Egyptian Copt, but a man from Ghana (or Chad, say some reports). Most accounts say that he was not a Christian, but the faith of these twenty men inspired him to say, when asked, “their God is my God.” The men are dressed in robes of orange to depict the orange jumpsuits in which they were martyred.

The Coptic Church remembers them as martyrs, and these brave men serve as a reminder of all persecuted Christians throughout the world who continue to sacrifice their lives to stay faithful to Christ. May their brave faith strengthen our own, and may their imitation of Christ’s peaceful surrender inspire peace in the hearts of men and women throughout our war-torn world.

On this feast of the twenty-one Coptic Martyrs, let us pray for peace throughout the world, particularly in the Middle East!

Icon by Tony Rezk, used with permission. Visit Tony’s website to view and purchase this and other icons.