Deadliest mosque attack in Egypt
We strongly condemn the terrorist attack at the al-Rawdah mosque in north Sinai of Egypt that left more than 305 dead and scores other injured. The attack was the deadliest in Egypt in its recent history. This mosque attack was followed by the brutal killing of worshippers at a Nigerian mosque a few days ago. It is very shocking that the terrorists are not only killing the innocent civilians, but they are nowadays killing them in sacred places like mosques, and churches. In Egypt, the terrorists specially targeted the al-Rawdha mosque at a time when the number of worshippers at a mosque is usually high, the Friday prayer. It is also worth noting that this attack was launched when the birthday of the Prophet (SM), Eid-e-Miladunnabi, was only about a weeks time away. The barbaric attack is utterly reprehensible and our heart goes with families of the victims.
It was still not clear which group attacked the mosque and none of the extremist organizations claimed responsibility for the attack. But the Islamic State is known to have increased its hold in that region of Egypt. The local IS affiliate, Wilayat al-Sinai (the Governorate of Sinai), carried out the previous deadliest attack in the region. As the mosque belongs to a Sufi order, it can be assumed that the hardliners who dislike veneration of saints and shrines perpetrated the attack. Not long ago, the Sufi Qawal Amzad Sabri was brutally killed in Pakistan by a local extremists group.
The Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, however delivered a defiant television address on Friday evening, vowing to respond with brute force and offering condolences to the families of victims. There is little doubt that Wednesdays attack marks a major escalation in a region where for the past three years Egyptian security forces have battled the IS insurgency that has killed hundreds of police and soldiers. The attack will also mark a turning point in Egypts fight against terrorism.
The present phase of human history is perhaps the deadliest in terms of killing of civilians, be it in a lone terrorist attack or in the middle of warfare. And in every part of the world, innocent civilians are becoming victims of mindless acts of terrorism. The darkness that has gripped the humanity is most vile - and frustrating also, because there seems to be no ready solution to this. As terrorists are contained in one place, they spread their tentacles in another place with even greater ferocity. Yet the humanity should hope for the best.
