A press release from the World Maronite Union (thanks to Walid Phares):
The World Maronite Union strongly condemns the criminal attacks against the Copts of Egypt, particularly the aggression against the Churches in Alexandria last week.
1) The Union blames the Jihadists who are planning and executing these attacks against unarmed and innocent civilians with in the Coptic Christian community of Egypt. The Maronite Union hold the Islamic Fundamentalist organizations in Egypt as responsible for incitement and support to the Jihadi networks, implicated in terrorism against Copts and moderate Muslims in Egypt and the region.
2) The World Maronite Union, on behalf of 12 million Maronites in the World stands firmly by the Coptic people and vow to support international initiative to extend protection to these communities under siege.
3) The World Maronite Union sees in the attack against the Copts of Egypt a global pattern of Jihadi persecution of Christians and other minorities in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world. It expresses its concerns for the increase of incidents against Christians in Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Iran and beyond.
4) The Maronite Union calls on democratic and humanist Muslims in Egypt and the Middle East to form a common front against the Jihadists.
Sami El-Khoury
PresidentTom Harb
Deputy Secretary General