Attacking Christians Is ISIS' New Strategy to Conquering Egypt
Analysts who forecast that the Islamic State (ISIS) would go back to its insurgency roots due to its imminent defeat in Mosul and Raqqa have been proven correct by last Palm Sunday's twin bombings in Egypt. The country's vulnerability to sectarian strife has made it a logical choice for the jihadists' next battleground.
Last Sunday's incident was a follow-up to earlier attacks on Egypt, beginning with the bombing of a Coptic church in Alexandria in December 2016 — the same church that was also bombed last Sunday — followed by the slaughter of Christians in north Sinai that prompted a mass exodus of families from that region.
The objective is to weaken President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's authoritarian rule by inflaming sectarian conflict among the populace. ISIS is applying to Egypt the same formula that enabled it to penetrate Iraq where society was divided between the Sunni and Shiite factions of Islam, The Atlantic reported.
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Egypt doesn't have that problem since its dominant Muslim population isn't divided. Christians are relatively left alone especially since its leadership is among Sisi's staunchest supporters. The government is preparing for Pope Francis' visit on April 28, indicating a minimal tolerance toward Christianity.
However, there remain deep-rooted prejudices against the 10 percent Christian population that hinder their access to employment and good education. The government pays lip service to its promotion of harmony among religious groups by letting Muslim violators go unpunished.
It is this bigotry toward minorities that ISIS is capitalizing on by projecting Christians as a viable target for Egyptian Muslims in the same way Shiites are persecuted in Iraq. As far as the militants are concerned, Christians can be killed indiscriminately for no reason other than for what they believe in.
Another reason why Egypt is ISIS' new playground is the increasing sophistication of its assets in that country. Mokhtar Awad, a militancy expert at George Washington University, said there is new evidence showing that ISIS has established a network of cells in Egypt's main cities.
