The major news of the weekend was the brutal decapitation of 21 Coptic Christians at the hands of ISIS in Libya. But if you only heard the news from the White House, you might have never heard the fairly important detail of the victim’s shared faith. (VIDEO: Laura Ingraham: Obama Bashes Christianity Out Of ‘Malicious Ignorance’)
Here’s the full White House statement:
The United States condemns the despicable and cowardly murder of twenty-one Egyptian citizens in Libya by ISIL-affiliated terrorists. We offer our condolences to the families of the victims and our support to the Egyptian government and people as they grieve for their fellow citizens. ISIL’s barbarity knows no bounds. It is unconstrained by faith, sect, or ethnicity. This wanton killing of innocents is just the most recent of the many vicious acts perpetrated by ISIL-affiliated terrorists against the people of the region, including the murders of dozens of Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai, which only further galvanizes the international community to unite against ISIL.
This heinous act once again underscores the urgent need for a political resolution to the conflict in Libya, the continuation of which only benefits terrorist groups, including ISIL. We call on all Libyans to strongly reject this and all acts of terrorism and to unite in the face of this shared and growing threat. We continue to strongly support the efforts of the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernardino Leon to facilitate formation of a national unity government and help foster a political solution in Libya.
As PJ Media’s Bridget Johnson points out, the statements released by the British, Canadian and Australian governments all mentioned that the victims were Coptic Christians. “I am outraged and saddened by the beheadings of Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christians in Libya by groups linked to ISIL,” reads the statement from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, for example.
In some fairness to the White House, the draft authorization of force presented to Congress specifically mentions that Christians have been targeted by ISIS. But that draft was also criticized for excluding Jews for its list of targeted religious minorities. (RELATED: Obama Claims Paris Shooters ‘Randomly’ Shot Up Kosher Deli)
[h/t PJ Media]