For 17-year-old Marqos and his family, persecution is a stark reality that has resulted in utter tragedy. His father, murdered my Islamic extremists, was a devout follower of Jesus, martyred for his faith. “Before he was killed, we were a family of four living in El-Arish (a small city on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast)l: me, my sister, my mother and my father,” Marqos told Christian persecution charity Open Doors USA. “It wasn’t a bad place to live.
We lived in peace with our Muslim neighbors. My father was a veterinarian, and had good relations with his Muslim colleagues and friends.” Then, there was an influx of more radical Muslims, who wanted the expel all Christians from the local area. “At some point, new people moved to the village,” added Fawziya, Marqos’ mother “They were Palestinian immigrants with a very strict view on Islam. That changed everything.” READ MORE