After ISIS had released a video showing the beheading of the Copts that were kidnapped in Libya, many people denounced the brutality of the extremist group. However, it should be known that the Coptic Church has presented too many martyrs across the history.
Coptic years are counted from AD 284, the year Diocletian became Roman Emperor, whose reign was marked by tortures and mass executions of Christians, especially in Egypt. Hence, the Coptic year is identified by the abbreviation A.M. (for Anno Martyrum or "Year of the Martyrs"). The A.M. abbreviation is also used for the unrelated Jewish year (Anno Mundi).
When Diocletian persecuted Egyptians, many retreated to the desert to seek relief. This helped the improvement of monasticism in Egypt and made great saints like St. Antony, St. Bakhum, St. Shenouda and St. Amun, pioneers of monasticism all over the world.
In 451 A.D., following the Council of Chalcedon, the Church of Alexandria was divided into two branches. Those who rejected the terms of the Council insisted on being called Miaphysites. The majority of the Egyptians belonged to the Miaphysite branch, which led to their persecution by the Byzantines in Egypt.
This continued until the Arab conquest of Egypt when the Copts were severely persecuted as well by many Islamic rulers like the reign of the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (996-1021), who is said to have destroyed 3,000 churches, killed many Copts causing large numbers to apostatize.
The modern history contains also many accidents and attacks against Copts like what happened in Koshh attack in December 31, 1999, in which 20 Copts were killed under the auspices of police and none has been sentenced yet, as well as the 2011 Alexandria bombing was an attack on Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, on Saturday, 1 January 2011. Twenty-three people died as a result of the attack, which occurred as Christian worshipers were leaving a New Year service.
The Coptic Church is clearly the church of the martyrs and it experienced long ages of severe persecution. Yet, we are lucky today as we have cameras to record such horrible crimes and expose them before the whole world. The new martyrs are just lucky to be watched by millions all over the world and their slaughter to be documented by videos.
