By Walid Shoebat

Imagine thanking the killers of two of your brothers who were beheaded and video taped for the whole world to watch the barberic cruelty. Yet, this is exactly what the brother of two of the 21 Coptic Christians did when ISIS murdered both of them in Libya last week. With amazing grace comes amazing faith. Speaking on a live prayer and worship programme Beshir Kamel said that he was proud of his brothers Bishoy Estafanos Kamel (25) and Samuel Estafanos Kamel (23) because they were “a badge of honour to Christianity”.

Harrowing scenes of the murders have been seen around the world. The last words of some of those killed were “Ya Rabbi Yasou” (My Lord Jesus Christ).

The amazing faith of Beshir Kamel even gave thanks, not just to God and Christ, but also to ISIS for not editing out the men’s declaration of belief in Christ because he said this had strengthened not only his own faith but the families of the ex-patriate workers were “congratulating one another” and not in despair: “We are proud to have this number of people from our village who have become martyrs,” he told the programme.

Kamel expressed the story of the Copts: “Since the Roman era, Christians have been martyred and have learned to handle everything that comes our way. This only makes us stronger in our faith because the Bible told us to love our enemies and bless those who curse us.”

But such faith is not void of strength and the view that militarism is also necessary. Kamel welcomed the air strikes launched in response by the Egyptian government, saying: “Only the length of the time period when we didn’t know where they were justified the air strikes for us. If they had been martyred on the same day they were kidnapped, we wouldn’t have asked for any retaliation.”

Asked by host Maher Fayez what he would say if he were asked to forgive ISIS, he related what his mother said she would do if she saw one of the men who killed her son. “My mother, an uneducated woman in her sixties, said she would ask [him] to enter her house and ask God to open his eyes because he was the reason her son entered the kingdom of heaven.”

And if you think this is only him. Shoebat.com has reviewed interviews of several family members of the martyred Copts and pretty much all of them, young and old were so glad at the news.

For example, Habib Lam’i the uncle of one of the martyrs Samuel, as much as the interviewer asks him questions, his response always divert to “we thank Christ so much for they are absent from the body and present with Christ”. Both the interviewer and the family are in complete joy.

“I sent congratulations and not condolences to the families of the martyrs”.

Samuel had two boys and a girl.

“When we saw the video we were filled with joy. They were like lions, none of them left their faith. We thank God.”

“we are so glad. They are with Christ. We thank the Lord”.

“They went to the eternal joy. We were tired when we did not know, but we were filled with joy when we found out they were heroic”.

And just as Kamel who invited to pray for his brothers’ killers, Beshir prayed: “Dear God, please open their eyes to be saved and to quit their ignorance and the wrong teachings they were taught.”

Lam’i said “It is as if Christ has opened the heavens for them and He said ‘come up hither’ or why else they would all be kneeling firmly with joy and firmness in their faith.

The myth that Muslims desire martyrdom is busted when one sees the Copts. It is through our martyrdom that eyes are opened, so ISIS, you can take our lives but you cannot take our souls. In fact, our martyrdom will be the means to open the eyes of thousands others, so their souls too can be saved.

We pray that we are next, please O Lord.

SOURCES
Christianity Today.