Islamic extremists in Libya last month killed a 20-year-old Coptic Christian they had kidnapped along with two Muslims after he refused to convert to Christianity, persecution watchdog groups reported.
The unidentified, armed extremists had received ransom payments for Milad Malak and his two Muslim friends from Egypt while holding them in Libya’s coastal city of Zliten, but they tortured and killed him for refusing to renounce Christ, according to Worthy News, citing a statement from his sister.
Malak and his two Muslim friends on Sept. 2 had left their village of Sabrbay, near Tanta in Egypt’s northern Nile Delta region 90 kilometers (56 miles) north of Cairo in search of work, his sister, Madonna, told Worth News, adding that her family received a text message from him on Oct. 6 saying he had been kidnapped.
The families of the two Muslims paid the ransom demand of $4,700 each, and after their release the survivors told Malak’s relatives that he had been tortured and killed for his faith despite his family paying the same amount, according to his sister.
“We transferred the requested ransom ($4,700), but after receiving the money, they did not release him,” she said, according to Worthy News. “Instead, they tortured him, demanding that he renounce his faith – yet he refused, telling them, ‘Even if you were to hack me to pieces, I would never renounce my faith.’ They subjected him to all manner of torture until he attained martyrdom.”
The two surviving Muslims reportedly received medical treatment upon their return to Egypt, according to Coptic media. Christian support group Open Doors noted that the three friends were among a group of Egyptian workers kidnapped in Zliten.
“According to Milad’s two Muslim friends, who were subsequently released, the militants discovered that Milad was the only Christian in the group,” Open Doors stated. “After learning this, they allegedly subjected him to intense pressure to abandon Christianity and convert to Islam. This happened over several days and included torture and threats against his life. Despite unrelenting pressure, Milad refused every demand to renounce his faith. When their efforts failed, the militants are believed to have killed him.”
Worthy News reported that Malak’s body was returned to Egypt, and a funeral was held on Oct. 28 at the Church of the Archangel Michael in Sabrbay with hundreds of mourners in attendance.
Malak’s death was particularly chilling for Egypt’s Coptic Christian community as it recalls Islamic State militants in Libya beheading 20 Christian migrant workers from Egypt and one Ghanaian in February 2015. The killers later released a video of the executions.
Libya ranks ninth on Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, as they regularly face dangers from Islamist militants and criminal gangs including kidnappings, forced labor and killings amid continued political instability.
Christians account for no more than 0.5 percent of the population of Libya, according to Open Doors.
