Courcy's Special Alerts

Analysis of the Islamic State (IS) video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians on the shores of the Mediterranean makes it clear that the message was intended for Europe and the wider Christian world rather than for Egypt.

The video released on 15 February, which was produced by the IS’s central media production unit, only mentioned Egypt once, where it described the hostages as “followers of the hostile Egyptian church”.  By contrast, it was full of references to Rome and the “nation of the cross”.

The video proclaimed (in English): “Recently you’ve seen us on the hills of Al-Sham [Syria]…chopping off the heads that have been carrying the Cross delusion for a long time, filled with spite against Islam and Muslims.  And today we are on the south of Rome, on the land of Islam, sending you another message.”

The executions took place on the very edge of the Mediterranean, looking north to Europe; and the executioner ended the film with the vow: “We will conquer Rome, by Allah’s permission.”

This echoes the message contained in the October edition of IS’s English-language magazine Dabiq which described a final battle between Islam and the “Crusaders” in which Islam would be victorious.  The cover of the magazine showed the IS flag flying over St Peter’s Square in Rome.

The  message coming from IS is that reconstituting the Caliphate is only part of the struggle; after that comes the defeat of Christendom and the conquest of Rome.

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