Trump Condemns Islamist Mosque Attack in Egypt, Calls for Wall and Ban

Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2017/11/24/trump-condemns-islamist-mosque-attack-in-egypt-calls-for-wall-and-ban/

President Donald Trump called a terrorist attack on a mosque in Egypt that killed more than 200 people “Horrible and cowardly” and said it shows the United States needs both a wall on its Mexico border and a ban on immigrants from certain countries where he believes the threat from Islamic terrorism is elevated.

The death toll stood at 230 as of early afternoon Eastern time Friday, according to Reuters.

About 40 terrorists attacked, setting off bombs inside a mosque during Friday prayers and then shooting worshippers as they came out.

The mosque is associated with Sufi Islam, a mystical branch of Islam whose followers practice asceticism and consider their worship an intensification of Islam, but which is decried by some Muslims as heretical and akin to sorcery.

The attack took place in North Sinai, in the northeastern corner of Egypt adjacent to Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Christians in Egypt have been attacked by Muslim terrorists for years; in April, two suicide bombers killed a total of 45 people at Coptic Christian churches in northern Egypt. But this attack on a mosque surprised many observers. It is believed to be the deadliest terrorist attack on Egyptian soil.

The Sinai Peninsula has been the site of an insurgency against the government of Egypt since 2011. The insurgency’s leaders claim allegiance to the Islamic State.