http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/white-house-avoids-mentioning-21-beheaded-christians-were-christians
White House Avoids Mentioning That 21 Beheaded Christians Were Christians *February 16, 2015 - 7:32 PM * ------------------------------ *By Patrick Goodenough <http://www.cnsnews.com/source/patrick-goodenough>* [image: Mideast Libya Islamic State] <http://www.cnsnews.com/image/mideast-libya-islamic-state> An Ansar al-Shariah supporter in Libya carries a flag reading 'There is no god but Allah and Mohammad is his messenger' in this 2012 file photo. In Oct. 2014, many Ansar al-Shariah members in the coastal city of Darna pledged their allegiance to ISIS. Darna, now an ISIS stronghold, was bombed by Egyptian warplanes on Monday, Feb. 16, in retaliation for the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File) (CNSNews.com) – On the eve of a White House summit on “countering violent extremism” that has already drawn complaints from some Muslim groups, the administration in its response to the beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts has not mentioned the religious affiliation of either the killers or victims. Absent from a 192-word statement <http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/02/15/statement-press-secretary-murder-egyptian-citizens> from White House press secretary Josh Earnest condemning the brutal killings were the words “Christian,” “Coptic,” “Islam” or “Muslim.” There was a single reference to “faith” – “ISIL’s barbarity knows no bounds. It is unconstrained by faith, sect, or ethnicity.” “ISIL” is one of several acronyms for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), also called simply “Islamic State” or “Da’esh,” an Arabic acronym. Earnest's statement did not spell out the group's full name – thus sidestepping the word "Islamic" altogether – calling it merely “ISIL.” In a gruesome video posted online the jihadist group claimed responsibility for the mass beheadings of Christians abducted in Libya. The video was entitled “A Message Signed With Blood to the Nation of the Cross” and the victims were described as “crusaders.” An article in ISIS’ propaganda publication urged Muslims everywhere to kill “crusaders <http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/mass-beheading-video-appeared-after-isis-called-muslims-kill>,” promising those who do “a great reward … on Judgment Day.” Pope Francis did not shy away from the clear religious motivation behind the mass beheading. “They were murdered just because they were Christians,” he said <http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/francesco-francisco-francis-isis-39187/> during a meeting with a Scottish church leader, calling the victims “brothers, who died simply because they professed their faith in Jesus Christ.” Yet despite the religious affiliation of the terrorists and those they beheaded, and the jihadists’ blatant religious incitement, Earnest’s statement referred merely to “Egyptian citizens” and “ISIL-affiliated terrorists.” “The United States condemns the despicable and cowardly murder of twenty-one Egyptian citizens in Libya by ISIL-affiliated terrorists,” it said. “We offer our condolences to the families of the victims and our support to the Egyptian government and people as they grieve for their fellow citizens. ISIL’s barbarity knows no bounds. It is unconstrained by faith, sect, or ethnicity.” [image: Egyptian Coptic Christians Beheaded] <http://www.cnsnews.com/image/egyptian-coptic-christians-beheaded> ISIS jihadists lead Egyptian Coptic Christians along a Libyan beach before they were simultaneously beheaded. (AP Photo) There was no public reaction to the killings from President Obama or Secretary of State John Kerry, but the State Department said Kerry had called his Egyptian counterpart “in the aftermath of the horrific video showing the murder of 21 Egyptians.” “The secretary offered his condolences on behalf of the American people and strongly condemned the despicable act of terror,” it said. “Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister [Sameh] Shoukry agreed to keep in close touch as Egyptians deliberated on a response.” This week the White House hosts a three-day “Summit on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE)” – a term it began favoring several years ago instead of countering terrorism – with the stated aim of highlighting international and domestic efforts to prevent the radicalization, recruiting or inspiring of individuals or groups to commit acts of violence. First announced last September, the summit was meant to be held the following month but was postponed without explanation. When Earnest last month announced the February date, he did so in a statement <http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/11/statement-press-secretary-white-house-summit-countering-violent-extremis> that mentioned the “recent, tragic attacks in Ottawa, Sydney, and Paris,” but again without identifying the religious affiliation and declared religious motivation of those responsible. White House officials briefing reporters on background Monday said this week's summit would not focus only on ISIS, since violent extremists “come in all shapes and sizes.” “There’s no profile that says this particular community is going to be susceptible to violence,” one official was quoted as saying. Notwithstanding the evident pains being taken by administration officials to avoid identifying the challenge as “Islamic” or “Islamist,” some Muslim groups are leery <http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/us-islamic-lobby-groups-see-cve-initiative-unfairly-focusing-musli-0> of the CVE effort and the summit. __._,_.___ ------------------------------ Posted by: "beowulf" <[email protected]> ------------------------------ Visit Your Group <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmOW1qbzZrBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0MjQxOTg0Nzg-> [image: Yahoo! 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