Another familiar attack

The world continues to witness as Muslim terrorists massacre Christians, and the media rarely care to cover such horrific attacks.

This time the Muslim butchery of 70 Christians occurred in the majority-Christian village of Mayba in the Lubero Territory of North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

A group of Muslim militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)—a terrorist group with ties to the Islamic State—entered the Christian village in the early hours of the day, knocking on doors and seizing whomever they could hold. They initially abducted 20 Christians before dawn, and when some villagers attempted to plan an escape in the morning, the Muslims returned and abducted 50 more, including women, children, and the elderly. All the captives were led to a nearby Protestant church. Later their bodies were discovered inside the church, and reports describe the victims as having been bound, with many beheaded, likely with machetes. The reports cannot pinpoint the exact date of the massacre, as the Christians were held captive for at least two days before the beheadings.

Congo is Africa’s second-largest Christian-majority nation—after Nigeria—with over 93% of the population identifying as Christians. Catholics and Protestants make up about 85% of the total number of Christians. The country has been embroiled in constant tribal conflict since the mid-1990s, especially in the regions adjacent to its eastern neighbors Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Amid this tribal unrest, the terrorist Sunni Muslim organization ADF emerged in Uganda in the late 1990s and early 2000s. While Uganda’s army cracked down on it in the 2000s and largely defeated the group, the ADF regained momentum with the rise of ISIS in 2014 as it adopted the agenda and goals of the emerging Islamic Caliphate. In the past decade, ADF terrorized parts of western Uganda and eastern Congo, especially in vulnerable villages. While an army presence and government influence can often be found in major cities, the small, isolated villages are vulnerable to rebel attacks. This is the backdrop of the massacre that happened earlier this month.

But Muslim attacks targeting Christians aren’t new. Many may rush to claim that this atrocity has nothing to do with Islam, arguing that Islam doesn’t condone violence against Christians, but they will be wrong. Historical precedents and plain reason prove these claims to be fanciful. Ten years ago, on Feb. 15, 2015, ISIS terrorists executed 21 Coptic Egyptian Christians on a beach in Libya—an event that sent shockwaves around the world due to its brutality and the stark display of faith by the victims. ISIS seemed delighted to record the massacre on video, which the world saw, and the victims showed a clear commitment to Christ by refusing to abandon their faith.

The brutal attack on the Copts in 2015 was repeated with the Congolese Christians in 2025. Muslim terrorists identified Christians, abducted them as poor and vulnerable people who are unable to resist, and led them to slaughter.

This is the horrific reality many Christians face at the hands of Muslim terrorists in many parts of the world.

This isn’t a time to claim all religions have bad people—wrong timing. It isn’t the time to rationalize an endless debate about “what’s the true Islam”—a misleading distraction. Nor is it a time to speak of how the majority of Muslims are peaceful people who aim no harm against anyone—an irrelevant claim. It isn’t right nor wise to avoid speaking about Islam and its anti-Christian commands. We must face the problem inherently found and clearly obvious in Islam, with its harsh reality of devout adherents killing Christians to please Allah and fulfill his commands.

Islam, as written, definitely offers reasons for many Muslims to delight in butchering non-Muslims, especially Christians. ISIS and ADF know Islam and delight in following its precepts. The Quran, Muhammad’s teachings, and the authoritative historical accounts of Islam all—yes, all—include statements and examples that clearly allow Muslims to target Christians and kill them for Allah’s sake and to advance Islamic dominance. Once a Muslim identifies a Christian as an infidel, all brutal actions can be legitimized through religious commands.

Unless we expose these teachings and claims as inhumane and morally abhorrent, nothing can change. But we can do more.

The international community needs to help struggling countries identify areas where terrorists thrive. It should come together to support enhancing local security and seek to cut the lifeline of these groups, not only by drying their funding through imposing sanctions on countries and groups that aid terrorists, but also by crippling their ability to recruit new soldiers in underprivileged and isolated regions.

Governments can and should shut down Islamic propaganda pipelines and identify and jail recruiters. In a sense, Muslim leaders who are open about disavowing Islamic terrorism are much needed in this regard. While non-Muslim thinkers can tackle Islam’s claims right on, Muslim leaders—who are vocal in condemning Islamic terrorism—can influence Muslims in crucial places, including mosques, schools, and online spaces where radicalization emerges and festers.