Washington, DC: December 30, 2017. (PCP) In Egypt, ten people died when gunmen tried to storm the Mar Mina church south of Cairo and two others died when a Coptic-owned shop in the same area was attacked. IDC condemns this attack and the continued assault on Coptic Christians in Egypt which has left over 100 dead this year. “Senseless violence against Egyptian Christians is unacceptable," said IDC's Executive Director Philippe Nassif. "There is no excuse for why this violence continues to occur. The Egyptian government has so far failed to safeguard these communities and needs to do much more to prevent future attacks." In the past, Egypt's Copts have accused authorities of only token gestures to protect them. This year alone, several Christians were killed in the city of El Arish in Sinai and the community was forced to flee; dozens of Christians were killed in attacks on churches on Palm Sunday; and many children were killed in an attack on a Christian bus tour in Minya province. IDC calls for increased global efforts to combat terrorism, weaken extremist ideology, and cut off the funding sources of radical fundamentalist ideology.