Film About Coptic Christians Murdered by Islamic Radicals Shows Incredible Faith in the Face of Evil
It's a heart-wrenching film that recounts the beheadings ten years ago this week of 21 Coptic Christians at the hands of ISIS, Islamic radicals. And yet, the film also tells the poignant story of the incredible faith these martyrs had, diligent to the end, never once denying their Savior, even unto death. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, producer Mandi Hart, talks about the making of 'The 21' and the transformative power of learning about what these men endured for their faith. They were laborers from Egypt, working in Libia, when ISIS members kidnapped them and demanded they denounce their faith in Jesus Christ, the only condition to secure their freedom. The men refused. For a month and half the men were tortured and abused. Then they were put in orange jumpsuits and paraded to a sandy hill where masked, knife-wielding radicals lined them up and beheaded them. All of it was filmed by ISIS for the purpose of propaganda and power. But there were other supernatural forces also at work on that sandy hill, and those forces struck fear in the hearts of many of the radicals. The 21, although only 13 minutes in length, makes a power statement as it is animated using the imagery and style of Orthodox Christian iconography, intercut with the actual film ISIS shot.
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