Milad Malak, a 20-year-old Egyptian Coptic Christian, was reportedly killed in Libya after Islamic State militants demanded that he renounce Christianity and convert to Islam, according to persecution-monitoring groups and accounts from two fellow captives.
Malak left the Egyptian village of Sebarbay on Sept. 2 to look for work in Libya. He traveled with two Muslim friends, and the three reached the coastal city of Zliten before armed men seized them on Oct. 4, The Christian Post reported. Malak served as a deacon at a Coptic church in his home village.
The captors demanded ransom payments for the three men. Malak’s sister, Madonna Malek, told Worthy News that his family paid approximately $4,700, the same amount reportedly paid by the families of his two companions. The two Muslim captives were released and later received medical treatment in Egypt, while Malak remained in captivity because he was the only Christian in the group.
International Christian Concern said Malak’s companions reported that militants tortured him and repeatedly pressured him to abandon his faith. The watchdog attributed to Malak the statement, “Even if you cut me into pieces, I would never renounce my faith.” Open Doors separately reported that the militants allegedly killed him after their efforts to force a conversion failed.
Malak’s companions informed his relatives of his death, and the family appealed to the Egyptian government for help recovering his body. His remains were returned to Egypt several weeks later, and mourners gathered for his funeral on Oct. 28, according to The Christian Post’s account.
The reported killing recalls the 2015 execution of 20 Egyptian Coptic Christians and a Ghanaian man by Islamic State militants in Libya after they refused demands to renounce their faith. Libya remains dangerous for Christians, particularly foreign workers and migrants, according to Open Doors’ country background. The circumstances of Malak’s death have been reported through his sister, former captives and persecution-monitoring organizations; his killing has not been independently verified by Libyan authorities.