The forgiveness shown by a Coptic Christian woman to her husband's killers has rendered an Egyptian TV host speechless.
Samira Fahmi's husband Naseem was one of the victims of the Palm Sunday bombings which targeted St Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria.
Appearing on Egypt's ONTV she said during an interview: 'I ask the Lord to forgive them and let them try to think...May God forgive you and we also forgive you. Believe me, I forgive you.'
The response left the news anchor Amr Adeeb temporarily stunned. When he regained his composure, he said, 'Egyptian Christians are made of steel... Egyptian Christians for hundreds of years are bearing many atrocities and disasters. The Egyptian Christian deeply loves his country ... how great is this amount of forgiveness you have?'
The attack on St Mark's Cathedral killed 17 people and responsibility was claimed by ISIS. It is the latest in a long line of vicious attacks on the ancient Coptic Christian community, which makes up around 10 per cent of the population of Egypt. Pope Tawadros, the spiritual leader of the Copts, was in the cathedral at the time, marking Palm Sunday. It is thought Naseem Fahmi may have been one of his security officers.
Copts are one of the most ancient Christian communities in the world, tracing their history back to St Mark, believed to have founded the cathedral at Alexandria 20 years after the resurrection of Jesus.
You can watch the video here:
