Martyr
A martyr is someone who suffers persecution and later assassination or death for advocating, renouncing (giving up), or refusing to renounce (not giving up) a religious belief or other cause, despite another person or group demanding that they do so.[1]
Originally it was applied only to those who suffered for their religious beliefs but now the term has come to be used in connection with people killed for a political or nationalist cause as well.
Famous examples of people considerd religious martyrs
[change | change source]- 1941:Maximilian Kolbe, a Roman Catholic priest is martyred in the Auschwitz concentration camp.[2] He is later canonized by Pope John Paul II as a martyr of charity.[3]
- 2015:[4] 21 construction workers who were in the Coptic Orthodox Church except for one,[5] are killed by the Islamic State(IS) because they believed in Jesus Christ.[6] These are the names of the 21 martyrs:
- Bishoy Adel Khalaf
- Samuel Alhoam Wilson
- Hany Abdel-Masih Salib
- Melad Mackeen Zaki
- Abanoub Ayad Attia
- Ezzat Bushra Nassif
- Yousef Shokry Younan
- Kirillos Shukry Fawzy
- Majed Suleiman Shehata
- Samuel Stéphanos Kamel
- Malak Ibrahim Siniot
- Bishoy Stéphanos Kamel
- Mena Fayez Aziz
- Girgis Melad Sniout
- Tawadros Youssef Tawadros
- Essam Badr Samir
- Luke Ngati
- Jaber Mounir Adly
- Malak Faraj Abram
- Sameh Salah Farouk
- Matthew Ayariga[7]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Definition of MARTYR". www.merriam-webster.com. 2026-03-12. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ↑ "The sacrifice and death of father Maximilian Kolbe / Podcast / E-learning / Education / Auschwitz-Birkenau". www.auschwitz.org. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ↑ Kijas, Zdzisław Józef (2020). "THE PROCESS OF BEATIFICATION AND CANONIZATION OF MAXIMILIAN MARIA KOLBE" (PDF). Studia Elbląskie. XXI: 199–213.
- ↑ "Coptic Christians Remember the 21 Martyrs Beheaded by Terrorists - International Christian Concern". persecution.org. 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ↑ Lewis, Charles (2019-04-13). "Remembering the 21 Coptic Martyrs". NCR. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ↑ "Ten years since brutal Islamic State murder of Christians in Libya". Barnabas Aid. 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ↑ lordalton (2016-02-12). "February anniversary of the brutal murder of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya one year ago". David Alton. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
Related pages
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