clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Egypt: Daesh beheads two elderly men for being Sufi

March 30, 2017 at 11:12 am

Daesh militants [Hisapntv/Twitter]

The Daesh affiliate Wilayat Sinai group in Egypt has beheaded two elderly men, accusing them of practicing witchcraft and apostasy, then posted the video on social media.

The video, not seen by this website but which has been verified by Reuters, shows the two men wearing orange jumpsuits being led into the desert. Daesh regularly dresses its prisoners in orange jumpsuits, a comment on detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay.

A Wilayat Sinai member reads the verdict on the execution: “Apostasy, sorcery, claiming the ability to tell the future and leading people to polytheism.”

Read: Egypt detains Daesh member for recruiting youth

According to Newsweek, the video suggests the two men were executed because of their adherence to Sufism. In the video the Wilayat Sinai members raid a Sufi gathering, arrest the people there and smash tombs they say do not adhere to Islamic burial.

Wilayat Sinai previously targeted police, soldiers and security officers but has recently set its sights on the Christian community in northern Sinai.

In February it launched a 21-day shooting spree in the town of Arish, killing seven. Hundreds of Coptic Christians fled Sinai and sought refuge in Ismailia, a town close to Cairo.