Eight
Christians who were killed when an Islamic State-linked group stormed a
Filipino city late last month were shot to death because of their refusal to
recite the Islamic declaration of faith, government officials have reportedly
said.
According
to the Christian persecution monitoring website Morning Star News, eight Christians who
were among the 19 killed when the IS-aligned Maute Group stormed the city of
Marawi on May 23 were the first Christians killed during the insurgent uprising
in the capital of Lanao del Sur Province on the Mindanao island. The city,
which was once home to over 200,000 residents, has seen thousands of residents
flee in recent weeks.
The
same extremist group claims it is responsible for the kidnapping of as many as
240 Catholics, including Father Teresito "Chito" Suganob, the priest
who appeared in a recently released video in
which he listed off the names of other "prisoners of war" who were
captured by the militants.
