Can domestic travel rescue India's tourism sector as pandemic curbs international visits?
The Indian government has allowed for a reopening of tourist attractions, including the Taj Mahal. AP  Hotelier Vibhas Prasad reopened his properties across India just a few weeks ago, after being closed for two months amid strict Covid-19 curbs imposed during the devastating second wave of infections that swept the country. Riddled with uncertainty, the pandemic has been the most challenging period of his career. Foreign flight and tourist visa restrictions, coupled with lockdowns, have decimated international tourism in India. The country is usually a hotspot of global tourism, its rich cultural diversity and varied landscapes attracting millions of visitors from all over the world. We've had zero foreign travellers [at our hotels since the pandemic hit], says Mr Prasad, owner of Leisure Hotels, which operates 28 properties across India, including in wildlife resorts and mountain retreats. Tourism played a vital role in the pre-pandemic economic boom in India. Before Covid-19 struck, the country received 10.93 million visitors in 2019 and the sector was a key source of foreign exchange earnings, which rose more than 5 per cent over the previous year to more than $30 billion, according to data released by India's tourism ministry in January. While official figures have yet to be made public for 2020, the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality forecasts that losses for the travel and tourism industry may reach $150bn during the pandemic. With significant uncertainty [still] looming ... travel in particular has been among the worst-hit industries, [affected by] border closures and [domestic] movement restrictions as a result of the spread of the virus across two waves, says Nishant Pitti, chief executive and co-founder of EaseMyTrip, one of the largest online travel agencies in India. Arun Bagaria, co-founder of TravClan, says that the Indian travel and hospitality industry had consistently showed encouraging growth in the pre-pandemic years. Covid-19 has not only knocked the industry off that growth trajectory, it has rendered millions in the sector unemployed. The crisis  unlike any seen before by India's tourism sector  and the loss of international visitors has forced most tourism and hospitality businesses to look to domestic tourism to save the day. With a population of 1.4 billion people, India has massive growth potential in its domestic market, which has so far helped to keep the industry afloat. Although, domestic tourism was also affected during the second wave of the pandemic, travelling within India is picking up pace again. Most curbs on movement are being lifted, as the number of daily Covid-19 infections has come down from its May peak of more than 400,000 cases a day. Hotel operators say they are seeing an influx of domestic travellers. The number of new cases on Saturday had fallen to 42,766, according to the health ministry. Images were widely shared this month of Indians thronging hill stations, including Shimla and Manali, as they fled a heatwave in major metropolises, including Delhi. People are eager to get out after coronavirus restrictions were eased, but health professionals have cautioned that large numbers converging on hill stations and other tourist hotspots could increase infections once again. The tourism industry is, however, benefitting from the recent rise in domestic tourism demand, eager to make up for the lost revenue from international visitors. We're currently only getting domestic travellers, says Mr Prasad, adding that his hotels have seen a rise in bookings by local guests. I'm sitting at one of our properties right now and I can see a lot of bookings. Weekends are sold out.  Residents generally prefer to travel to destinations that are within driving distance, because many of them are still uncomfortable with the idea of flying, due to the virus and Covid-19 protocols, he explains. The group saw its hotels average 60 per cent occupancy in June, as a result of the surge in demand. June is normally one of our busiest months and pre-Covid we would be doing 90 per cent occupancy, Mr Prasad says. He is nevertheless encouraged by the business trend so far because we were at zero per cent in May  so zero to 60 per cent is a sharp recovery for us. Mr Prasad says that international tourism will take some time to bounce back, as India overcomes the pandemic and visitors regain confidence to travel to the country. Business travel, he says, will take even longer to return to pre-pandemic levels. Amid the uncertain outlook, the government is taking steps to try to help the industry. Quote We're currently only getting domestic travellers. I'm sitting at one of our properties right now and I can see a lot of bookings. Weekends are sold out Vibhas Prasad, owner of Leisure Hotels  Last month it allowed the reopening of tourist sites, including the Taj Mahal, in an effort to help boost business for the millions of citizens who depend on the tourism industry for their livelihoods. To lend more support to the battered sector, the country's finance ministry recently made a slew of announcements, including offering 500,000 free tourist visas. It also unveiled an offer of loans for individuals in the tourism sector, including registered tour guides and travel agents. Industry analysts differ on whether enough is being done for the industry, but some have welcomed the government's efforts. Sanjiv Mehta, senior vice president at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, says these are much-needed steps for the sector, which continues to face heat due to the uncertainty that prevails. The extension of working capital and personal loans with 100 per cent guarantees to people in the tourism sector to discharge liabilities and restart businesses should offer good support to this sector.  We are trying to help revive tourism, said Nirmala Sitharaman, India's finance minister, as she announced the initiatives. The free tourist visas will I think have a great incentivising impact for short-term tourists. Finance ministry figures show that the average length of stay of a foreign tourist in India is 21 days, with an average daily spend of $34. India still hasn't started issuing tourist visas, so the incentive will not have an immediate impact. The pandemic-driven crisis is also taking an enormous toll on tourism-related infrastructure development plans. It has seriously affected companies such as Damodar Ropeways and Infra, which has been building cable cars and ski-lift systems across tourism destinations in India since 1974. Being dependent on tourism and the movement of people, we cannot do anything but wait for the pandemic to subside, says Aditya Chamaria, joint managing director of Damodar Ropeways. As far as operational ropeway sites are concerned, revenues are badly affected not only for us but other players too, as tourists are not there, he says, adding that additional measures specific to our industry would be a great help. With a recovery of inbound tourism not on the horizon in the near term, the industry's hopes are pinned on Indians travelling within the country. As the vaccination drive in the country is set to amplify in the coming months, the travel industry is bracing itself to cater to the pent up travel demand, and we are expecting the sector to bounce back once at least 30 per cent of the Indian population is vaccinated, Mr Pitti says. But if a third wave of Covid-19 infections emerges  as many fear it will  and lockdown curbs are reintroduced, the industry would be reeling once again. That question is on all of our minds, says Mr Prasad. Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  Lowest Test scores 26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955 30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896 30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924 35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899 36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932 36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902 36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020 38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019 42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946 42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  The biog First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008  Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen  Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabis Western Region  Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work  Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. Our legal consultants Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants. 'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  'Spies in Disguise' Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars  Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Attacks on Egypts long rooted Copts Egypts Copts belong to one of the worlds oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans. The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypts 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo. Egypts Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes. More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016. The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years: November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack. May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month. December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility. July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud. May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob. New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people. Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi  Result 6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3  Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer) 7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby 7.40pm: Meydan Classic  Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby 8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy  Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes  Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 9.25pm: Meydan Challenge  Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane ONeill, Musabah Al Muhairi