Egyptian Coptic Christians celebrating Palm Sunday were massacred in their pews Sunday. Bombs ripped through St. George’s Church in Tanta and St. Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria. Nearly 50 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded in the attacks. Another bomb was thankfully disarmed at a third Christian church.

The death-worshippers of ISIS immediately took credit for the bloodshed.

The leader of Egypt’s Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, was at St. Mark’s Cathedral but he escaped unharmed. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency yesterday.

Pope Francis, who is scheduled to visit Egypt later this month, condemned the attacks, saying, “I firmly deplore the unacceptable carnage.”

Jews and Christians are clearly being targeted by Sunni and Shiite jihadists. Yet, Jews and Christians were in the Middle East long before Islam ever existed. Sadly, many Jews have been driven out of Muslim lands and Christians are facing extinction in many parts of the Middle East.

It’s All About Religion

When it comes to the clash of civilizations confronting the West, the denial of our elites is astonishing. Immediately after 9/11, our cultural and political leaders rushed to tell us that we were in a “war against terrorism” that had nothing to do with Islam. Yet 9/11 was planned by Osama bin Laden and carried out by 19 Islamists.

In the years since that attack, the denial has grown even worse. The previous administration refused to utter the words “radical Islamic terrorism” and instead talked about “workplace violence” and “man-caused disasters.”

When Donald Trump suggested we should limit Muslim immigration until we can figure out which Muslims are peaceful and which are not, the entire left-wing media and political establishment, and even some Republicans, denounced his idea as “a religious test.” Well, this war has everything to do with religion. ISIS calls itself the “Islamic State” for a reason.

When someone starts providing examples of Christian immigrants or refugees blowing innocent people up in the nations that accept them, I will reconsider my view. But hardly a week goes by when there is not a terror attack by Islamists somewhere in the world.

For example, the terrorist who carried out the truck attack that killed four people in Sweden last week is an Islamist and a failed asylum-seeker. Sweden’s prime minister is reportedly vowing to end his country’s open borders policy.

The individual accused of planting a bomb in Norway’s capital last week is an asylum-seeker who was involved with “extreme Islamism.”

If this war has nothing to do with Islam, then why is it that all the soldiers on one side of this “war against terrorism” are Islamists?

Syria Fallout

A new CBS poll finds that 57% of Americans approve of President Trump’s decision to launch airstrikes against the Assad regime for its use of chemical weapons. Eighty-seven percent of those polled said the use of chemical weapons was “immoral,” but they were divided over the immediate threat to the U.S.

While the American people may be divided over Syrian, Kassam Eid, who survived a chemical weapons attack in 2013, is applauding President Trump. Check out his interview with CNN and the reaction of the CNN anchor.

Meanwhile, Syria’s allies drew a “red line” of their own. A statement published Sunday by the Assad regime declared, “The aggression against Syria oversteps all red lines. We will react firmly to any aggression against Syria … whoever carries them out. The United States knows very well our ability to react.”

What caught my attention was that this joint statement was issued by Russia, Iran AND Hezbollah — an Iranian-backed terrorist group. That is the triumvirate Obama and Clinton empowered in the Middle East during the past eight years.

Obama ignored his own red lines on the use of chemical weapons. He gave billions of dollars to Iran, and he gave Russia a green light to sell sophisticated weapons to Tehran.

Now President Trump has to clean up the mess the Obama/Clinton/Kerry appeasement left behind.

Danger Ahead

Two upcoming special elections suggest that the GOP faces significant political risk in 2018.

Voters in Kansas’ 4th Congressional District are heading to the polls today to fill the remainder of CIA Director Mike Pomepo’s term. (Those of you reading this in Kansas or with friends or relatives in the district, please make sure you vote.) There are reports from left-wing outlets that the Democrat candidate is experiencing “a last-minute fundraising surge” in a district that Donald Trump carried by 27 points.

In Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, which Donald Trump barely won, nearly a dozen Republicans are running to fill the seat vacated by HHS Secretary Dr. Tom Price. But the Left has rallied around one candidate, Jon Ossoff.

A former staffer for Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) who once worked for Al Jazeera, Ossoff has raised an astonishing $8 million for this special election.

With Republicans so divided, there is concern that Ossoff could take 50% of the vote in next week’s special election, especially if turnout is low. If you live in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, it is imperative that you vote next week.

If these GOP seats flip, Big Media will have a field day suggesting that Donald Trump is destroying the Republican Party and energizing the left-wing base of the Democrat Party.

Chag Sameach

Jews all over the world gathered last night to celebrate the miracle of Passover, commemorating the liberation of their people from ancient Egypt.

The Book of Exodus tells us that Moses was sent by God to tell Pharaoh to “Let my people go.” When Pharaoh refused a series of plagues were inflicted on the Egyptian people. Through it all, Pharaoh’s heart hardened and he still refused to end the bondage of the Jews.

The final plague that God used to free the Jews from Pharaoh and Egyptian captivity was to kill all the firstborn males.

Forewarned by God, Jews marked their doors with the blood of a lamb, and, as a result, He passed over their homes. Pharaoh finally relented and released the Hebrew people. (Exodus, Chapter 12.) God told the Jewish people to mark the day as a memorial day and to observe it as a feast to the Lord forever.

We join our Jewish brothers and sisters in praise and thanks to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for His mercies and love. To all of you, Chag Sameach, a joyous festival!