To the Editor:
During last year’s mayoral campaign I met and spoke with many people in Bayonne’s Coptic Christian community. The leaders and members of our Coptic Churches were among the warmest and most sincere people that I was lucky enough to interact with during the campaign. Today many are friends of mine and we continue to engage in talks about their concerns.
In our talks, the concerns expressed to me are not only those that we face here in Bayonne, but those faced by their families in Middle Eastern countries (predominately in Egypt). The dangers from radical groups are extreme, and their worry for family members is a daily occurrence. These worries have now been brought to a new level with the recent report of 21 Coptic Christians from Egypt being slaughtered by members of the terror group ISIS in Libya.
My heart goes out to the Coptic community here in Bayonne and around the world. My prayers are with them, and I am asking all of us as Americans to join with them in their struggle for protection from ISIS and other radical groups. I am calling upon our leaders in the House of Representatives, the Senate, and our President to stand up and take action to protect this very vulnerable population from further slaughter. It is time to act to provide this population a way out of danger via special immigration if necessary.
The United States is the leader of the free world and civilized nations, and it is time for us to unite those who stand for freedom and peace and put an end to ISIS and other extremist groups, as we did in WWII in ridding the world of Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan. The time to stand up and take action is now. Not after the next slaughter, the next terror attack. I urge all to contact their representatives in the House, the Senate, and also the White House and express to them that the time for action in this grave matter is now, not later.
ANTHONY ZANOWIC