A 20-year-old Coptic Christian from Egypt was reportedly killed by Islamic State militants in Libya after he refused to renounce Jesus Christ. Open Doors, International Christian Concern and several Christian news outlets have reported the case. The killing has renewed concern for Christians working abroad and for converts who face pressure from their families and communities.

What happened

Milad Malak left his village of Sebarbay, in Egypt's Gharbia governorate, on September 2. He travelled to Libya with two Muslim friends from the same village. The three men were looking for work after Egypt's economy weakened, according to The Christian Post.

On October 4, Islamic State fighters seized the three men in the coastal city of Zliten, according to The Christian Post. Open Doors reported that the group also held other Egyptian workers.

Open Doors said the militants learned that Malak was the only Christian in the group. The organization, citing the two Muslim friends, said the captors pressed him for several days to convert to Islam. It said he was tortured and threatened with death.

The two Muslim friends were freed after their families paid $4,700 each, according to The Christian Post. A sister of Malak told Worthy News that the family also paid the ransom for him, but he was not released. Reports differ on this point, and the details have not been independently confirmed.

Malak's family learned of his death from the freed friends. They asked the Egyptian government to press for the return of his body. The body was handed over several weeks later.

Who is affected

Malak served as a deacon at a Coptic church in Sebarbay. Relatives and members of his church gathered to mourn him. Worthy News reported that a funeral was held on October 28 at the Church of the Archangel Michael in Sebarbay, with hundreds of mourners present.

The two Muslim friends who were freed are receiving medical treatment in a hospital in Egypt, according to The Christian Post.

Open Doors says Christians make up no more than 0.5 percent of Libya's population. The organization estimates that about 36,300 Christians live in the country, and many of them are migrants from other African countries. Open Doors says these migrants face discrimination from extremist and criminal groups, and can be kidnapped, trafficked or forced into hard labor.

The context

Libya ranks ninth on Open Doors' World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Open Doors says Christians there face Islamist militants and criminal gangs, along with kidnappings, forced labor and killings during a period of political instability. The Libyan constitution names Islam as the state religion, and Islamic law is a main source of legislation, according to Open Doors.

The case has been linked to a 2015 event. In February 2015, Islamic State militants in Libya beheaded 20 Egyptian Coptic Christians and one Ghanaian man. The killers released a video of the executions. Open Doors and International Christian Concern both connected Malak's death to that attack, according to The Christian Post.

Egypt, Malak's home country, has also seen setbacks in religious freedom, according to annual reports on persecution released in October 2026. Those reports are cited in Portas Abertas coverage of the case.

Voices

Open Doors, a Christian persecution watchdog, said Malak "refused every demand to renounce his faith." The group said the militants are believed to have killed him after their efforts failed.

International Christian Concern, a U.S.-based persecution watchdog, reported Malak's words to his captors, according to The Christian Post. He reportedly told them he would never renounce his faith.

Malak's sister, Madonna, told Worthy News that the family had paid the ransom. She said her brother was tortured and killed for refusing to renounce his faith.

Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church declared the 2015 victims martyrs, according to The Christian Post. The Coptic Orthodox Church is a separate church from the Roman Catholic Church.

What to watch

  • Whether Egyptian authorities pursue any formal inquiry into Malak's death or into the kidnapping.
  • Whether further details emerge about the captors and about the other Egyptian workers held in Zliten.
  • Whether the ransom payments and the accounts of the freed men are confirmed by independent sources.
  • Ongoing reports from Open Doors and other watchdogs on Christians in Libya and Egypt.

Christian groups have asked people to pray for Malak's family and friends. They have also asked for prayer for Egyptian Christians who face hostility because of their faith.

GCN Bottom Line

Several sources report that Milad Malak, a Coptic Christian deacon, was killed in Libya in October after refusing to renounce his faith. The two Muslim friends who were held with him were freed after ransom payments and have confirmed parts of the account to Open Doors. Reports differ on whether the family's ransom was paid for Malak himself, and no official Libyan or Egyptian statement on the killing was found in these sources. Open Doors and International Christian Concern link the death to the 2015 ISIS killings in Libya.