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[Embroidered and Printed] Nation of the Cross: The 21 Martyrs Hoodie

$58.00 USD

~~$58.00 USD~~ $58.00 USD

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MADE TO ORDER: Nation of the Cross: The 21 Martyrs Hoodie [Embroidered and Printed]

After being kidnapped and tortured for more than a month, on February 15, 2015 in a video message addressed "to the Nation of the Cross," Daesh militants (ISIL/ISIS) walked 20 Coptic men and 1 Ghanaian man in orange jumpsuits along a beach shore in Libya and executed them one by one as they refused to reject Christianity and convert. The 21 men went on to be canonized by both the Coptic church (2015) and Catholic church (2023) as Saints for their unwavering faith.

The Arabic letter ن ("n/nun") stands for Nasrani (Nazarene), and has long been used as a term for Christians in the East, as the followers of "Jesus of Nazareth."

Daesh would go on to use "Nasrani" to address the 21 martyrs while in captivity and soon after, to Christians worldwide that would witness their murders.

On the front, a symbol of our resistance and faith, ن ("n/nun") is embroidered with the number 21 honoring our martyrs in Arabic. On the back, at the center of our design, we display ن ("n/nun") as proud members of the "Nation of the Cross." The ن ("n/nun") is adorned in 21 roses; 20 red roses representing the 20 Egyptian Copts martyred and 1 yellow rose representing the Ghanaian martyr.

Each rose symbolizes the beauty in each life that was not just taken but lived. Each of those men were loved, had families, dreams and wants in life and yet when faced with the choice to live without Christ or die for Christ, they chose Him and did so without wavering.

Every year we are reminded of the 21 and how oppression of any kind, towards any group of people is a pitfall that only leads to darkness.

So, let us not take for granted the lives we have and forget the sacrifice of the 21. Their lives deserve to be honored, their final acts of faith venerated, and for the ones they left behind a world that is worthy.

As of 2026 Copts still face daily harassment and discrimination in Egypt by state and non-state actors.

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