Report from Egypt: Violent clashes outside Al-Marshada Church in Upper Egypt

The following report has no link for reference. It was in an email to me from Asaad Alepti, an Egyptian Copt activist now living in Australia. Typically his information is quite reliable.

Eeyore for Vlad

UPDATE: AINA

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Violent clashes have erupted between security forces and lawless Muslim protesters outside Al-Marshada Church in Upper Egypt, as police attempted to arrest individuals storming the building, following the alleged sexual assault of a six-year-old Muslim girl by a Coptic man.

As the violence mounted, an Al-Marshada village Imam Sheikh Ali Hafez called on local youth to form security committees to prevent looters from breaking into shops owned by Coptic Christians.

Al-Marshada church, which is located in Qena governorate, closed its doors Friday morning pre-empting another attack by the angry protesters who marched to the church following Friday’s prayers.

The church had already been raided at dawn and a number of shops in the village were torched by Muslims who claimed that a 45-year-old Coptic shop owner molested a six-year-old Muslim girl.

However, a number of the Muslim villagers deny the accusations saying that the shop owner has been always friendly to the young girl and treated her as his own child. Eyewitnesses further added that the false accusations were circulated by the girl’s salafists neighbours and not by her family, the salafists in the area object to the prescence of any churches in the district stating “a mosque will be built in its place”. Muslims in the distriict have also been warned against befriending or trading with the “Coptic infidels.”

Bishop Kirollos of Naga Hamadi told Al-Ahram Arabic language news website that the young girl has received a medical check-up and it was proven that she is still a virgin.

Bishop Kirollos added that the priests have handed the accused shop owner over to the police for his own protection, as they feared he will be killed.

“The terrified priests have locked the doors of the church in fear of further attempts to raid the building,” said Kirollos who added that some protesters have repeatedly tried to break through the security barrier surrounding the church and threatened to kill the priests.

Security forces have been blocking the entrances and exits of Al-Marshada village and the church all day in an attempt to avoid further clashes.

Meanwhile, head of security in Qena Salah Mozeed said that investigations are ongoing, adding that the girl’s family will be brought in for questioning.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

11 Replies to “Report from Egypt: Violent clashes outside Al-Marshada Church in Upper Egypt”

  1. Brother of Al-Qaeda chief at Cairo anti-France demo

    CAIRO: The brother of Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri joined dozens of Egyptian Islamists in a protest Friday near the French embassy in Cairo against French intervention in Mali.

    Mohammed al-Zawahiri took part in the demonstration during which protesters accused Paris of being “at war against Islam”.

    Some protesters held up signs reading “Stop the war in Mali” while others chanted slogans against French President Francois Hollande: “Horrible Hollande. The blood of Muslims is not cheap.”

    Riot police deployed around the embassy and kept the protesters at bay.

    French forces are engaged in battles alongside the Malian army to stop the advances of Islamist rebels who have controlled northern Mali since April and have since pushed south into government-held territory.

    http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jan-18/202821-brother-of-qaeda-chief-at-cairo-anti-france-demo.ashx