Category Archives: Coptic persecution

Coptic Church Condemns Attack, Muslims Pelt Funeral Procession With Bricks

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My question:

Of the 1.5 quatrillion octadillion Muslims I am always hearing about, did even one of them get the ‘religion of peace’ memo?

From AINA

(AINA) — The Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt issued a statement on October 10, expressing horror at the events of yesterday in Maspero, where 24 Copts were killed and over 200 wounded. The church stressed that the Christian faith rejects violence. The church blasted the government for failing to find solutions to “problems that occur repeatedly and go unpunished.” The Church demanded from all Copts to fast continuously for three days starting tomorrow “in order to have peace in Egypt.”

Some interpreted this demand, which the church has made only three times in its long history, as a way to implore “God’s help for the Copts,” commented Coptic activist and writer Nader Shoukry.

In Cairo, thousands of Copts marched to attend the funeral of the victims of what they termed the “October 9 Military Massacre.” They congregated in front of the Coptic hospital where most of the dead and injured were transported, and which was attacked the night before by Muslims, who hurled bricks and Molotov Cocktails at the victims’ families.

A funeral service presided by Pope Shenouda III was held for the Copts killed in Maspero, at 11 AM at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbasiya, Cairo, and was attended by over 10,000 Copts. The funeral was for five Copts only, as the rest of the victims are awaiting for autopsies, on the advice of Coptic lawyers. “This is to safeguard the rights of the dead,” said attorney Dr. Ehab Ramzy, “otherwise the families could lose their case. We need proof.”

After the funeral, while still inside the Cathedral, the enraged Copts chanted “down with the junta rule and down with Tantawi.”

According to priests and Coptic lawyers who were present at the Coptic Hospital, where the victims were brought, the death certificates issued by the authorities were misleading and did not reflect the true cause of death, which might let the assailants get away with the crime. Certificates showed the cause of death as being “stab wounds” and “cardiac arrest caused by fear.”

The families insisted on having the autopsies done, which were carried out on 17 bodies lying in the Coptic hospital. Independent doctors observed those who came from the Public Morgue to carry out the autopsies.

 

 

Dr. Maged Lewis, a director at the Forensic Medicine Institute, commented that he had never seen corpses in this deplorable state before. “Bodies were mashed and bones were crushed; many had fractures and laceration of the intestines; while in others, death was caused by gun shots.”

Eyewitnesses reported the army disposed of nine bodies by throwing them in the Nile. Two bodies remain unidentified, making the number of killed uncertain. Continue Reading →

Ezra Levant on the Egyptian massacre of the Copts plus some shocking new evidence of Egyptian army murders

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Ezra Levant does an excellent analysis with a guest on the events in Cairo the other day:

here is a clip from youtube, which I enhanced one sequence of, where Egyptian soldiers are clearly firing on fleeing civilians, likely Copts

BBC clip: fairly good one on the events of Oct 9 Cairo 2011

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My prediction? The government of Egypt will have little choice as they see it, but to blame the unrest on Israel and perhaps the US as well. They are already hinting at “foreign influence” in these events which I believe is likely true. Iran almost certainly is behind these attacks on the Copts etc. The question is, will Egypt have the raw guts to admit that, or take a populist position and blame Israel and perhaps American Jews or something very much like that.

Looks a lot like Muslims attacked a peaceful Coptic demonstration over how they are being slaughtered and burned down everywhere

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http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/10/2011109155853144870.html

4:34 PM
Al-Jazeera’s Rawya Rageh, reporting from Cairo, said “utter chaos” prevailed in the centre of the capital.

Rageh said: “It was supposed to be a peaceful protest, demanding that Coptic rights should be fulfilled. But it soon escalated into violence, with people on balconies pelting the demonstrators with stones, clearly disagreeing with the cause of the Coptic demonstrators.”

The Christian protesters said their demonstration began as a peaceful attempt to sit in at the television building. But then, they said they came under attack by thugs in plainclothes who rained stones down on them and fired pellets.

“The protest was peaceful. We wanted to hold a sit-in, as usual,” Essam Khalili, a protester wearing a white shirt with a cross drawn on it, said.

“Thugs attacked us and a military vehicle jumped over a sidewalk and ran over at least 10 people. I saw them.”

Wael Roufail, another protester, corroborated the account.

“I saw the vehicle running over the protesters. Then they opened fired at us,” he said.

STRATFOR: update on Coptic protests now riots

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Something tells me full on war between Muslims and non-Muslims is starting in Egypt. We in the west better watch closely. This war will know no geographical borders as we nationalists see them.

Egypt: Update On Cairo Violence

October 9, 2011

Seventeen people have been killed and more than 100 injured in the Oct. 9 clashes in Cairo between Coptic Christians and Egyptian security forces, Egyptian state TV reported. Al Arabiya reported that at least 14 had been killed.

 

Christians fear Islamist pressure in Egypt

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From Yahoo.com

CAIRO (AP) — On her first day to school, 15-year-old Christian student Ferial Habib was stopped at the doorstep of her new high school with clear instructions: either put on a headscarf or no school this year.

Habib refused. While most Muslim women in Egypt wear the headscarf, Christians do not, and the move by administrators to force a Christian student to don it was unprecedented. For the next two weeks, Habib reported to school in the southern Egyptian village of Sheik Fadl every day in her uniform, without the head covering, only to be turned back by teachers.

One day, Habib heard the school loudspeakers echoing her name and teachers with megaphones leading a number of students in chants of “We don’t want Ferial here,” the teenager told The Associated Press. Continue Reading →

Egyptian blogger, imprisoned and hungry, is steadfast in his protest of regime

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Yes, the military DID do virginity tests on women in Tahir sq.

From CNN

By Shahira Amin, for CNN
October 6, 2011 — Updated 1536 GMT (2336 HKT)

Egyptian protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square in September, to express anger over the military rulers' handling of the transition.
Egyptian protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square in September, to express anger over the military rulers’ handling of the transition.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad is on a hunger strike in an Egyptian prison
  • He was arrested in March, accused of “insulting the military” and spreading false information
  • He’d said military gave virginity tests to protesters in Tahrir Square, which it later admitted
  • Rights groups are protesting Sanad’s imprisonment, and he continues protest as health fails

(CNN) — Time is running out for imprisoned Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad. He has been on a hunger strike since August 23 to protest his confinement for comments he made about the military on Facebook and in his blog.

Sanad’s family fears he may not survive until his appeal hearing next week. The hearing had originally been scheduled for October 4, the 43rd day of his hunger strike, but was adjourned until October 11 after a judge said that documents were “missing from the courtroom.”

Sanad’s lawyer Negad el Borei said he believes the postponement is intentionally signaling “a possible lack of interest in saving Maikel’s life.” The case raises questions about how things have really changed in Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak was forced out by pro-democracy protesters nearly eight months ago.

Sanad, 26, was arrested on March 28 on charges of “insulting the military establishment and spreading false information about the military.” He had accused the military of conducting virginity tests on female protesters in Tahrir Square — a charge that a senior military general later admitted was true. Continue Reading →

Attacks against Coptic churches, part of a plan to expel Egypt’s Christians

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From ASIANEWS.IT

In Upper Egypt, Salafis attack two churches are in less than three days. A plan hatched in Saudi Arabia would see Egypt come under an Islamic regime without any place for other religions.

Cairo (AsiaNews) – Recent attacks against Coptic churches in Merinab (Aswan) and Elmadmar (Sohag) are part of a strategy promoted by Saudi Arabia to use its petrodollars to bring the country under a radical Islamic regime, sources in Cairo told AsiaNews. The latter are fearful of a mass exodus by Egypt’s minority Christians.

On Sunday in Merinab (Aswan, Upper Egypt), more than 3,000 Muslims, incited by their local imam, set fire to the local Coptic church after they accused Christians of building it without a permit.

On Monday, a group of Muslims in Elmadmar, (Sohag province, Upper Egypt) tried to tear down Saint Mary Church, but were repulsed by police sent to rescue the Christian community. However, none of the attackers were arrested.

Today, about 500 Christians demonstrated in front of the Governatorate building in Bani Suef (Aswan) demanding the reconstruction of the church of Merinab and the governor’s resignation.

Sources say Egypt’s military is powerless against attacks by Salafis who use money and promises to turn people in the poorest regions of the country against Christians.

The extremist group is spreading across the Middle East, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, and Lebanon.

Salafis are taking advantage of the region’s instability to get caretaker governments to impose their ideology based on Sharia and Islam’s supremacy on other religions.

According to a recent report cited by the Assyrian News Agency (Aina), about 100,000 Christians have already left the country since Mubarak’s fall.

“The figure is an exaggeration,” sources told AsiaNews, “but many Copts are indeed leaving the country. In Upper Egypt, but also Cairo and Alexandria, many parish churches lay empty. People are afraid and believe that if the Muslim Brotherhood wins, there will be no place for Christians in the country.” (S.C.)

Assyrian International News Agency: Another Church in Egypt Attacked By Muslims

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AINA) — On Monday, October 3, Muslims surrounded St. Mary’s Church in the Upper Egyptian village of Elmadmar, Tema district, Sohag province, in an effort to demolish it. The Muslims blocked the road to the church and hurled bricks at the building. Church personnel contacted the authorities. “For the first time, security came and in big numbers,” said activist George Bouchra.

None of the assailants were arrested.

According to the priest of the church, Muslims came early before 8 AM and held banners with “No to the Church” and demanded that no prayers be held. He described the assailants as young people under the leadership of some village Muslims, “whom I know by name.”

The Muslims insisted that it was never a church but a house that was turned into a church. This was refuted by the priest, who said the church was built eight years ago, to be used as a church and belongs to the Coptic Diocese. “It has state security approval to operate, but its license is still pending.” The church was used once a month and a mass has been held every Saturday for five months. Muslims claim that we hold a mass every day at 4 PM, and we ring the church bell, which the church does not have, besides singing hymns, which they claim disturbs them.”

Although, Elmadmar is inhabited by 15,000 Christians, it has only one other church on the other side of the village, which also serves neighboring villages.

“The problem in Elmadmar village has been brewing for some time,” said Bouchra. “We have been watching it for some time now.” He added that in spite of the current calm and the presence of the security forces one cannot be optimistic, because the Muslims are still insisting that the church should be closed.

By Mary Abdelmassih
http://www.aina.org/news/20111004183833.htm

Muslim Mob Torches Coptic Church in Egypt

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Wait I think I know how to fix this problem. We can let Obama praise people who lie about it to everyone. That should do it. After all, this has worked consistently in the past right?

From Australian Coptic Movement

 

Posted by Sarah on October 2nd, 2011
mobs-in-egypt-300x170After Friday prayers today, a mob of several thousand Muslims from the village of Elmarinab in Edfu, Aswan province, demolished and torched St. George’s church, which was being renovated. The mob demolished the dome, walls and columns, then went to the church depot where the lumber to be used for construction was stored and torched it. The fire lasted 2 hours but the attack continued until 7 PM.In an interview on Coptic TV channel, Father Salib of St. George’s Church said “the Imam of one of the village mosques called on the people to take matter in their own hands, he added. Other witnesses named the Imam as Sheikh Sabry.

According to eyewitnesses the Muslims also torched a large depot of electrical goods owned by a Copt, a supermarket and four Coptic homes. Muslims prevented the fire brigade from entering the village. Security forces, which were present, “stood there watching,” said Mr.Michael Ramzy, a social worker at the church.

Dr. Naguib Gabriel, head of the Egyptian Union of Human rights Organizations send an urgent message to field Marchall Tantawi to save the Copts in Egypt. “The Copts, their lives and their churches are in danger,” he said.

Attorney Mamdouh Nakhla, head of Al-Kalema human rights organization condemned Muslims taking the law in their own hands. He said “if the Egyptian Government is unable to protect its citizens, then the civilized international society should step in immediately to stop this human tragedy.”

The Media denied the incident. Mostafa el Sayed, Governor of Aswan, appeared on State TV tonight and denied any church being torched. He said it was a “guest home” and not a church. El Sayed said he gave his permission for the building to be 9 meters high, but the church contractor made it 13 meters high. “The contractor was slow in removing the 4 meters, so the Muslim youths took the matter into their hand.” He said the fire was in a depot of the church which had the construction lumber. Continue Reading →

Hard-line Muslims in Egypt Attack Coptic Church, Homes

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Oct 1 2011

From Compass Direct

Throng of 3,000, including Salafists, burn Christian-owned houses, businesses. CAIRO, Egypt, September 30 (CDN) — A group of hard-line Muslims attacked a church building in Upper Egypt this afternoon, torching the structure and then looting and burning nearby Christian-owned homes and businesses.

The 3,000-strong mob of hard-line and Salafi Muslims gutted the Mar Gerges Church in the Elmarenab village of Aswan, then demolished much of its remains, multiple witnesses at the scene said. The mob also razed four homes near the church and two businesses, all Christian-owned.

Looting was also reported.Michael Ramzy, a villager in Elmarenab, said the attack started shortly after Muslims held their afternoon prayers.

“Imams in more than 20 mosques called for crowds to gather and destroy the church and demolish the houses of the Copts and loot their properties,” Ramzy told local media. Continue Reading →