Category Archives: Coptic persecution

Muslims Surround Church in Upper Egypt, Threaten to Kill Priest

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From AINA News:

(AINA) — Hundreds of Muslims surrounded the church of St George today in the village of Beni Ahmed West, 7 KM south of Minya, vowing to kill its priest Father George Thabet, who was serving the morning mass and was locked in the church with a number of parishioners. Security forces arrived five hours later and escorted Father George in a police car to the Coptic Diocese in Minya. “Father George looked as if he was the criminal, leaving his church in a police car.” said one of the eye-witnesses. The Coptic youth who were attending mass remained inside church to defend it from Muslim attacks.

Eyewitnesses reported the Muslim mob, in their white dresses and long beards, chanted “We will kill the priest, we will kill him and no one will prevent us.” One of their leaders said that they will “…cut him to pieces.” Continue Reading →

Clashes between police and Coptic protesters in Minya

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From Al Masry Al Youm:

<p>Coptic protesters blocking Mehwar Road, 7 March, 2011. Copts protest over torching of a church in Atfeeh, Helwan governorate, and hindered traffic. However, armed forces interfered to restore traffic.</p>
Photographed by Mohamed Abdel Wahab

Reuters news agency quoted unconfirmed security sources as saying that three policemen and six Coptic protesters on Wednesday were injured in a clash between the two sides in the southern Egyptian city of Minya.

The agency said the police used batons to beat the protesters, who retaliated against police by throwing stones.

The clashes erupted when the police tried to disperse demonstrators, who blocked a road in protest against the disappearance of two Coptic teenage girls.

The source said the clash took place in front of the Security Directorate, where a thousand Coptic protesters gathered on Tuesday. Hundreds of protesters, who camped out overnight, claimed the girls were abducted by Muslims and forced to convert to Islam.

Former Egyptian Interior Minister Accused of Collusion in Alexandria Church Bombing

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(AINA) — The Egyptian attorney general has reopened the investigation into the bombing of the Two Saints Church in Alexandria on New Year’s Eve, which killed 24 Copts and injured more than 90. On May 25 Coptic Church attorney Joseph Malak presented a petition to the Attorney General to reopen the investigations into the church bombing. The petition accused former Minister of Interior, Habib el-Adly, of criminal responsibility and collusion.

The Attorney General assigned the case to the Supreme State Security Prosecution to question the former Minister of Interior, who is presently in prison on other charges, including ordering the shooting of more than 900 protesters in Tahrir Square on January 28.

“We expect el-Adly to appear for interrogation before prosecution within the next few days,” said Malak in an interview on Egyptian TV. He said that everyone was surprised when in mid April it was reported that all 20 Muslim suspects in the church attack were released and that they had been held as “political detainees.” Continue Reading →

Egypt’s Christians Fear Violence as Changes Embolden Islamists

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The New York Times has noticed. Interesting. The MSM is catching up to the blogosphere it seems. At least in terms of Egypt.Albeit to a limited degree.

Ed Ou for The New York Times
Coptic Christians, many of whom have felt less secure since Egypt’s dictator stepped down, held a sit-in May 19 in Cairo.

By
Published: May 30, 2011

CAIRO — The headline screamed from a venerable liberal newspaper: Coptic Christians had abducted a young Muslim and tattooed her with a cross. “Copts kidnap Raghada!”

Related

Ed Ou for The New York Times

Many Coptic Christians are concerned about persecution or the loss of rights under a predominantly Muslim government.

“They tied me up with ropes, beat me with shoes, shaved my hair,” Raghada Salem Abdel Fattah, 19, declared, “and forced me to read Christian psalms!”

Like many similar stories proliferating here since the revolution, Ms. Abdel Fattah’s kidnapping could not be confirmed. But for members of Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority, the sensational headline — from a respected publisher, no less — served to validate their fear that the Egyptian revolution had made their country less tolerant and more dangerous for religious minorities. The Arab Spring initially appeared to open a welcoming door to the dwindling number of Christian Arabs who, after years of feeling marginalized, eagerly joined the call for democracy and rule of law. But now many Christians here say they fear that the fall of the police state has allowed long-simmering tensions to explode, potentially threatening the character of Egypt, and the region.

“Will Christians have equal rights and full citizenship or not?” asked Sarkis Naoum, a Christian commentator in Beirut, Lebanon. A surge of sectarian violence in Cairo — 24 dead, more than 200 wounded and three churches in flames since President Hosni Mubarak’s downfall — has turned Christian-Muslim tensions into one of the gravest threats to the revolution’s stability. But it is also a pivotal test of Egypt’s tolerance, pluralism and the rule of law. The revolution has empowered the majority but also opened new questions about the protection of minority rights like freedom of religion or expression as Islamist groups step forward to lay out their agendas and test their political might.

Around the region, Christians are also closely watching events in Syria, where as in Egypt Christians and other minorities received the protection of a secular dictator, Bashar al-Assad, now facing his own popular uprising.

“The Copts are the crucial test case,” said Heba Morayef, a researcher with Human Rights Watch here, adding that facing off against “societal pressures” may in some ways be ever harder than criticizing a dictator. “It is the next big battle.” Continue Reading →

Australian Copts put on excellent demonstration asking for basic human rights in Egypt.

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Ozzie Copts know how to do a demo. Warms the heart to see this I find. It also bears remembering, Copts are the original Egyptians The Muslims are invaders and occupiers. The very word ‘Copt’ is Arabic for Egyptian, a hangover from the original attack and invasion of the armies of Mohamed as they slaughtered, raped and pillaged their way across the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa.

Egypt: Over 1000 Muslims attempt to block reopening of church

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Read this in the context of the following post. This is normal. The rest of the world fighting back is, sadly, man bites dog.

Eeyore

From Jihad Watch:

They don’t make the rules, they just go on rampages to enforce them: Islamic law forbids the construction of new churches or the repair of existing ones. And closed churches are expected to stay that way. As usual, the headline does its utmost to make the hatred and violence appear to be a reciprocal affair.

This latest mob intended to send the message: What we decide to break, you must not dare to fix. What we close, you will not re-open. “Muslim-Christian clashes erupt over reopening of church in Egyptian capital,” from the Associated Press, May 19 (thanks to Twostellas):

CAIRO — Muslims and Christians pelted each with stones in a Cairo suburb Thursday over the reopening of a church the former regime closed years ago.

For the rest please click over to Jihad Watch:

Coptics gather to protest against Cairo violence

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From The Australian:

MORE than 5000 Coptic Christians are expected to gather in Sydney’s CBD today in protest over the growing violence against the religious sect in Cairo.

Reports from Cairo say Coptic women and girls have been targeted in a recent spate of kidnappings, rapes and forced conversions to Islam, prompting today’s protest in Sydney.

The Australian Coptic community is calling on the Australian government to push for UN recognition of human rights abuses against their people in Egypt.

Father Bassilious Gad, of St Mary & St Mina’s Coptic Cathedral in Sydney’s southwest, said he also wanted to support his Coptic brothers and sisters currently protesting in Maspero, Cairo, who have been situated outside a national television station for more than two weeks.

Father Gad said he was expecting more than 5000 protesters to congregate today in Sydney.

  • Egypt protest turns violent, over 50 injured The Australian, 5 days ago
  • Military trials for Egypt violence Adelaide Now, 8 May 2011
  • Protest against Egypt Christian governor The Australian, 22 Apr 2011
  • Egypt warns of ‘counter-revolution’ Adelaide Now, 10 Mar 2011
  • 13 killed in Egypt sectarian violence The Australian, 9 Mar 2011

    • Originally the Coptic congregation in Melbourne was to gather outside the Melbourne Museum, which is holding the Tutankhamun exhibition, but this was cancelled due to concerns from the museum’s curators.

    Ten were arrested last week for posting a video believed to have incited the burning of churches in Imbaba

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    Article from link provided by JJK999 under article on current threat to Copts in Egypt:

    From Daily News Egypt:

    An Egyptian Coptic Christian dismantles tents outside the state television building in Cairo on May 19, 2011 before a 12-day protest meant to end was extended, complaining the government failed to live up to a pledge to reopen all churches closed during deadly inter-faith clashes this month. (AFP PHOTO/KHALED DESOUKI)

    By   Heba Fahmy /Daily News Egypt May 19, 2011, 8:50 pm

    CAIRO: Hundreds of Coptic protesters said on Thursday that they would continue their open sit in in-front of the state TV building until the Virgin and Bishop Abram Church in Ain Shams district is re-opened and the Maghagha Diocese in Minya is rebuilt.

    Bishop Mitias Nasr told protesters that according to the priests at the church, police forces attempting to re-open the Virgin and Bishop Abram Church in the afternoon, were impeded by Salafis, ultra-conservative Muslims.

    Security officials told AFP several hundred Muslims and Coptic Christians pelted each other with stones after hardline Islamists showed up at the Ain Shams church to object to its reopening.

    Military police moved in and restored calm, the officials said on condition of anonymity.

    “How is it that the government and the army can’t control some Salafis and reopen a church,” said Coptic protester Emad Rayyan at Maspero.

    For the rest please click the link at the top:

     

    Coptic church surrounded by armed Salafi Muslims:

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    (From Coptic group facebook page)

    a mob of extremists muslims have surrounded a church in the ains shams district of Cairo. Egyptian army so far to date has allowed the crowds to gather around the church was was recently re-opened.

    Breaking News – Hundreds of Salafies with Weapons have surrounded the Church of St Mary in Ein Shams waiting to attack – Priests and Deacons inside the Church – Army looking On! WHAT DO WE DO

    Muslims Attack Christian Protesters in Egypt, Over 100 Injured

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    Assyrian international News agency:

    (AINA) — Muslims attacked Coptic Christian protesters at Maspero thrice on Saturday, killing one and injuring over 100. The first attack occurred near midnight when two bearded Muslims wearing Salafist attire attempted to enter the rally via an entrance that was not guarded by security but by the Christian youth who were checking all persons at the entrance. One or both of the Muslims opened fire with guns. One escaped and the other was apprehended by the Christian youth and subsequently handed over to the police. His identity papers showed that he was called Ramadan Abdallah, graduate of al-Azhar high school.

    At the same time another Muslim group was attacking the protesters from the bridge overlooking the site where the sit-in is staged. According to eyewitness Emad Abdelmalak from Assuit, who was also injured, a minibus stopped at the bridge overlooking the sit-in site, a dozen men came out of it carrying Molotov cocktails and stones. He said the Salafis were very organized, they came in minibus, attacked and disappeared.

    Five Christians were shot, one seriously in the eye, in these two attacks, said Father Mettias Nasr, one of the Rally organizers, to Al Ahram newspaper.

    The third attack occurred at nearly 1 AM when the Muslims of Boulak, a poor area near Maspero, came with guns and Molotov cocktails. They surrounded the Christians on all sides and fired guns and threw Molotov cocktails at them. Scores of Christians were severely injured and taken away to the Coptic Hospital. A boat in the Nile belonging to the TV authorities was completely torched.

    (video changes to English after 20 seconds)

    Hannan, a Copt who was working at the rally canteen, told Coptic activist Mariam Ragy “We were shocked when we heard shots, and Molotov cocktails, empty bottles and stones were hurled at the crowds.” Continue Reading →

    AINA.ORG does the story on the woman who called in to Al Jazeera claiming to be the ‘kidnapped Muslim revert’

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    (AINA) — The unprovoked attack by Muslim Salafis on Copts in Embaba on May 7, which killed 14, injured 232 and destroyed two churches, was sparked by a Muslim man, Yassin Thabet, allegedly searching for his wife, who he claims was held captive and tortured by a church in Embaba, Giza (AINA 5-8-2011). The woman was later identified as Ms Abeer Talaat, a Christian from Assiut in Upper Egypt, who converted to Islam in September 2010. Although still waiting for the divorce from her Christian husband to come through, she was also unofficially married to Yassin Thabet, a Muslim driver she knew from her village, and lived with him in Benha since her conversion to Islam, according the official Al-Ahram newspaper.

    In the last few days a woman claiming to be Abeer Talaat gave several conflicting audio interviews to the media, never in person, except for the first one made with the radical Islamic al-Jamaa Islamia in Egypt.

    In Abeer’s first interview she claimed that after her conversion to Islam, her family handed her over to the Church in Assuit, where she was transferred from church to church until she was brought to St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abasiyya, Cairo. “They pressured me to abandon Islam and I pretended to agree because I was afraid they would harm me,” Abeer said. She went on to say she was placed in a special home which was like a prison with iron windows, near St. Mina Church. “Only a nun was to open the door just to provide me with food. They wanted to force me to change my papers in the civil registry to reflect reverting back to Christianity.

    She said she called Yassin Thabet to save her.

    In all other subsequent audio interviews on TV, she made changes to her original story, confirming she was not tortured in any church, and that she was at St. Mina’s church and left when the fighting took place. In her last interview with Al-Jazeera the interviewer challenged her with questions, especially inquiring whether she stayed at the church by her own free will or not. She refused to answer this question. The full transcript of the interview is below.

    “With every interview she wanted to prove, through lies and allegations, that the church abducts Christian converts to Islam, locks them in churches and monasteries and tortures them until they agree to revert back to Christianity,” said Coptic activist Mark Ebeid, “which is what the Salafis have claimed over the last year in their protests for Camelia Shehata, the wife of the Coptic priest (AINA 9-18-2010), as an excuse to search these churches.”

    Father Freij Fahmi, priest of St Mina Church denied Abeer’s allegations, adding that “the church does not detain anyone and our doors are always open. Besides if she came out of the church as she claims, why did she not identify herself to those who attacked the church and who were looking for her, so that they would have calmed down and stayed away from the church and all those Christians would not have been killed.”

    Ali Abdel Rahman, the governor of Giza, said after investigation “There is no woman held captive in the Saint Mina Church in Embaba.” Mohamed Ali, Imam of al-Toba mosque in Embaba, told elYoum7 on Sunday “the story is a lie.” Ali said he spoke Yassin Thabet before he went to church and he seemed to him “hesitant and illogical.” Yesterday the fact-finding committee of the National Council for Human Rights gave their report on the Embaba violence and among its findings it said that they could not verify Abeer Talaat’s claims.

    In an article titled “Never mind about Camelia, take Abeer”, published today Almasry Alyoum, renowned writer Khaled Montasar suggested that after the Islamists lost the case of Camelia Shehata, the priest’s wife who they claimed had converted to Christianity and was being held against her will by the church, they manufactured another “victim” in the person of Abeer Talaat. Camelia came out of her self-imposed seclusion to confirm that she is a Christian and she never converted to Islam.

    Yesterday forty six Islamist lawyers filed a complaint with the Attorney against Pope Shenouda III, demanding the Pope open churches and monasteries for inspection to verify of the existence of weapons, and illegal places for the detention of citizens.

    This evening it was reported that Ms Abeer Talaat is to be detained for a fortnight, and may be charged, pending investigations, with incitement to sedition, claiming to be unmarried and instigating the events which caused killing of civilians in the clashes that took place between Muslims and Christians.

    Here is the video of the Al Jazeera TV show the call came into. Below, the transcript:

    Continue Reading →

    Al Jazeera interview with the alleged Christian convert to Islam, who was the excuse Muslims used to murder, loot, burn and injure Egyptian Christians

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    This is a very important story. If you read back on Vlad, (I will try and dig up the links) over the past couple of weeks, you will see stories of how marches and riots have taken place in Cairo, all because a Christian women, who is said to have converted to Islam to marry a Muslim was supposedly kidnapped by her former Christian community and held in a Coptic church for three months. incommunicado. This is apparently her, speaking to news people at Al Jazeera explaining the situation.

    Clearly the news people find her story doubtful and even seem dubious that this is indeed the woman who she claims to be, as she is lacking rather critical knowledge about her own background and circumstances.

    The translation comes from Mary Abdelmassih over at AINA.ORG for whom I am deeply grateful for the chance to serve her community, true martyrs to their faith and genuine victims of a hotile resurgent Islam.

    Egypt: Situation Deteriorating Badly and Rapidly

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    Thanks Richard for the tip.

    From Pajamas Media:

    In the wake of bloody Muslim attacks on Egyptian Christians, the New York Times informs us:

    “By lifting the heavy hand of the Mubarak police state, the revolution unleashed long-suppressed sectarian animosities that have burst out with increasing ferocity….”

    No kidding! Did you think a single Egyptian Christian didn’t know this in February? Why didn’t the media report or the U.S. government understand that this was absolutely inevitable and predictable? But the only mentions of Christians were to claim that they were really enthusiastic about the revolution.

    The remaining Christians in most of the Arabic-speaking world may be on the edge of flight or extinction. All of the Christians have left the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip which is, in effect, an Islamist republic. They are leaving the West Bank. Half have departed from an increasingly Islamist-oriented Iraq where they are under terrorist attack. Within a few years they might all be gone.

    In Lebanon, while the Christians are holding their own, there is a steady emigration. As for Syria, the community has generally supported the Assad regime fearing a revolutionary Islamist replacement. One dissident recalled that as he was being beaten in a Syrian prison a few years ago, the police yelled at him, “Why are you doing this? You’re a Christian!”

    Egypt has more Christians than Israel’s entire population. There have been numerous attacks, with the latest in Cairo leaving 12 dead, 220 wounded, and two churches burned. The Western media generally attributes this to inter-religious battles. Yet Egypt’s Christians, so totally outnumbered and not having any access to the power of the state, have generally kept a low profile.

    It is hard to believe that gangs of Christians go out and attack Muslims, especially when the fighting revolves around mobs attacking churches. “How can they say we started it when we are defending our church?” asked one Christian. That makes sense.

    For the rest of this very important article please click the link at the top:

    Cairo’s Copts organize militias for self-defense

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    Ahmed Zaki Osman

    Sun, 08/05/2011 – 20:22 From Al Mazri Al Youm

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    Members of the Coptic community in the working-class neighborhood of Imbaba in northwest Cairo are forming militias for self-defense after recent sectarian clashes left 12 dead and hundreds injured.

    Copts in Imbaba, who expect more clashes in coming months, say they have organized small groups to protect churches as well as homes and businesses owned by Copts.

    The clashes broke out Saturday night after a group of Muslims attempted to storm a church under the pretext of rescuing a Muslim woman who converted to Christianity. A second church was set on fire.

    A small group of Copts who gathered near the US Embassy in Cairo on Sunday called for international protection of Egypt’s Christian community and criticized the government for not doing more to protect them.

    Sunday night, thousands of protesters staged a sit-in front of the state TV building calling for immediate investigation into the clashes and church burning.

    Tens of Copts gathered inside the church at the center of the clashes while the army blocked nearby streets.

    “We haven’t slept since yesterday,” said Raouf Naguib, a young man inside the Saint Mina Church. “We are gathered here to protect our church even with the presence of the army.”

    This is the second time in recent years that Copts have taken up arms to protect religious sites. In 2008, Copts defended the Abu Fana Monastery in the Western Desert after it was attacked.

    Erian Aziz, a retired military officer, said that he tried to negotiate with the mob and convince it that the church was not hiding anyone, but he was unsuccessful.

    “The angry Muslim mob grew larger and we heard the sound of bullets from every corner and then they started to attack the church and Copt-owned stores,” Aziz said. Continue Reading →