Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Egypt's Coptic Christians fear the future

CAIRO – For a third day in a row, Egypt’s Coptic Christians demonstrated in front of the state TV building in central Cairo Tuesday against the military government they blame for failing to prevent the destruction of a church in weekend clashes.

For Coptic Christians, the attack was just the latest in a series of events that have made them feel increasingly vulnerable, threatened and worried about whether Egypt’s post-revolution future includes them.

Apparently, a romantic dispute sparked violent clashes on Saturday evening. Security officials said Monday that a Christian woman reportedly had an affair with a Muslim man. She then allegedly disappeared, which led the man to spread rumors that Christian clergy had snatched her and were holding her prisoner at Saint Mena Church in Imbaba, a working-class neighborhood of Cairo, because she converted to Islam.

Eyewitnesses say the clashes began when a group of Salafists, Muslims who practice Islamic fundamentalism, gathered outside the church. Although the parishioners denied the allegation that the woman was captive inside, the church came under attack and was burned, along with a neighboring church and some Christian-owned buildings. The clash left 12 dead (six Muslims, four Coptic Christians and two others); hundreds were injured and almost 200 arrested.

The Copts insist that the military and state security showed up late and did nothing to intervene. Although the government has transferred those arrested to military court for immediate trial and has decided to activate all laws criminalizing attacks on houses of worship, Copts feel the military government has not doing enough to protect their communities and churches.

'Islamists want to take power'
Egypt is 10 percent Christian, and Copts see the attacks targeting Christians since the revolution as an attempt by Islamists to terrorize them into leaving. Many believe Islamists want a country, and ultimately a region, free of non-Muslims. They fear that if Egyptians elect a predominantly Islamist parliament in September, the new government will widen the scope of Islamic law.

“The revolution was white, and now it has turned black because the Islamists want to take power and control the country,” said protester Marcelino Youssef said during Monday’s protests. “We are waiting to see which way the government will go, in the right direction or the wrong direction. Will the military government remain silent as usual? If they don’t take the right road, Egypt will be lost. There is no safety for Christians here, and the leaders move too slowly to solve the problems.”
Read the rest here.

2 comments:

Jon Marc said...

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/11899/Egypt/Politics-/No-more-discriminatory-laws-against-churches-in-Eg.aspx

Nathan L Hollenbeck said...

Two out of every three Christians in the Middle East are Copts in Egypt. Now is our last and best chance to see a community in the Middle East with enough critical mass to be self-sustaining and vibrant. I’m more convinced than ever about the urgency of supporting the Orthodox Church in Egypt, especially in light of everything that has happened in Egypt this month.

I have the blessing of working with Coptic Orphans, an Orthodox organization that operates primarily through about 350 church-based volunteers who visit the homes of the fatherless and widow in their areas. These volunteers connect them to various resources to break the cycle of poverty. I do it because as an Orthodox believer in America, I want to strengthen the Body of Christ in Egypt, so that the local church is best able to be salt and light in Egyptian society.

Coptic Orphans speaks in churches about the situation in Egypt and I can help arrange that if you give me a call at 703-641-8910. I personally have chosen to sponsor a child in Egypt through Coptic Orphans.