Egypt's Christians terrified
Friday, August 16, 2013 » 06:08pm
Egypt's Christians are living in fear after a string of attacks against churches, businesses and homes they say were carried out by angry supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
As police dispersed Morsi supporters from two Cairo squares on Wednesday, attackers torched churches across the country in an apparent response.
'People are terrified; no one dares leave home,' Marco, a 27-year-old engineer, told AFP by phone from the central city of Sohag.
The city has become a ghost town, he said, describing an atmosphere of terror where attackers 'know where the Copts live' and torched several churches before turning to homes.
The Maspero Youth Union, a Coptic Christian youth movement, denounced what it called a 'retaliation war' against the religious minority which makes up around 10 per cent of Egypt's population.
The group accused Morsi supporters of targeting them in response to Coptic Pope Tawadros II's support for the July 3 coup that ousted the Islamist leader.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), a local NGO, says at least 25 churches were torched on Wednesday and Thursday, and that attackers also targeted Christian schools, shops and homes across 10 of Egypt's 27 provinces.
Iraq's Chaldean Christian archbishop Louis Sako told AFP that one of his community's churches was among those targeted on Wednesday.
For Marco, the attacks against the churches were not a surprise - Christian religious buildings have been targeted before.
It was the torching of Coptic Christian homes and the looting of their businesses that shocked him.
The attackers were 'people chanting pro-Morsi slogans and wearing headbands with the phrase 'Muslim Brotherhood' written on them', he said.
The Maspero Youth Union, which documented abuses against Christians during Morsi's one year in office, also laid blame for the attacks on supporters of the ousted leader.
'Copts were attacked in nine governorates, causing panic, losses and destruction for no reason and no crimes they committed except being Christians,' the group said.
Morsi's supporters have often accused Christians of supporting president Hosni Mubarak.
On Thursday, the country's interim army-installed government described attacks on Egypt's Christians as a 'red line' and pledged that authorities would 'respond forcefully' to any new attack.
Shortly afterwards, the defence minister General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the army chief who led the coup, pledged that the military would pay for the rebuilding of the churches attacked on Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, interim prime minister Hazem Beblawi also announced he had met with Coptic Pope Tawadros II to express solidarity in the wake of the attacks.
And state news agency MENA reported that 80 Morsi loyalists had been arrested and turned over to military courts for their alleged involvement in torching churches in Suez province on Wednesday.
The Muslim Brotherhood made its first comment on the attacks on Thursday evening - a condemnation tempered by the assertion that many Copts supported Morsi's ouster.
We need to pray that our brothers and sisters in Egypt have the faith and strength to stand up for the Lord they have committed their lives to.
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you. 2 Thessalonians 3:1
'People are terrified; no one dares leave home,' Marco, a 27-year-old engineer, told AFP by phone from the central city of Sohag.
The city has become a ghost town, he said, describing an atmosphere of terror where attackers 'know where the Copts live' and torched several churches before turning to homes.
The Maspero Youth Union, a Coptic Christian youth movement, denounced what it called a 'retaliation war' against the religious minority which makes up around 10 per cent of Egypt's population.
The group accused Morsi supporters of targeting them in response to Coptic Pope Tawadros II's support for the July 3 coup that ousted the Islamist leader.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), a local NGO, says at least 25 churches were torched on Wednesday and Thursday, and that attackers also targeted Christian schools, shops and homes across 10 of Egypt's 27 provinces.
Iraq's Chaldean Christian archbishop Louis Sako told AFP that one of his community's churches was among those targeted on Wednesday.
For Marco, the attacks against the churches were not a surprise - Christian religious buildings have been targeted before.
It was the torching of Coptic Christian homes and the looting of their businesses that shocked him.
The attackers were 'people chanting pro-Morsi slogans and wearing headbands with the phrase 'Muslim Brotherhood' written on them', he said.
The Maspero Youth Union, which documented abuses against Christians during Morsi's one year in office, also laid blame for the attacks on supporters of the ousted leader.
'Copts were attacked in nine governorates, causing panic, losses and destruction for no reason and no crimes they committed except being Christians,' the group said.
Morsi's supporters have often accused Christians of supporting president Hosni Mubarak.
On Thursday, the country's interim army-installed government described attacks on Egypt's Christians as a 'red line' and pledged that authorities would 'respond forcefully' to any new attack.
Shortly afterwards, the defence minister General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the army chief who led the coup, pledged that the military would pay for the rebuilding of the churches attacked on Wednesday.
On Thursday morning, interim prime minister Hazem Beblawi also announced he had met with Coptic Pope Tawadros II to express solidarity in the wake of the attacks.
And state news agency MENA reported that 80 Morsi loyalists had been arrested and turned over to military courts for their alleged involvement in torching churches in Suez province on Wednesday.
The Muslim Brotherhood made its first comment on the attacks on Thursday evening - a condemnation tempered by the assertion that many Copts supported Morsi's ouster.
We need to pray that our brothers and sisters in Egypt have the faith and strength to stand up for the Lord they have committed their lives to.
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you. 2 Thessalonians 3:1
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