Sunday, August 18, 2013

Islamist Persecution of Christians in Egypt

Photo: The altar of St. George Coptic orthodox church in Assuit after it has been attacked by Muslim Brotherhood
The altar of St. George Coptic orthodox church in Assuit after it has been attacked by Muslim Brotherhood

From The Huffington Post - "Egypt: Islamists Hit Coptic Christian Churches, Torch Franciscan School." 


  • After torching a Franciscan school, Islamists paraded three nuns on the streets like "prisoners of war" before a Muslim woman offered them refuge. 
  • Two other women working at the school were sexually harassed and abused as they fought their way through a mob.
  • Islamists have attacked dozens of Coptic churches along with homes and businesses owned by the Christian minority.
  • Christians have long suffered from discrimination and violence in Muslim majority Egypt.
  • Nearly 40 churches have been looted and torched, while 23 others have been attacked and heavily damaged since Wednesday.
  • While the Christians of Egypt have endured attacks by extremists, they have drawn closer to moderate Muslims in some places, in a rare show of solidarity.
  • Police have melted away from seven of the region's nine districts, leaving the extremists to act with near impunity.
  • Two Christians have been killed since Wednesday, including a taxi driver who strayed into a protest by Morsi supporters in Alexandria and another man who was shot to death by Islamists in the southern province of Sohag.
  • In Fayoum, an oasis province southwest of Cairo, Islamists looted and torched five churches, according to Bishop Ibram, the local head of the Coptic Orthodox church, by far the largest of Egypt's Christian denominations. He said he had instructed Christians and clerics alike not to try to resist the mobs of Islamists, fearing any loss of life.
I have a friend who is a Coptic leader in Egypt. He has posted the following on his Facebook page.

"I want to tell those people who are mourning for their losses to remember what God said: " Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (Rom 6:4).. So we are going to meet them in heaven someday, and we too might walk in newness of life."

"For sure we as Christian have to pray and raise our hands to the Lord to have Mercy our beloved Egypt. But also as long as we live in this world we must understand what is around us. I'm so sorry for the ugly truth which is very obvious for even the ignorant , that some people and some of the countries are just thinking about their benefits of the instability of  our blessed country Egypt. To know more about which side those countries are supporting strongly look at this video, when the Muslim brotherhood killed many of the officers in Kerdassa, May the Lord have mercy upon Egypt from those Terrorists either inside or outside Egypt. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2k1vr9UWhQ"

- بكل تأكيد كمسيحيين لا بد ان نصلي من اجل ما يحدث في مصر ، ونرفع ايادينا الي السماء لكي ما يرحم الرب مصرنا العزيزة. ولكن بما اننا نحيا في هذا العالم ، لا بد ان نفهم ما يدور حولنا . وانني ااسف جدا للحقيقة المرة التي تظهر للكل ، ان هناك بعض الناس وبعض الدول تفكر في استفادتها من عدم استقرار دولة قد باركها الرب مثل مصر . و تستطيع ان تعرف في اي جهة تقف هذه الدول من هذا الفيديو الذي قتل فيه ضباط شرطة وتم التمثيل بجثثهم، هل تصدقهم عندما يقولون انهم يساندون حقوق الانسان ؟؟؟ . ليرحم الله مصر من هؤلاء الاشرار القتلة ومن هذه الدول المنافقة الكاذبة . . 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2k1vr9UWhQ

"We pray from deep in our hearts for the families where someone has died in the last few days, either from our brothers Muslims or Christians. and we ask for all the condolences and comfort from heaven."

- نحن نصلي بحرارة من اجل العائلات التي فقدت لها احدا خلال الايام القليلة الماضية ، سواء من اخوتنا المسلمين او من المسيحيين . ونسأل التعزية من السماء للجميع

"40 churches have been burnt and damaged by Muslim Brotherhood supporters all over ‪#‎Egypt‬ in 24 hours !!"

"My only consolation is in my spirit, the assurance that their glorification and the victory of their testimony is great and will abide unto the ages of ages, 'who loved not their lives unto death', for whom the 'better resurrection' has been reserved. 
'The Lord reigns.' 
'Destroy this temple . . and I will raise it up in three days.'"

***
Pray for Egypt today.