The unrest in Egypt has and is still causing a lot of troubles for people, no matter to what religion they belong. Supporters of the ousted Egyptian president have attacked several churches in places like Dilga, Sohag and Menya, despite the security forces which were backed up by armored cars and huge bulldozers, stormed their way through the protest camps which had been set up outside a mosque in Cairo, Rabaa-al-Adawiya.
Muslims and other people belonging to other faiths had always existed, in harmony, with each other. However, this peacefulness took a sharp turn, in July – after Morsi was ousted. Ever since then, several Coptic churches were severely attacked. In Menya, the Churches of Abraham and the Virgin Mary were burnt ruthlessly, after supporters of Morsi had set the building, on fire; while the doors of the Church were smashed and broken. One of the leading newspapers, Russia Today, had reported that almost about 1,000 pro-Morsi protesters actively participated in the attack; before they were dispersed by the use of teargas, which was done by the police officers.
Another Church in Sohag called Mar Gergiss was also attacked by firebombs, which were thrown on it by the Muslim Brotherhood memebers. Sohag is one city with a large number of Coptic Christians, which make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s 84 million population.
Similar destruction was done to another church called Bon Pasteur Catholic Church and Monastery, which is in Suez. This church was attacked by Molotov cocktails, which set the church on fire. The windows and doors were also broken down. Christians in Egypt, obviously, no longer feel safe. They are hiding themselves in their homes, refusing to come out. There is no army or armed forces, in their area, which would provide them with security. The cries and concerns of these bewildered Christians are being ignored, consequently creating a very panicky situation for them.
Many journalists, who are risking their lives to cover these horrific and barbarous events have also suffered, heavily. Habiba Abdel Aziz, the Egypt correspondent of the GulfNews newspaper was killed by a sniper fire in Cairo.
The Christian community is terrified of these constant attacks on their churches, and with good reason. They feel they have nowhere to go and can only look up to God and pray for help. They also believe that those who are responsible for these attacks, can attack someone else’s faith, so it is just not about Christianity. They are unsure of their future and especially of the future of their children.
Who is responsible for these attacks, is another issue in itself. The Freedom and Justice Party which serves as the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood denies taking responsibility for these events. They say they are against such attacks so that they would not even consider attacking the Christians or their faith, verbally. God knows the best. People now long for peace and hope to live a happy and indifferent life.
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