And this from Egypt as of 7 pm Saturday evening, reporting 44 churches harmed:
Until 7pm this afternoon,
the following churches and Coptic-owned institutions in Egypt had been burned
at the hands of Islamists. Chronologically:Three churches and six buildings at the monastery
of the Holy Virgin and Anba Abra’am in Dalga, Minya, Upper EgyptThe church of Mar-Mina in the district of
Abu-Hilal in the town of MinyaThe bishopric church of Mar-Girgis (St George) in
Sohag, Upper EgyptThe church of the Holy Virgin in Nazla, Fayoum,
Lower EgyptThe Baptist church in Beni-Mazar, MinyaCoptic-owned shops in Gumhouriya Street in
Assiut, Upper EgyptThe Good Shepherd School in SuezThe Fransiscan School in SuezThe Holy Bible Society in FayoumThe church of al-Amir Tawadros (St Theodore) in
FayoumThe church of the Holy Virgin in the district of
Abu-Hilal in the town of MinyaThe Catholic church of St Mark, MinyaThe Jesuit church in Abu-Hilal, MinyaThe church of Mar-Morqos (St Mark) and its
community centre, Sohag18 houses of Coptic families in Dalga, Minya,
including the home of Father Angaelus Melek of the Holy Virgin and Anba
Abra’am’sThe Evangelical church on Nassara Street in
Abu-Hilal, MinyaThe church of Anba Moussa al-Aswad in MinyaCoptic-owned shops, pharmacies, and a doctor’s
clinic in MinyaThe Jesuit church in Minya (attacked, not burned)The St Fatima Basilica in Cairo (attacked, not
burned)St Joseph’s School in Minya (attacked, not
burned)The Nile boat al-Dahabiya, owned by the
Evangelical Church in MinyaCoptic-owned shops, pharmacy, and hotels on
Karnak Street and Cleopatra Street in Luxor (attacked and looted)The church of Mar-Girgis (St George) in Wasta
(attacked)The church of St Michael on Nemeis Street in
Assiut, Upper EgyptThe Adventist church in Assiut; the pastor and
his wife were both kidnappedThe Greek church in SuezThe church of Mar-Girgis in AssiutCoptic houses on Qulta Street in Assiut attackedThe church of Mar-Girgis (St George) in Arish,
North SinaiThe church of St Dimiana and the Evangelical
church in the village of Zerbi in FayoumThe offices of the Evangelical foundation in
Minya, and those of Umm al-Nour in Beni-Mazar, MinyaThe church of Anba Antonius in Kerdassa, GizaThe bishopric church in Etfeeh, Giza
In addition to the attacks against the Copts,
their churches, businesses, and property; Egyptians were aghast at attempts by
the Islamists to break into the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) in Alexandria and
set it on fire. The BA security and staff confronted the assailants in the
courtyard, and there was an exchange of gunfire. According to Khaled Azab, the
BA’s media manager, the conference hall was plundered, and a number of
acquisitions went missing. The glass façade was shattered.
In Deir Muwass, Minya, the locals called Watani
in horror to report that 30 armed Islamists broke into the local water
treatment station and cut off the water supply to the nearby villages and
towns, meaning that should a fire erupt there would be no water to put it off.
Coptic youth organisations—including the Maspero
Youth Union, Copts Without Chains, The Coptic Consultant Council, and the
Coptic Coalition—have all condemned the attacks against the Copts and the
inadequate protection they were offered. The demanded security protection, and
called upon Egypt’s Muslims to join in their defence.
Father Rafiq Greiche, a Melkite Greek Catholic priest and spokesman of the Catholic
Church in Egypt, strongly condemned the attacks against churches and
Christians, saying that the Copts were made to pay the price for their
participation in the revolution against the Islamist regime on 30 June. He
demanded that the State should take a firm stance against the assailants.
Fr Rafiq announced that the Catholic Church has
called off the celebrations of the feast of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin
tomorrow.
The Coptic Orthodox Church issued a statement in
which it said it was closely following on the “lamentable situation” in Egypt
today. The statement strongly condemned the “successive attacks against Egypt’s
Christians, their churches, property and livelihoods,” and also the attacks
against the Egyptian police and civilians. It called upon the Egyptian government
and armed forces to defend Egyptians and maintain the unity of Egypt. It also
called upon “our Muslim fellow Egyptians to stand against the vicious attack of
places of worship which should never be part of any struggle.