I never fear for my life when I go to Church. I have never been anxious exiting Church for fear of a drive-by shooting. I have never felt that I would have to barricade myself inside a church to protect myself from mobs spewing hate, throwing teargas, and spraying bullets from an apartment balcony. But Coptic Christians living in Egypt fear these things everyday, and most recently this past Sunday.
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On Sunday, media reports emerged that Copts in Cairo had to barricade themselves inside St. Marks Cathedral to protect themselves from an enraged, Muslim mob. Why? The Copts were holding a funeral service for four victims who were killed by an angry mob of Muslims (not unusual for them).
What you may not know, is that St. Mark's is the main cathedral for Copts in Egypt, and it is where the Coptic Pope is established, like the Vatican for Catholics. Therefore an attack on St. Mark's is considered by many as an attack against Pope Tawadros II.
News reports and eyewitness accounts tell us that police stood by and did nothing while Molotov cocktails where hurled over the wall surrounding the cathedral.
What makes me angrier about the violence is the way the media skews its reporting. Headlines like "Clash erupts in Christian Cathedral" are inaccurate. How can one consider an attack on a funeral procession a "clash"? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a clash when two group attack and fight one another? I hardly believe pallbearers processing in a cathedral have the capacity to attack a mob while carrying a casket.
In the last few days, Pope Tawadros has been openly critical (rightfully so!) of this latest incident in a string of violence against his people. I guess you could say he's had it with Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood regime's empty promises to protect Copts, and yet blame the Copts when the body count starts to rise. How convenient for Morsi! I wonder how he sleeps at night.
Copt Christians are enormously brave people. They represent the largest Christian denomination in the Middle East, and account for 10% of the population of Egypt. This number was previously higher but because of violence against Copts, many have fled. Everyday they walk along the streets, they risk being a victim of violence simply because of their beliefs. As I have previously posted, Copts were killed by drive-by gunmen as the former were exiting Christmas Eve Mass. I have heard stories of Coptic women being kidnapped, drugged, raped, and forced to convert to Islam.
Will there ever be peace for the Copts in Egypt? A quick review of the headlines of the past decade sadly indicate it is an unlikely possibility. While Copts held-out hope for a fresh start with the Arab Spring of 2010, the Muslim militants appear to be increasing in numbers and zeal ever since the Muslim Brotherhood took over the government. Unless the Islamist regime in Egypt recognize the Copts as equal citizens with the right to practice their religion, afforded with equal protection and rights, there will never be peace. I'm afraid these "clashes" will become more common in the future.
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On Sunday, media reports emerged that Copts in Cairo had to barricade themselves inside St. Marks Cathedral to protect themselves from an enraged, Muslim mob. Why? The Copts were holding a funeral service for four victims who were killed by an angry mob of Muslims (not unusual for them). What you may not know, is that St. Mark's is the main cathedral for Copts in Egypt, and it is where the Coptic Pope is established, like the Vatican for Catholics. Therefore an attack on St. Mark's is considered by many as an attack against Pope Tawadros II.
News reports and eyewitness accounts tell us that police stood by and did nothing while Molotov cocktails where hurled over the wall surrounding the cathedral.
What makes me angrier about the violence is the way the media skews its reporting. Headlines like "Clash erupts in Christian Cathedral" are inaccurate. How can one consider an attack on a funeral procession a "clash"? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a clash when two group attack and fight one another? I hardly believe pallbearers processing in a cathedral have the capacity to attack a mob while carrying a casket.
In the last few days, Pope Tawadros has been openly critical (rightfully so!) of this latest incident in a string of violence against his people. I guess you could say he's had it with Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood regime's empty promises to protect Copts, and yet blame the Copts when the body count starts to rise. How convenient for Morsi! I wonder how he sleeps at night.
Copt Christians are enormously brave people. They represent the largest Christian denomination in the Middle East, and account for 10% of the population of Egypt. This number was previously higher but because of violence against Copts, many have fled. Everyday they walk along the streets, they risk being a victim of violence simply because of their beliefs. As I have previously posted, Copts were killed by drive-by gunmen as the former were exiting Christmas Eve Mass. I have heard stories of Coptic women being kidnapped, drugged, raped, and forced to convert to Islam.
Will there ever be peace for the Copts in Egypt? A quick review of the headlines of the past decade sadly indicate it is an unlikely possibility. While Copts held-out hope for a fresh start with the Arab Spring of 2010, the Muslim militants appear to be increasing in numbers and zeal ever since the Muslim Brotherhood took over the government. Unless the Islamist regime in Egypt recognize the Copts as equal citizens with the right to practice their religion, afforded with equal protection and rights, there will never be peace. I'm afraid these "clashes" will become more common in the future.
