ICC Note: Violence Egyptian Christians have been described as “endemic forms of violence and abuse” throughout many parts of Egypt. A recent report highlights that the nine months since the removal of Mohamed Morsi has been a time of intense persecution of the Coptic minority community.
By Stoyan Zaimov
03/26/2014 Egypt (Christian Post) – Violence in Egypt against Coptic Christians has continued despite the fall of former president Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, with believers still facing abductions and the government seizing their property, the Board of Inquiry in Cairo reported.
The report, according to Fides News Agency, shows that Copts, who make up close to 10 percent of the population, are continuing to face “endemic forms of violence and abuse” in many parts of Egypt, particularly in the governorates of Luxor, Sohag and Aswan.
“The worrying scenario has been reconstructed in detail on the basis of meetings with community representatives, civil society organizations and material provided which witness this phenomena of violence,” Fides reported.
Christians have been heavily targeted in Egypt following the fall of Morsi last July, with Islamic extremists blaming them for supporting the protests that led to the change in government. Believers were killed, and Christian churches, bookstores and orphanages were burned down in violent attacks.
U.S. politicians have spoken out against this violence, with Republican Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) urging the U.S. State Department in October to help stop the sectarian violence and the persecution of Copts.
“Egypt’s Christian minority and their ability to worship are in danger. The situation warrants a clear U.S. response. We are especially troubled by reports that Egyptian authorities have failed to respond to attacks on Christians and churches, or hold perpetrators accountable,” the senators wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry.
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