Egypt: Christian homes and shops attacked in village

Image: Fides

Source: Fides

The village of al Barsha, in the governorate of Minya, was once again the scene of attacks on members of the Coptic Orthodox community there. On Thursday, groups close to Islamist groups, attacked the church and some Coptic houses and shops with stones and molotov cocktails. Some of the shops attacked were also ransacked. An elderly Coptic woman was hospitalized for burns suffered in the fire in her home.

The attacks allegedly began after a young Christian man posted an article on his Facebook account considered offensive to Islam and the Prophet Mohammad. Police intervened to restore calm. Among the hundred people were 35 Copts.

General Osama Al Qadi, Governor of the Minya Province, immediately called a meeting with a delegation of local leaders village to find a timely solution to the crisis and put an end to the sectarian attacks. The meeting, held in a school in the city of Mallawi, was also attended by representatives of the Committee for Reconciliation and Religious Endowments, the University of al Azhar and the Coptic Church and the House of the Egyptian Family, an interreligious liaison body activated a few years ago to prevent or mitigate sectarian controversies.

The Governor referred to the measures that will be taken against "anyone who offends others", reiterating that "no one will be allowed to sow discord between people who belong to the same nation". He also invited the imams to focus their sermons in mosques on the themes of coexistence and tolerance. Despite these appeals, proclamations continue to be spread through social media that foment opposition and clash between Muslims and Coptic Christians, instigating new sectarian attacks.

In the past, incidents like this been overcome through 'reconciliation meetings', public gatherings organised by local authorities in which leaders of different faith communities perform public acts of pacification. Several organizations have questioned the effectiveness of this practice lately.