Cairo, Egypt: On Sunday (Nov. 23) thousands of Muslim protestors attacked a new Copt Church building burning part of it while Priests and Christian worshippers were inside. The Muslims were protesting a newly constructed extension to the Coptic church of St. Mary and Anba Abraam. The church building had been consecrated earlier in the day.

Thousands surrounded the new building chanting slogans:

“We will demolish the church,” “Islam is the solution”,  “No God but Allah,” etc.

It was terrifying for the Christian worshippers, according to Nabil Gobrayel a lawyer who was inside the church at the time:

““It was a terrifying moment, they were shouting ‘holy slogans’ like: ‘We will bring the church down,’, ‘The priest is dead’ and ‘The army of Muhammad is coming.’”

Earlier in the day, the Mosque across the street had cranked up their loudspeakers to the highest volume in an attempt to drown out the Christian consecration service with Muslim prayers.

The mob set the new church structure on fire, also burning several autos parked outside. The day before, a Christian  wedding near by had been disrupted by a mob and the couple had been severely beaten.

The police were slow to respond but did eventually break up the mob and arrest 38, later releasing nearly all of them, except 3 Christians who were trying to protect the building.

Response: Christians who make up 10-15% of the population of Egypt are increasingly finding themselves under assault in a land that they have lived in for nearly 2,000 years–way before there was even a Muslim religion.

The Christian Copts and the Muslims have lived side-by-side in peace for over a millennia, but now the Muslims in Egypt are increasingly becoming more radical and no longer tolerate other religions and consider it there duty to persecute Christians in particular.

Increasingly, the government and laws in Egypt are slanted against the Christians. It is very difficult to get approval for building a new Church in that country. In this case, the new building was an extension of a current church that was too small for the needs of the local Copt community.

Even though they had government permission to build the new structure, radical Muslims took exception to it and took matters in their own hands. Now the Christians don’t know what they will do with the new building, obviously the police can’t be counted on for protection.

In concern for the safety of his parishioners, the Copt Pope has ordered the priests not to use the new building.        

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