Saturday, August 17, 2013

Statement by His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of The Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom highlighting the increasing incitement and violence threatening and claiming the lives of Christians in Egypt.

The Coptic Orthodox Church UK
Thursday, 8 August 2013

In the recent weeks and months there has been an escalation of attacks against Christians in Egypt, with unfounded, dangerous, and unlawful incitement emerging from various fringe Islamist leaders spurring on more violent acts and illegal behaviour that continues to injure and claim the lives of many Egyptian Christians.

A number of Egypt-based human rights organisations, with Amnesty International UK, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), have spoken out regarding attacks on Christians since the ousting of the former president, expecting similar acts in the coming period if these matters are not sufficiently addressed.

Most recently a violent attack on the Church of St George was followed by the raising of an Al Qaeda flag on its premises while congregation members were locked inside the church building. Churches across Upper Egypt including Minya, Asyut, and Luxor have suffered violent and destructive attacks and serious vandalism, with Christian homes and businesses also set alight. Callers to current affairs programmes on certain television channels, using hate speech, have rallied for the attack on, and eradication of, Christians and Churches. These acts and threats all contribute to a very real risk upon the life of every Christian, especially in the increasingly polarised and inflamed climate in Egypt. As a result of these threats, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II has suspended weekly public events out of concern over potential attacks on congregations.

At a time where attempts are being made to move Egypt into a more unified state, and where there is opportunity for collaboration and reconciliation, we are instead witnessing, once again, a polarised society in which unprecedented acts against Egyptian Christians are being carried out without fear of reprisal.

Imbalanced media coverage depicts scenes of violence in one part of the community as victimisation, while ignoring or labelling the savage attacks against Christians, on what is developing into a daily occurrence, as ‘sectarian’.
 

2 comments:

  1. “A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm (commonly known as the "Clean Break" report) is a policy document that was prepared in 1996 by a study group led by Richard Perle for Benjamin Netanyahu, the then Prime Minister of Israel. The report explained a new approach to solving Israel's security problems in the Middle East... Rather than pursuing a "comprehensive peace" with the entire Arab world, Israel should work jointly with Jordan and Turkey to "contain, destabilize, and roll-back" those entities that are threats to all three.”

    See: A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clean_Break:_A_New_Strategy_for_Securing_the_Realm

    VIDEO - Engdahl: Arab Spring a western ploy to control Eurasia - http://youtu.be/ZpPspY2FP8o

    See: Egypt’s Revolution: Creative Destruction for a ’Greater Middle East’? - http://therealnewsjournal.com/?p=5692

    VIDEO - Israel sowing discord in Middle East - http://youtu.be/WCdIBwODM18

    ReplyDelete
  2. The disagreement between the two groups of muslims seems to be over whether or not they will tolerate the existence of non-muslims. The "day of rage" was exactly what it sounds like, but my local news source is depicting it in glowing terms as if it were an innocent protest based on the ideals of democracy and freedom.

    Why is there such a difference in the report from the secular media and the report from the Church in Egypt? Do we even know which side our country is supporting? Whether we like it or not, we have shared in the responsibility of funding the violence, and we now share in the responsibility of seeking peace.

    ReplyDelete