Christian monks in Egypt face death by bulldozer to cries of 'Allahu Akbar!'

Coptic monks in Egypt are facing death by bulldozer as road workers chanting "Allah Akbar!" plan to bulldoze an ancient Christian site to construct a road. To protest the project, monks have laid before the bulldozers. So far, no lives have been lost, but a great risk is being taken by the monks.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Egyptian Coptic monks are protesting the construction of a road which will bulldoze directly through a 4th century site that is holy to them.

Local planners seek to build a road linking the city of Fayoum to an oasis. The intended road however would cruelly cut through a Coptic monastery in a form of soft persecution against Christians in Egypt. The project also threatens the water supply of the monastery itself.

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To defend the grounds, consecrated in the 4th century by St. Macarius the Egyptian, several monks have laid in the path of bulldozers, effectively stopping them in a form of nonviolent resistance to the project. Workers chant "Allah Akbar" to intimidate them and there are no assurances that an accident won't happen.

Copts, which are in communion with the Roman Catholic Church and Rome, have faced severe persecution from Muslims in Egypt. From attacks on churches and funeral processions, to mass executions by the Islamic State, and now to the destruction of their holy sites, the Coptic Church in Egypt is under immediate threat.

While Christian martyrdoms in Syria and Iraq capture headlines, news such as what's happening in Egypt hardly surfaces. But Christians face threats around the world.

Even in the United States, a nation where religious freedom is supposedly guaranteed, the free exercise of the Catholic faith is under attack.

This is not the first time in history the Church has faced persecution, but it appears to be the most intense time ever. Martyrdoms have always happened, both in ancient Rome, and during the rise of Communism and other illegitimate and atheistic regimes around the globe. Even other Christians have persecuted the Catholic Church.

Presently, the greatest threat comes from militant Muslims who are willing to use force to eradicate Christianity and militant secularists who are bent on using the force of law around the world to do the same. Both methods are cruel and occasionally effective at producing martyrs.

The Catholic Church does not seek the destruction of human lives or the degradation of individual freedom. It does not propose the destruction of holy sites or the disruption of lives. Despite its absolutely peaceful disposition, the Church faces great persecution.

The time to react is now and prayer is the great tool that ought to be employed. Prayer has been known to shatter swords and stop bullets. It can stop bulldozers too. The miracles of the faith attest to this fact. It is time for us to unite and call for an end to Christian persecution around the world.

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The Egyptian road building project continues to progress.

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