Christian Persecution Continues: Life for the Copts in Egypt after Mubarak

Life has not been easy for the Copts of Egypt since Mubarak was forced out of office on February 11, 2011. Their life has resembled a roller coaster ride. Some of the twists and turns Coptic life has taken since that fateful day are recounted below.

P>KNOXVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) - Life has not been easy for the Copts of Egypt since Mubarak was forced out of office on February 11, 2011. Their life has resembled a roller coaster ride. Some of the twists and turns Coptic life has taken since that fateful day are recounted below.

Due to a lack of police protection during all of the commotion surrounding the demonstrations in January and February, some Coptic monasteries were forced to protect themselves from gangs and thieves. They did this not with guns or violence, but with fences they built on their property. Approximately 10 days after Mubarak stepped down, the Egyptian Army attacked three monasteries because it is illegal for Christians to build without permission. The attacks left many monks injured and the fences destroyed. It was a  brutal exercise of force against innocent citizens. Two of these monasteries, Makarios Monastery of Alexandria and Saint Bishoy Monastery in Wadi el-Natroun, are located in the general vicinity of Cairo. The third monastery, St. Boula, is located in the Red Sea area.

Around March 5, 2011, in the evening, about 4000 Muslims attacked the Coptic community of Soul near Cairo. The mob attacked the Copts' homes and set fire to Saints Mina and George Coptic Church, completely destroying it. The cruel rampage was traced back to a relationship between a Coptic man and a Muslim woman. According to a report by Asia News, the woman's father was killed by his cousin because the father did not preserve the family's honor by killing his daughter. Then the woman's brother killed the cousin to avenge their father. When the murders came to light, the Copts were blamed.

A few days after the attack in Soul, about 2000 Copts protested in Cairo. As part of the protest, they blocked a major highway outside the capital city. Hundreds also protested in front of the state television building. The protest led to violent clashes between Copts and Muslims. As a result of the violence, 13 people were reported to have been killed and approximately 140 were injured.

However, just when it seemed that all might be lost, a glimmer of hope emerged out of the chaos. Some members from Egypt's most prestigious center of Sunni Islamic learning, al-Azhar University, traveled to Soul and met with the Copts to express their unity. In addition, after the fighting stopped, some Copts and Muslims joined forces at Cairo's Tahrir Square in a display of Egyptian unity. And the Army has begun the rebuilding of Saints Minas and George Coptic Church at the government's expense.

People are anxious to know where this wild ride will end. They are anxious because what happens to the Copts will signal the fate of many others. The Copts are the largest religious minority in the region, and Egypt holds a certain preeminence in the region. Consequently, if it does not end well for the Copts, it is not likely to go well for other Christians throughout the region. Unfortunately, at this point all we know for certain is that life for the Copts in Egypt after Mubarak hangs in the balance.
 
-----

Michael Terheyden was born into a Catholic family, but that is not why he is a Catholic. He is a Catholic because he believes that truth is real, that it is beautiful and good, and that the fullness of truth is in the Catholic Church. However, he knows that God's grace operating throughout his life is the main reason he is a Catholic. He is greatly blessed to share his faith and his life with his beautiful wife, Dorothy. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.

Secret Archives of the Saints, Subscribe Today

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'