By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Christian leaders in Egypt are calling on the international community for help after a group of Islamist extremists killed twelve and wounded hundreds during a 14-hour assault on Christian churches in Cairo on Saturday evening.
AINA is reporting that Christian Copts in the northwest section of the city known as Embaba were attacked Saturday evening by Muslim Salafis who fired guns and rifles and hurled Molotov cocktails at Coptic churches, houses and businesses. When the violence ended, 12 copts were dead and 232 were left injured.
The attacks began around 5:30 p.m. when parishioners coming to Mass at Saint Mina church noticed about 3,000 Salafis mulling around near the church. Fearing trouble, they called the army, who did not show up until 10:00 p.m. that evening.
In the meantime, the Salafis demanded to search the church because they believed a Christian girl named Abir was hiding inside. They claimed she had converted to Islam, married a Salafi, and wanted to revert back to Christianity, and that she had called her husband to say she was being "tortured" inside the church.
According to Father Yohann Mansour of St. Mina's, no one knows of a girl named Abir. He told
Egyptian State TV that the shooting started at 5:30 with snipers firing at parishioners from the rooftops. He called for help but only six policemen showed up, but they turned around and left when they saw the shooting.
"I mourn all those young people who died," Fr. Yohann said. "We now must ask for international protection."
From there, the Salafis headed to St. Mary and St Abanob churches, also in Embaba where they set fire to the building and prevented the fire brigade from intervening. Christians were also shot at these locations.
The third church attacked was St. Mary Church in Wehda Street in Embaba, the ground floor of which was completely torched.
An apartment complex inhabited by Copts, near St. Mina Church, was set on fire after being looted and two other houses were set on fire.
Youssef Edward, a deacon at St. Mina Church, told
AINA that the army and security forces stood watching while Muslims threw Molotov cocktail at homes. He believes the Salafis who attacked the churches were from outside the area because Muslims and Christians leave peacefully in Embaba.
This is confirmed by other witnesses who said the Salafis were wearing Taliban style clothes. "I believe they are of the 3,000 Jihadis who returned lately from Afghanistan," Saber Loutfi, one of the Embaba residents told
Coptic Free Voice.
"The army is either incapable or is an accomplice to the Salafis," said renowned Muslim writer Nabil Sharaf el Din to the
Coptic Hope Sat Channel. "If the army does not take a stern position with the Salafis they will look real bad." He said that all moderate Muslims and Copts should stick together to overcome the Salafis. In his opinion the Salafis, who were encouraged and nurtured by the old State Security, are like the genie who has come out of the lamp and now cannot be restrained or controlled.
The Bishop of Giza, Anba Theodosius, said "These things are planned. We have no law or security, we are in a jungle. We are in a state of chaos. One rumor burns the whole area. Everyday we have a catastrophe." Addressing the Salafis he said "We will never leave our country."
Commenting on the recent bloodshed, Fr Rafic Greich, chief press officer for the Egyptian Catholic Church and spokesman for the seven Egyptian Catholic denominations told
AsiaNews: "Egypt is at the beginning of a great civil war. And this because of a small group of Islamic extremists who are stifling the ideals of the Jasmine Revolution, fomenting violence across the country."
He is calling upon the international community to support the military led government and protect all Egyptians, Muslims and Christians, from discrimination and the advent of a fundamentalist Islamic regime.
"The situation is very critical," he said. "The military government is too weak and fears Islamic extremist groups like the Salafis, who are eager to create unrest and chaos everywhere."
The ideas of the popular uprising that took place only two short months ago are now in peril of being suffocated by radical Islam and men of the former regime, he said, and claims the latter are using the Salafists to create a climate of terror and fear. He stresses, however, that the ideology of radical Islam is spreading even among the main, once moderate, Egyptian Muslim leaders, who are increasingly drawing closer to fringe elements, figures such as Imam Yusuf al-Qaradawi and other members of Muslim Brotherhood.
Father Greich says that although the revolution that overthrew former president Hosni Mubarak was a great moment in the history of his country, there are no leaders who can represent its values.
"On the other hand," he says,"the aim of the revolution organized by the young people at Tahrir Square was not to replace one regime with another regime."
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AINA is reporting that Christian Copts in the northwest section of the city known as Embaba were attacked Saturday evening by Muslim Salafis who fired guns and rifles and hurled Molotov cocktails at Coptic churches, houses and businesses. When the violence ended, 12 copts were dead and 232 were left injured.
The attacks began around 5:30 p.m. when parishioners coming to Mass at Saint Mina church noticed about 3,000 Salafis mulling around near the church. Fearing trouble, they called the army, who did not show up until 10:00 p.m. that evening.
In the meantime, the Salafis demanded to search the church because they believed a Christian girl named Abir was hiding inside. They claimed she had converted to Islam, married a Salafi, and wanted to revert back to Christianity, and that she had called her husband to say she was being "tortured" inside the church.
According to Father Yohann Mansour of St. Mina's, no one knows of a girl named Abir. He told Egyptian State TV that the shooting started at 5:30 with snipers firing at parishioners from the rooftops. He called for help but only six policemen showed up, but they turned around and left when they saw the shooting.
"I mourn all those young people who died," Fr. Yohann said. "We now must ask for international protection."
From there, the Salafis headed to St. Mary and St Abanob churches, also in Embaba where they set fire to the building and prevented the fire brigade from intervening. Christians were also shot at these locations.
The third church attacked was St. Mary Church in Wehda Street in Embaba, the ground floor of which was completely torched.
An apartment complex inhabited by Copts, near St. Mina Church, was set on fire after being looted and two other houses were set on fire.
Youssef Edward, a deacon at St. Mina Church, told AINA that the army and security forces stood watching while Muslims threw Molotov cocktail at homes. He believes the Salafis who attacked the churches were from outside the area because Muslims and Christians leave peacefully in Embaba.
This is confirmed by other witnesses who said the Salafis were wearing Taliban style clothes. "I believe they are of the 3,000 Jihadis who returned lately from Afghanistan," Saber Loutfi, one of the Embaba residents told Coptic Free Voice.
"The army is either incapable or is an accomplice to the Salafis," said renowned Muslim writer Nabil Sharaf el Din to the Coptic Hope Sat Channel. "If the army does not take a stern position with the Salafis they will look real bad." He said that all moderate Muslims and Copts should stick together to overcome the Salafis. In his opinion the Salafis, who were encouraged and nurtured by the old State Security, are like the genie who has come out of the lamp and now cannot be restrained or controlled.
