Egyptian state security demolishes church building
Horrific news of an outrageous incident of official persecution against Christians in Egypt has arrived from Assyrian International News Agency.
On the morning of Sunday, 26 April, hundreds of Egyptian State Security officers demolished a service building belonging to the Coptic Orthodox Church. When news of the attack was disseminated to local Christians, people gathered at the scene to prevent further damage, but then the officers turned on them as well. Coptic priests were assaulted; men and women were tied up and beaten.
In a phone call with the Middle East Christian Association, a member of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Marsah Matrouh confirmed the news that the State Security forces attacked and demolished the services building of the Coptic Orthodox Church there.
“They have also assaulted the Coptic priest, Father Matta Zakaria, who tried to defend the demolition of the services building, as well as those present in the building”, added the Church member.
Thirteen Security lorries with a 700-man force of the State Security went into the one storey services building, attacked a homeless Coptic family who was sheltering there, and whose head was assigned to guard the building. They tied up the screaming women to chairs after beating them, until the full demolition of the building was undertaken. The family men, including the guard who were outside the building were beaten, tied and then loaded unto the State Security lorries.
The matter deteriorated further when the Christians knew of the news, and flocked to the place, in order to prevent the demolition work. They clashed with the Government forces; the forces have beaten them with sticks, and the people retaliated in self-defense.
The local council says it has no knowledge of a demolition order. It would then appear that a high-ranking state security official took it upon himself to order a 700-man crew with trucks and bulldozers to destroy a privately owned building without warning and without authorisation.
It’s hard to reconcile this and many other incidents of official persecution with the recent claim by President Hosni Mubarak that all Egyptian citizens enjoy equal civil rights.
Photo from Middle East Christian Association.