Copts attacked, forced to settle for nothing, in absence of Egyptian justice

"On Thursday 21 July, we received threats of an attack the next day" said Mahrous Ishak, a local Copt, to World Watch Monitor. "We told the police and national security, but they showed no interest saying ‘If an attack happens, call us then and we’ll come quickly’".

"On Friday, during the Muslim prayers the loudspeakers suddenly fell eerily silent. Later, crowds filed out of mosques. One cleric was clearly seen directing groups of people in different ways towards Christian homes."

Saft el-Khirsa, a village of some 12,000, is home to 70 Christian families. In a situation repeated across the country, the village is not served by a church, while ten mosques serve the Muslim community.

"Some were carrying gas canisters and rocks, while others had birdshot guns. They attacked the homes of Christians. Contents were vandalised, children were crying in panic amid the onslaught by hundreds of attackers," added one source to WWM.

Despite alerting the police to the threats a day earlier, no action was taken. When the police were called on the day of the attack, the chief constable said, "You wish to cause mayhem by building a church and now you come back crying?"

The detailed accounts by local witnesses seem to follow the same script as previous incidents.

After police eventually put an end to violence, eight Copts, including some whose properties were vandalised, were rounded up and taken to custody. Ten Muslim attackers were also arrested.

"When we asked why they were detaining victims as well as perpetrators, they told us it was a matter of ‘state security’ and that’s how things are done," said Ishak, an account confirmed by another witness who spoke days ago on an Arabic Christian satellite channel.

"One young man, Michael Ibrahim, went to the police station to complain about the attack. He was instead detained and no report was filed. He was told ‘Since you are here, you might as well stay here!’"

In more legal discrepancies, lawyers were not allowed access to the detained Copts. Relatives were not informed of charges, if any, when they were presented to the prosecution "at 2am".

To date, none of the Christians have been freed. On Saturday, 23 July, a ‘conciliation meeting’ was quickly arranged, where the matter was settled on conditions deemed unfair to Copts. No damages were awarded, while only a ‘community centre’ would be allowed in the village. "Christians cannot pray. They can only hold weddings and funeral gatherings," said witnesses.

Telling is a video that has been doing the rounds on social media by one influential Salafist cleric. On it, Sheikh Ahmed al-Naquib indicates all four schools of Sunni Muslim theology forbid building of churches.

"It is not permissible to build churches in the lands of Islam. This is the unanimous agreement among all the Four Schools. It is the received position handed down to us by the Early Founding Figures [of Islam]."

The codes laid down by the ‘Four Schools’ are generally followed by Sunni Muslims – the majority of Egyptians being Sunnis – in matters ranging from personal hygiene to social dealings and political decisions.

Referring to Islamic jurisprudence formulated centuries ago, the cleric reiterated "It is forbidden to build churches in the lands of Islam. This holds true, even if the ruler allows otherwise.

"You may say they share the land with us. No. Egypt falls under ‘the lands of Islam’."