Muslim mob sets fire to Christian homes, shops in Egypt
November 18, 2010
Shouting “Allah is the greatest,” a mob of 1,000 Muslims set fire to two dozen Coptic Christian homes and shops in a central Egyptian village on November 15 after a rumor spread that a teenage Christian boy had raped his Muslim girlfriend.
The local Coptic Orthodox bishop said that a Muslim woman had told him that the reports of the rape were false.
“What occurred was an incident between two young people that was overplayed to make Christians look bad,” Coptic Catholic Bishop Joannes Zakaria of Luxor added. “It was a situation between wto young people that turned into a pretext to attack Christians. We have reason to believe, instead, that there is a plan to force Christians to convert, especially girls, who are the most vulnerable.”
“We are aware of several incidents of young Muslims who spot Christian girls and try to make them convert to Islam by force,” Bishop Zakaria continued. “As Christians of Egypt, we feel very close to our brothers in faith persecuted in Iraq … It is the cross we bear with serenity, even with pain in our heart, because it allows us to share in the sufferings of Christ the Redeemer.”
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Further information:
- Muslims mob Torches Homes of Coptic Christians in Egypt (Pakistan Christian Post)
- Bishop of Luxor: “Attempts are made to force Christian girls to convert to Islam” (Fides)
- The Coptic Orthodox Church (CNEWA)
- The Coptic Catholic Church (CNEWA)
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