When columns of smoke billowed from the domes of Egyptian churches during the disturbances following the dispersal of the sit-ins in Cairo's Rabaa Al-Adaweya and Nahda Square, the country's Copts did the apparently unthinkable: nothing. “Churches are not just bricks and mortar. They are in our hearts,” tweets and postings by Copts on social media read, contrasting with the anger that they must nevertheless have felt. Their inaction was a political statement, as well as a moral one. It was in line with what the late Pope Shenouda III used to say, that “Egypt is not a country in which we live, but a country that lives inside us.” The recent attacks on dozens of churches across the country were unprecedented in their brutality, and they will stand as a lasting indictment of the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies. The attacks were worst in the villages and towns of Upper Egypt, yet Church officials spoken to by Al-Ahram Weekly had few criticisms to make of the army or the police. Anba Raphael, secretary of the Church's Synod, said that the attacks on the churches and the Copts were to be expected since the Brotherhood had come to power in Egypt. The Brotherhood had refused to listen, had acted fanatically, and in the end had lost all credibility, he said. Anba Morqos, bishop of Shobra Al-Kheima, denounced the attacks on the churches. “What happened has nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with terror,” he said. Churches were completely burned down in Minya and Sohag in Upper Egypt, while others were partially destroyed by fire. “Why would anyone burn down places of worship, in which people pray for Egypt to have peace and security,” Anba Morqos asked, adding that fortunately there had been no fatalities. Anba Makarios, the orthodox bishop of Minya, said that no one had accused any government agency of involvement in the attacks on Coptic churches and property, voicing the hope that there would be an “increased presence of the security forces” in the future. “We strongly reject any attempt to involve the Church in the quarrels some are having with the security agencies, and we fully appreciate the efforts the Ministry of the Interior is making to enforce law and order,” Anba Makarios added. Anba Bakhum, the bishop of Sohag, said that Brotherhood supporters had burned down a social services building at the Mar Girgis Church, having looted its contents. They had also assaulted priests in the church and set fire to a dormitory for women. “I cannot leave the bishopric where I live because of the clashes. Several cars belonging to monks have been torched. Three churches have been set on fire. We found liquefied gas bottles inside the church, some of which exploded,” Anba Bakhum said. Copts had refused to retaliate in order to avert sectarian strife, he said. Anba Kyrollos, bishop of Naga Hammadi, voiced his surprise at the scale of the attacks on the churches. “There has been a vindictiveness expressed by the fanatical groups against the Copts, just because they are Egyptians who spoke their minds freely and democratically,” he said. “Some Brotherhood leaders live in Upper Egypt, and they are the ones who issued the orders to their followers,” Anba Kyrollos stated, in answer to questions as to why the attacks had been so ferocious in the south. He voiced his support for the Egyptian army, which had proved capable of fighting terror in all its forms. “We hope to get rid of the terrorist groups in Egypt as soon as possible,” he added. Anba Theodosios, the bishop of Giza, said that there were people who wanted to wreck the country, “but we will not allow this to happen”. Copts were fully aware of attempts to sow sedition, he added. “But relations between Copts and Muslims in our country are strong, and they will withstand the assaults of terrorists who want to provoke the Copts and drag them into a sectarian confrontation.” Anba Bemen, the bishop of Naqada and Qus, said that “we are stunned at the way the West has ignored the direct attacks on churches and Coptic property,” despite the Church's issuing press statements in several languages and distributing them to international news agencies. Anba Boutros Fahim, the catholic Coptic bishop of Minya, wondered why it seemed to be so difficult to make Western countries, especially those who had called for UN discussion of the situation in Egypt, to see the facts. “Some are trying to use the situation to tarnish Egypt's image,” he said, adding that committees should be set up of media, legal and political experts to convey a true image to world opinion. “May God protect Egypt and give its leaders the wisdom and courage to do the right thing,” Fahim said.
