In a horrific attack that occurred in Qena, Egypt, on a Coptic Church after Christmas Eve mass on January 6, 2010, three Muslim gunmen opened fire on Christian worshipers in an attempt to assassinate Coptic Bishop Kirollos of the Nag Hammadi Diocese. The attack led to the death of seven young Coptic Christians and the injury of fifteen. So, instead of the usual joyous Christmas festivities, mourners filled the streets in a heartbreaking funeral procession for the victims on Christmas day, the youngest being only 19-years-ol. Local police officials were aware of the attack ahead of time and warned they would not be responsible for anything that occurred after 10 pm. The attack was in retaliation to the church’s refusal to participate in government sponsored forced reconciliation sessions, after a November 2009, attack by Muslims on Coptic properties. According to the 2009 US State Department Report on Egypt, this tactic is commonly used by the government to deter Coptic Christians from seeking justice. “The Government continued to sponsor ‘reconciliation sessions’ following sectarian attacks, which generally obviated the prosecution of perpetrators of crimes against Copts and precluded their recourse to the judicial system for restitution,†the report said. The bishop called the attackers “Muslim radicals,†and said, “It is all religious now. This is a religious war about how they can finish off the Christians in Egypt.†The foreign ministers of the U.S., Canada, France, and Italy condemned the Orthodox Christmas Eve attack. The Egyptian President has made no statement condemning this attack against the indigenous Copts of Egypt. Attacks against Copts in Egypt have increased in recent years due to the government’s lack of prosecution of crimes against Copts by Muslims. The 2009 US State Department Report cites an “Increasingly prevalent pattern of governmental authorities detaining Copts following sectarian attacks and either holding them without charges or threatening false charges and police records; the detentions serve as a tool to blackmail Coptic authorities to desist from calling for official action to prosecute the perpetrators, and to dissuade the victims and/or their families from seeking recourse in the judicial system for restitution of damages.†Copts who are detained following sectarian violence face unbearable forms of torture. The police will electrify them, burn their bodies with cigarettes and beat them with large sticks. These people are innocent and should be released immediately. BM
