Christians Under Attack

undamentalists fury, egged on by the imam, unleashed by the rumour that the Christians are building a new church. In reality it is a hospice. 
The toll from an attack on the Coptic Christian community that took place yesterday in the north-western province of Mersa Matrouh, Egypt is 25 wounded, including women and children. A crowd of around 3 thousand Muslims attacked the faithful gathered in prayer in a building adjoining the local church. The fundamentalists fury, encouraged by the imam, was sparked by the rumour that the Christians have begun to build a new place of worship.  

Around 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon, the Muslims - a group of Bedouins and Salafi fanatics - started throwing stones at a construction site, which they believe in reality will be a new church. Local witnesses reported that security forces present were not sufficient to contain the attack. The police fired tear gas and arrested a dozen people, including Muslims and Christians. Only this morning, reinforcements arrived from Alexandria, thanks to which the Coptic faithful trapped inside the building could return to their homes.  

At the moment of the attack the Christian prayer house contained four priests, one deacon and about 400 parishioners. Christians say that the building under construction, in fact, is a nursing home and said they were "terrified" by the latest attack. The local imam Shaikh Khamees intervention during Friday prayers has helped to foment the anger of Muslims. He emphasized the duty to fight against the "enemies" of Islam and stressed that "we do not tolerate the Christian presence in our area."

Reverend Matta Zakarya confirms that this morning there was a summit between the leaders of the local church, state security forces and even some Muslims. "The Coptic are scared - he stresses - especially women and children who were inside the building and witnessed the assault."    

In Egypt, the Coptic Christian community is about 10% of the population in a country with an overwhelming Muslim majority, which discriminates against the Christian community. It is the victim of violence, caused by a sharp rise of Islamic fundamentalism. Sometimes the basis of many attacks there are disputes over land ownership and disputes for women, but they soon become sectarian clashes.

 

The list of losses Copts Marsa Matrouh :

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First: houses and shops

1 - Workshop tile boys Kamal
2 - Workshop tile Mofrah Ibrahim
3 - Workshop tile FADEL Rizk allah Roman
4 - Workshop Mechanical Shawky Habib
5 - House: Nabil Wahba Moussa
6 - House: Awad Rushdie
7 - House: Maurice Rushdie
8 - House: Adel Fahmy
9 - Home: Farag sanad
10 - House: Mkadm Abraham
11 - Home: Nassim Ibrahim
12 - Home: Fakary Atef
13 - Home: Atef Mansour
14 - Home: Faiz Fauzi
15 - House: Osama Pendé
16 - Home: Hanna fakery Bishai
17 - House:Goda sanad
18 - House:Magdy Hamaya

second car :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 - FATHER/ Zechariah 2726 owners Matrouh "complete burn"
2 - Emile owners 2036 privet Matrouh
3 - Sameh Hanna, 4629 privet Matrouh
4 - Fawzi Haraby 7615 taxi Matrouh
5 - Marc Thabat 4157 taxi Matrouh
6 - Elia Naeem 4308 taxi Matrouh
7 - Nabil Gandy c 4795. E. T
8 - Magdy Fakhry 4034 taxi Matrouh
9 - Ayman William 4429 taxi Matrouh
10 - Emad Kamal 3911 taxi Matrouh
11 - Rami Makram 815 b. For. C
12 - Tharwat Gad 4838 taxi Matrouh "complete burn "
13 - Sobhy Girgis 7942 taxi Matrouh "complete burn "
14 - Samir Aziz c 5628. E. T
15 - Sameh Lotfy 1739 motorcycle
16 - Akram Amin 3350 motorcycle

III: wounded :

 

 

 

 

1 - Shawky Fawzy Habieb

2 - David Abdu Allah
3 - Shenouda Fawzy Habib
4 - Karam Sobhy
5 - Nabil Anwar
6 - Unaan Melad Farag
7 - Reda Saad Noshi
8 - Abanop Abd Allah
9 - Samuel Habib 
10 - Hanan Abd Allah
11 - Banop Farag Rizk
12 - Michael Morris 
13 - Bishoy Fawzy
14 - MOunir Najib Hanen
15 - Magdy Mounir Tawfik
16 - kerouls nesem Rafaat
17 - joan girgis
18 - Hanan Mafrah
19 - Sobhy Girgis DaWod
20 - Magda Samir Awad
21 - Neven Atef
22 - Michael Sobhy Najib
23 - Benjamin Atef

Security detainees:
1 - Mina Mounir Aziz (13 years old)
2 - Peter Michel Aziz (15 years old)
3 - Raymond Michele Aziz (17 years old)
4 - Safwat Saad Nasr
5 - Mina Atef Riad
6 - Thomas Adly kades
7 - Shenouda Abdullah Ibrahim 
8 - kerouls Hifzi
9 - Simon Sobhy
10 - Emil Iskandar
11 -kerlous Naim

Mersa Matruh  : Mediterranean seaport in Egypt. It is 240 km (149 miles) west of Alexandria