Christians Under Attack

The last incident took place on Tuesday 3/3/2010 in the Helwa Girl's Elementary School, when Arabic teacher Hany Taha, lured 11-years-old Hanan Adel Aziz to the school's lower ground floor and dragged her

into the washroom. She was later rescued by another Muslim teacher when he heard her distressed screams. The village of Helwa lies in the district of Matai, 200 km south of Cairo, in the Minya Governorate.

"Hany Taha has been targeting only the school's Christian minor girls and has five 'known rape precedents' in the same school. However, the guardians of the children were put under pressure to accept a reconciliation using both coercion and threats not to report the incidents, according to activist Mariam Ragy of Katiba Tibia advocacy after interviewing Adel Aziz, the victim's father. Aziz said that

the Muslim teacher lured his daughter from the classroom under the pretext that her aunt who works mornings in the same school is waiting for her. Ragy said that the accused Muslim teacher used to work in a private school before being sacked due to the same pervert behavior. "Also two transfer resolutions from this school were issued against him but were waived due to the "the existence of a family relationship

between the headmistress and the brother of the accused, said Ragy. "

"Ironically, only 3 months ago did teacher Taha rape the Coptic minor Magda Bochra Shaker from the same school. Her family was forced into reconciliation with the intervention of the school headmistress," said activist Medhat Klada of Copts United advocacy.

The education department at the school has investigated the last incident. and posed a few sanctions on the teacher, but no action was taken concerning the criminal side of this case. Attorney Naguib Gabrail who heads the Egyptian Union for Human Rights said that what happened to the Matay girl is sexual abuse of a minor girl, which is a criminal act. "We are about to present an official communication to the Attorney-General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, to investigate the incident and bring the offender to a speedy trial," he said.

Adel Aziz told Mariam Ragy that he is being put under pressure to reconcile with the perpetrator. "But I flatly refuse any kind of reconciliation. This is a matter touching on my honor, Taha ought to get the full brunt of the law."

Copts all over the Minya Governorate, are angered over the double standards used by the Security authorities in handling rape cases of Muslims and Christian girls.

End November 2009, provoked by a rumor of an alleged rape of of Muslim minor by a Coptic man, villagers in Farshout ,carried out collective punishment against the whole Coptic community in the area, burning and looting their homes and property, with Muslims asking for the death penalty to be carried out on the alleged molester Girguis Baroumi. In all these incidents, State Security forces were colluding with the Muslim vigilantes. http://www.aina.org/news/20091121211751.htm

http://www.aina.org/news/20091123162710.htm

Activist Wagih Yacoub poses the question, "Did the Copts go out and collectively punish the Muslims of Matai by burning and looting their property, just for the action of that Muslim teacher, similar to what

the Farshout Muslims did to the Coptic community.?" He adds "The constant State Security interference, coercion of Coptic parents into reconciliation and withdrawal of their police report against the

Muslim Taha, makes one wonder if they are not there just to protect the abuser? Is the State Security there to protect all citizens or just the Muslims?"

By Mary Abdelmassih