Hundreds of Coptics Protest Egyptian Violence

Hundreds of Coptics Protest Egyptian Violence

Christian Post

Coptics from across the nation and several countries convened outside the White House on Wednesday to protest the violence against Egyptian Christians.

WASHINGTON – Coptics from across the nation and several countries convened outside the White House on Wednesday to protest the violence against Egyptian Coptics that recently flared following knife attacks over the weekend.
Holding signs that read “Stop Burning the Churches in Egypt,” “Justice for Christians in Egypt,” “Stop Persecution of Christians in Egypt,” and “Why Copts are Considered Second Class Citizens in Egypt,” protestors circled in front of the White House as the leaders of the National American Coptic Assembly explained to onlookers the reason for the demonstration.
“There was an accident that happened about three to four days ago where some extreme Muslims started walking into the churches and stabbing the worshippers on Sunday,” said NACA’s Ehab Shafik, who spoke on behalf of the protestors as they marched.
“This has been going on for hundreds of years and the Christians have been struggling, trying to keep a peaceful and moderate co-habitation with the Muslims – our brothers,” Shafik continued. “We love the Muslims and we have not had any problems, but our rights are taken away and we cannot worship freely. That is why you see so many people mobilizing now. That is why we just want to peacefully voice our demands.”
The spokesman called the disagreement a “peaceful” one that requests for the U.S. government and the Bush administration to start to put the right amount of pressure and using the United Nation pressure to start voicing the right for Christians who live in Egypt .
Similar calls had emerged from the international Christian community earlier this week, asking for an end to the escalating violence against Christians in Egypt and an end to the “oppressive actions of the Egyptian government against its minority Christians.”
In a public statement issued Monday, the International Christian Union (ICU) said it was seeking help from the U.S. government to intervene, as the Egyptian government is the second largest recipient of U.S. aid.
“We also call upon the Egyptian government to put an end to the discrimination Copts suffer in all walks of life and to put an end to the media’s incitement against Christianity,” said Bishop Antony, the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in Ireland, Scotland, N.E. England and Affiliated regions, in the statement.
The bishop said that latest attacks of churches in Alexandria is yet another incident of the Coptic persecution in Egypt , which has “reduced the Coptic population to second class citizens.”
Morris Sadek, NACA’s president, also said that the recent violence was only the latest incident of continual Muslim-Christian tension in the area.
“This has happened twice in the last three months in the same city,” he said. “It has manifested itself to tougher actions and more attacks and the giving of life away like this, people are killing each others on the streets as well as the churches. It is alarming that is why we deciding now to take action through this protest.”
Several more demonstration will be held on behalf of Egyptian Coptics including one in New York on Monday and a rally hosted by the Canadian Coptic Association on Apr. 29.
Ehab Samoul, 29, a protestor at the demonstration on Wednesday said, “We are here just to let the White House and government know what is going on in Egypt . We want the American government to stop the religious discrimination and I hope that they listen to our voice.”
“We are here just to let the White House and government know what is going on in Egypt ,” added Samoul. “We want the American government to stop the religious discrimination and I hope that they listen to our voice.”