Coptic Christians Rally Worldwide for Believers in Egypt
By Aaron J. Leichman
1/16/2010 Egypt (The Christian Post) – Since last week’s deadly Christmas Eve shootings in the Egyptian town of Nagaa Hammadi , demonstrations have been held in cities across the world and more are on their way.
“We’re raising our voices for those in authority to stop what is happening in Egypt to Christians,” said the Rev. Moussa Saleh, leader of Tampa ‘s St. George Coptic Orthodox Church, according to Tampa Bay Online.
One day earlier, Copts in northern Texas rallied in front of the Federal Building in Dallas to draw the attention of the world to the sufferings of Christians in Egypt and to call upon Muslim extremists to end the violence against their brethren in hopes that Copts in Egypt can enjoy the right to religious freedom.
They are also hoping that the Egyptian government “will take serious steps to deal fairly with all the issues and matters of this crime and other religious freedom subjects,” according to rally organizers.
Last week, as Coptic Christians prepared to observe Christmas Day on Jan. 7, gunmen traveling in a car opened fire in a shopping district in Nagaa Hammadi and later in front of the southern Egyptian town’s main church as worshipers emerged from midnight mass.
At least five Coptic Christians reportedly died from the shooting and at least seven others injured.
Though police arrested three men two days later, some Coptic Christians believe the Christmas Eve attacks will go unpunished or draw light sentences, as is frequently the case.
Next week, rallies for Copts in Egypt will be held in New York , the District of Columbia , Tennessee , Arizona , France , Holland , Austria , New Zealand , Germany , Canada , Sweden , Greece and Australia .
Rallies with thousands of participants have already been held in Rome , California , Texas , Israel , and Cairo , among others.
“Copts throughout the world are speaking out about the lack of justice for Copts in Egypt ,” The Free Copts reported.
Although Egypt ’s Christian population is small, it stands as the largest Christian community in the Middle East and is also among the oldest.
