08/04/2022 Egypt (International Christian Concern) – A Christian father and son in Egypt were attacked by a known radical on July 28, just outside the father’s shop. 43-year-old Joseph Israel and his son were stabbed in the Omranya district of Giza early morning. The assailant, Ahmad Muhammad, stabbed the two, shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great), infidels, and “La illaha ila Allah” (No God but God) before some Muslim neighbors intervened and handed him over to authorities.
Joseph and his son Emil were transported to the hospital with threatening injuries. Video footage of the incident and eyewitnesses revealed that the perpetrator first attacked Joseph and later turned on Emil when he rushed to his father’s aid.
The Coptic Christian victim owned a store selling alcoholic drinks. In a Muslim-majority country like Egypt, only Christians can establish liquor stores, leading to potential conflict with extremist Muslims, though conservatives often look down on the stores. However, the assailant had no prior relationship with the victims, leading many to conclude that Muhammad’s actions were driven by religious hatred.
One Coptic journalist, Nader Shokry, noted in a Facebook post that the recent escalation in attacks against Coptic Christians had been fanned by hate speech by Islamist leaders like Sheikh Abdullah Rushdy and Sheikh Mabrook Attia. Sheikh Attia made controversial statements about a 21-year-old girl stabbed after declining a marriage proposal, saying it occurred because she was not wearing a hijab. He also mocked Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount in a later video.
The attack against the Christian father and son is the latest in a string of attacks dating back to April when a Coptic priest was stabbed on the street. Another Christian man was shot 22 times in April, a woman was attacked with a sickle in June, and a mob reportedly attacked Christian homes later that month.
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