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Sunday, January 10, 2010
Violence Against Christians Continues in Egypt After Christmas Eve Shootings
By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
EGYPT (ANS) -- Violence broke out in the evening of January 8, 2010, in the southern Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi, in the main market and "Bein el Mehatat" area, spreading as well to the neighboring town of Bahgoura.
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Teenage Coptic victim of Christmas Eve shooting |
"Muslim mobs used swords, butane gas cylinders for explosions and Molotov cocktails to loot and torch Coptic-owned homes, shops and cars," she wrote.
"Mary Om Boktor Kyrollos, a Coptic widow from Bahgoura, died of fumes after her home was torched yesterday by Muslims while she was indoors. She was buried in the early hours of January 9, 2010."
She went on to say that Reverend Misaeel, pastor of the church in Bahgoura told Coptic News that violence started on Friday at 20:00. In Bahgoura, 3 kilometers from Nag Hammadi, where most of the violence took place, inhabitants confirmed that water and electricity were disconnected in the evening, during the fires.
"Fire brigades arrive 90 minutes late, and the vehicles which arrived had empty tanks," said an eye-witness.
Other eye-witnesses said the perpetrators were chanting "Allah is Great" and "No God except Allah" while destroy ing, looting and torching Coptic property.
"When the State Security forces are not present, the Muslims come to loot and burn, and when the forces return to the area, the Muslims disappear. They simply do not arrest them, they just tell them to go away," an eye-witnesses told Coptic News Bulletin in an interview. "State Security is only present in front of the Coptic Diocese."
Complete absence of security forces was confirmed by another eye-witness. "All Copts are terrified and are staying indoors," he said.
Mary Abdelmassih stated that according to Free Copts, Muslims mobs were led by elements loyal to the first defendant in the Christmas Eve Massacre on January 6, 2010, when the Christian congregation was sprayed with bullets as they came out of church after celebrating the Coptic Christmas Eve mass. Eight were killed and 15 wounded.
"Funeral services for the victims of the Christmas shootings took place on Thursday, led by Bishop Kyrillos of the Nag Hammadi Diocese, and was attended by several thousand Co pts. It was reported that Muslims pelted the funeral procession with stones," she concluded.
| Dan Wooding, 69, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 46 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC., and now hosts the weekly "Front Page Radio" show on KWVE in Southern California and which is also carried on the Calvary Radio Network throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK. Wooding is the author of some 43 books. Two of the latest include his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link.Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, also recently released "God's Ambassadors in Japan" which is available at amazon.com. |  |
** You may republish this story with proper attribution.
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