CHRISTIANITY CRACKDOWN: Church ATTACKED by mob – ‘It happens every day’

Christians at the church in Koum Al-Raheb prayed on the street following the attack. The place of worship is one of many that have fallen victim to attacks from Islamic extremists, as they believe the church is not part of the Islamic country. Anti-persecution charity International Christian Concern (ICC) learned about the attack and said the church in Koum Al-Raheb recently opened a new building which serves 2,500 Coptic Christians.

The building is now closed and dependent on the outcome of a reconciliation session meaning local Christians have no access to the church.

A local carpenter named Sobhi told the ICC: “It’s a hard time. We don’t know what we should do. How does the government permit us to open new churches and then force us to close churches? We barely open churches, and the police don’t want to keep us safe.”

In 2016 the Egyptian parliament passed a law reforming the church legalisation process. It said for a church to be officially recognised it cannot be considered a security risk.

As reported in the ICC Islamic extremists use this to “create incidents leading to the indefinite closure of churches that would otherwise receive official recognition”.

A local pastor said: “We are so depressed. It is not the first time extremists have done this. I think it’a government policy toward the Christians. We have nothing to do, just pray. God is good.”

A Bible student called Karim told the ICC that Egypt’s constitution states the country’s religion is Islam.

He said: “With this item in the constitution, it gives the idea to radical Muslims that having a church is not part of the Islamic country and that Christians are not part of the Islamic community.”

Isaac Ibrahim from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights said the attack was a “result of the state’s adoption of clear discriminatory policies and there is no desire to change. What happened is a single pattern, a prayer begins and then demonstration starts”.

Egyptian Christians make up approximately a tenth of the country’s 90 million people and are the largest Christian community in the Middle East.

In October, Egypt sentenced 17 people to death for attacks on Coptic Christian churches. Nineteen more were given life jail terms over attacks which took place in 2016 and 2017.

Islamic State said they were responsible for the suicide bombings killing dozens of people. 

In April 2017 two bomb attacks on Coptic Christian churches by Islamic State killed more than 45 people in Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta.

ICC’s regional manager for the Middle East Claire Evans said: “Unfortunately, church closures are a common occurrence in Egypt. Although the 2016 law purports to streamline the process, the vagueness of certain provisions within the law allows for the continued closure of churches in order to appease hardline extremists.”

Ms Evans added: “If Egypt is truly sincere about providing religious freedom, this problem must be addressed. We must also keep Egypt’s Christians in our prayers as we approach the Christmas season, as it is common for the public practice of their faith become even more risky during this time.”