Gunmen kill 7 at Egypt church after Christmas Mass
By SARAH El DEEBCAIRO – Three men in a car sprayed automatic gunfire into a crowd of churchgoers in southern Egypt as they left a midnight Mass for Coptic Christmas, killing at least seven people in a drive-by shooting, the church bishop and security officials said.
Egypt’s Interior Ministry said the attack Wednesday just before midnight was suspected as retaliation for the November rape of a Muslim girl by a Christian man in the same town. The statement said witnesses have identified the lead attacker.
The attack took place in the town of Nag Hamadi in Qena province, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the famous ancient ruins of Luxor. A local security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed that seven were dead and three seriously wounded.
Bishop Kirollos of the Nag Hamadi Diocese told The Associated Press six male churchgoers and one security guard were killed. He said he had left St. John’s church just minutes before the attack.
“A driving car swerved near me, so I took the back door. By the time I shook hands with someone at the gate, I heard the mayhem, lots of machine gun shots,” he said in a telephone interview. He said he saw five bodies lying on the ground when he first looked at the site of the shooting, about 600 yards from where he was.
The bishop said he was concerned about violence on the eve of Coptic Christmas, which falls on Thursday, because of previous threats following the rape of the 12-year-old girl in November.
He got a message on his mobile phone saying: “It is your turn.”
“I did nothing with it. My faithful were also receiving threats in the streets, some shouting at them: ‘We will not let you have festivities,'” he said.
Because of the threats, he said he ended his Christmas Mass one hour early.
He said Muslim residents of Nag Hamadi and neighboring villages rioted for five days in November and torched and damaged Christian properties in the area after the rape.
“For days, I had expected something to happen on Christmas day,” he said. The bishop said police have now asked him to stay at home for fear of further violence.
Qena is one of Egypt’s poorest and most conservative areas.
Christians, mostly Coptic, account for about 10 percent of Egypt’s predominantly Muslim population. As Islamic conservatism gains ground, Christians have increasingly complained about discrimination by the Muslim majority.
Clashes between Muslims and Christians are not uncommon in southern Egypt and in recent years have begun seeping into the capital. An Amnesty International report said sectarian attacks on the Coptic Christian community, comprising between 6 million and 8 million people in Egypt, increased in the year 2008. Sporadic clashes between Coptic Christians and Muslims left eight people dead.
Vendetta killing is also common among southern Egyptians, and is usually over land or family disputes.
The bishop said he had an idea of who the attackers were, calling them “Muslim radicals.”
“It is all religious now. This is a religious war about how they can finish off the Christians in Egypt,” he said.
This is also what is happening to the Christians in Iraq. Anyone else see a pattern here?
They need to obtain arms and use them. Muslims only respect superior force and will. The more dead Muslim attackers, the better.
Hope you are not a Christian spreading messages of hate and revenge…. The Blessed One who is known to both sides will tell you to love your enemy…. if they call themselves Muslim and forget that Allah means the Compassionate One,and kill for their political agenda's it is just as much fraud. No one can hide their self will ambitions in the Truth of our Most High Father. Love and Blessings
i m with u,but we can not wait to been killed, theres a war coming and we fight for are freedom of religion for are family and are self's.
AMEN!!!
Past Popes fought Islam head on. Do you claim to know Christianity better than they did? We will continue to speak out.
Yes I do…. They were polititians not men of God… Even Christ continually spoke against the stone and wooden false houses of God… He was also a pacifist… I understand though how you could be ignorant if you don't know the Father…Love and Blessings
LOL! Then why are you not Pope? Those Popes reclaimed land that was taken from Christians and if they did not, Islam would of ruled the world by now.
I understand that you want to take the easy way, out and bury your head in the sand, and lose the ego.
there to much people around the world dose;t understand Islam religion . its like mafia you have to be moslman or being killed or you have to fight at last you may pay for life of course if you can;t win or fight them and they want the whole world to be like them …. but look for the Islamic society always fight them selves the want the authority and government but what after they take women like slaves&they kill people do no thing just pray very peaceful why ?why they do alike because Islam order them to do
metatron, I am a Copt.
1-Yes, the Lord Jesus said "love your enemies", but He also said to fight Satan.
Islam is satanic. Or, do you disagree!?
Ben is right, Christians are either in deep sleep or they misunderstand the message of the Lord and let Muslims slaughter them to annihilate the Copts of Egypt (the original citizens).
Christopher is right that we will continue to speak out.
Many priests started to speak out after that long silence, because ENOUGH IS ENOUGH..
Enough is indeed enough.
Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.
This is what Christ Jesus said.
He did not say, surrender.
He did not say, submit.
I admire the strength and integrity of the Coptic people deeply.
Their voices should be heard, and they should speak with singular authority on the experience of living with and under Islam.
But so far, the U.S., in academia, government and elsewhere, has been curiously indifferent and even stupid about their experiences.
Amnesty International is wrong in its estimate of the Copts number in Egypt 6-8 million. They are AT LEAST 15 million.
Also, there should be a mention of the almost daily kidnaping, raping and converting young Coptic girls by Muslims for years, which have escalated last couple of years.
If the rape by a Copt of a Muslim girl is true (which I doubt), it would be out of frustration and revenge.
The problen is with the authorities (mainly Myslims). They are allowing if not encouraging the attacks by Muslims against the Copts.
Thank God for the internet. Islam was exposed without return.
The Internet is one of the worst things to happen to Islam. Now the dots are being connected across the world.
They’re being connected much more quickly than they would be otherwise. Without the assistance of the web, we would have to read the Quran entirely, and that’s a very important thing to do, and we would also have to sift through the historical sources to find out what non-Muslims do when Muslims are on the conquering march or have conquered.
To find out about Sharia would be a daunting task, requiring even more reading, and then there is the task of connecting what one learns with Muslim conduct in the here and now.
The internet has allowed us to fight Islam and gather forces more quickly because of the availability of information.
This is amazing. Where is the Coptic faith when a Copt can come on here and justify rape???
Who is justifying rape?
He’s much closer to the conflict than you are.
And if this is, indeed, a war, then we can’t expect civilized or even rational conduct all the time.
His words have convinced me that war does indeed prevail between the Copts and their oppressors.
Where is the Coptic faith?
Read the news.
It’s in conflict for its very life.
Quote:
In a second incident, which also occurred January 19, the Salafists and Muslim Brotherhood – together – broke into the church of Abu Makka in Bahteem, Qaliubia, informing members of the congregation that the place of Christian worship is illegal.
end
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Egyptian-extremists-against-Copts,-two-wounded,-houses-burned-and-churches-attacked-23760.html
Democracy?
Yeah, right.
really its bad just cos he kill 7 man i mean 7 family
The religion of peace, tolerance and the equality of all human beings in misery strikes again.
The rapist is the real one who deserved to be killed.
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