Egyptian police arrest Christians targeted in Muslim attacks

A mosaic on the gates of the Coptic Orthodox Monastery of St Anthony in southeastern Egypt. Photo: iStock

Egyptian police detained four Christians whose prayer house was assaulted by a Muslim mob. Law enforcement officers released the believers only after they officially withdrew their complaints against their attackers, reports Christian Post.

The incident took place in the Upper Egyptian village of Tal Al-Quiblya in Minya Province, where a group of local residents reportedly pelted the building with stones while chanting sectarian abuse. As a result of the pogrom, several Christians were injured, and the car of parish priest Fr. Pavlos Kamal was also damaged.

Police officers who arrived at the scene restored order, but instead of protecting the victims, they detained four Coptic parishioners. The believers were held in custody for two days and were released upon withdrawing their complaints against their assailants.

Human rights defenders described the authorities' actions as "a lamentable indication of an abiding inequality before the law." The head of the organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Mervyn Thomas, emphasized that the police ignored the priest's warnings about planned provocations and failed to prevent the violence.

According to Thomas, the situation in which victims of aggression are forced to renounce justice in exchange for their freedom is evidence of the impunity enjoyed by extremists in the region.

As the UOJ reported, a Coptic blogger in Egypt was sentenced to 5 years for a video about Christianity.

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