Systematic official persecution and displacement of Coptic Christians in Egypt - BY DR. SETI SHENOUDA
I sent this message on Monday morning 02/06/2015 to many of international human rights organizations and international newspapers.
Dr. Seti Shenouda
أرسلت هذه الرسالة صباح أمس الأثنين 2/6/2015 الى العديد من منظمات حقوق الإنسان الدولية والصحف العالمية .
دكتور سيتى شنوده
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11:59 (14 hours ago)
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Systematic official persecution and displacement of Coptic Christians in Egypt
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MCN
1/6/2015
Security agencies reject return of displaced Coptic families to their village in Beni Suef – EGYPT
Beni Suef (Egypt), June 1 /MCN/ - by Erin Moussa
The displacement of some Coptic Christians from their homes to other locations in Egypt continues according to the orders of militant Muslims and under the auspices of Egyptian security agencies.
A Copt from Kafr Darwish village in al-Fashn, Beni Suef, told MCN that a number of Coptic houses were burned in the village on Sunday.
He pointed out that after the governor of Beni Suef stressed in a Sunday phone call with a TV show the return of the displaced Copts, militants in the village burned three cottages owned by Copts, in addition to burning the crops of a Copt, under the nose of security agencies.
"The security agencies are inactive and this led to the problems experienced by Copts in the village," said the Coptic source. "Muslims do not mind the return of the displaced Christians, but the security authorities are rejecting."
"We already informed the security that the situation is not safe in the village and that there are suspicious acts taking place," he added. "We asked the security to protect Copts and reported the 20 names of the people who attacked and burned the homes of Copts, but not one of them has been arrested."
For his part, media worker Yusuf al-Husseini said, "forcing five Christian families, consisting of 18 people, to leave the Kafr Darwish village in Beni Suef because a Copt allegedly posted cartoons of the Prophet on Facebook is a farce and a social crime in which everyone is involved."
Husseini said Sunday on his TV show that Ayman Youssef, who is accused of publishing cartoons of the Prophet, does not know how to read or write.
He pointed out that a group of young people from the village gathered in front of the homes of Coptic families and asked them to leave, following their inability to pay 250,000 EGP to the village's mayor. He explained that this happened with the approval of the Beni Suef director of security, Major General Mohammed Abu Talib.
"What is happening is a farce and a social crime that undermines the rights of citizenship," Husseini pointed out. "We are seeing some of results of the Salafist radical ideas that must be rejected by everyone."
He added that these ideas have planted "takfiri fundamentalism" in Egypt for about 45 years.
Dr. Khaled Montasser, political writer, wrote on his Facebook page Monday that the displacement of Copts does not happen except in countries controlled by the law of the jungle.
"Have we entered the tunnel of a religious state and are convincing ourselves that we are in a modern country?" he wondered.
The series of displacement of Copts is still ongoing. A customary meeting on April 17 in the village of Nasiriyah in Beni Mazar, Minya, ruled to displace a Coptic teacher accused of spreading an anti-Islam video clip in the presence of the security and religious leaders.
In a related development, a young Coptic man, Mina Shuhdi Awad, from the village of Basra in Alexandria, is still unable to return to his home after he was displaced nearly three years ago over rumors that he was in a relationship with a Muslim girl from the same village. A customary meeting was held by Sheikh Sherif al-Hawari, a Salafi leader in Alexandria, and a decision was made to displace the young man from the village.
In Egypt, a tribal system called "customary reconciliation meetings" is followed when Copts are exposed to attacks, instead of the enforcement of the law.
In most cases, assailants go unpunished and the rights of Copts are not upheld in these meetings. This tribal system is applied on Copts after each attack on them to give up their grievances before courts with the encouragement of the security services, especially in Upper Egypt.
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the Australian Coptic Movement Association
Coptic families evicted from village over Facebook posts
Posted by Sarah on June 1st, 2015
Scores of Coptic owned homes and crops have been destroyed following mob violence by extremists in a village near Beni Sweif, south of Cairo.
Coptic families have come under attack in the village of Kafr Darwish in al-Fashn, Beni Sweif, south of Cairo following alleged Facebook posts deemed offensive to Muslims. Watani news reports that the accused actually lives in Jordan and is illiterate.
Mob violence directed against Coptic families living in the village of Kafr Darwish resulted in at least 10 houses torched following sustained attacks.
Regrettably, a ‘reconciliation session’ was held by the local elders, security personnel from Fashn Police and Clergy and it was decided that the entire Youssef family should leave the village as the police cannot guarantee their safety.
The forced eviction of the entire family did not achieve much success as further attacks against Coptic owned properties were reported in the following days including uprooting of crops.
We are deeply concerned regarding the spike in sectarian attacks on Copts in recent years following alleged online activities.
There can be no justification for mob violence and we reject the notion of holding ‘reconciliation sessions’ following such attacks. The rule of law should be applied and all perpetrators of mob violence should be apprehended, charged and sentenced accordingly. Copts should never be forced to leave their villages and should be afforded protection by the police.
The Australian Coptic Movement
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MCN
18/5/2015
Abductions of Copts in Minya continue amid security forces' failure
Minya (Upper Egypt), May 18/MCN/
The situation of Copts has not changed although Egyptians carried out two revolutions within three years. The January 25 Revolution toppled former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and the June 30 Revolution toppled the Muslim Brotherhood’s rule in 2013. Copts are still abducted and are asked to pay ransoms. Upper Egypt governorates, including Minya, witness the most abductions. Moreover, minor Coptic girls are still abducted and lands owned by Copts are seized in all areas of Egypt. Copts are calling for help without police intervention. Police have not taken any action in Copts’ issues.
Unknown persons kidnapped four Copts Sunday from Bani Mahdy village in Minya while they were going to Jabal Al-Tar village to attend the celebration of the Virgin Mary’s birth in Samalout.
The agency knew that the kidnappers contacted the families of kidnapped Copts and asked them to pay one million pounds and negotiations are being carried out to decrease the amount.
A source told MCN that unknown persons attacked the taxi carrying the five Copts from Bani Mahdy village to the celebration. He also mentioned that there was a baby girl with the Copts who cried, so the kidnappers left her and her father. The source said that the kidnapped Copts are Emad Ayad and Wahba Hakim (sales representatives in a pharmaceutical company), Samuael Sadky, and the fourth has not been identified yet.
The source added that the families of the kidnapped Copts filed a report about the incident at Samalout police station upon return of the fifth Copt, who is under supervision and the police are questioning him to learn details of the incident.
MCN learned that security forces have succeeded in arresting two defendants who are accused of committing the crime.
Priest Astafanos Shehata, undersecretary of Salamout diocese, said the celebration has not been affected, especially as security forces intensified their presence in the monastery. He also mentioned that a Copt from Al-Farokia village was subjected to an abduction attempt four days ago, but he escaped from the kidnappers and returned to his house.
Badr Sedrak, a leader at Al-Sarh Party in Minya told MCN that abduction cases in Minya governorate have increased since 2011, after the January 25 Revolution, and was limited in 2013, but increased again in 2014. He pointed to the abduction of 2-year-old Shenouda Salah, whose body was found in a well in a village on the Western desert road.
Ezzat Ibrahim, director of Al-Kelmah Center for Human Rights in Minya told MCN that the center monitored 49 abduction cases for ransom demand in 18 months. Seven were killed, two disappeared, three were freed, three escaped from kidnappers and the others returned after they paid ransom ranging from 20,000 to 400,000 pounds according to ability of family of the kidnapped Copt
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Coptic Solidarity
When Copts Get Displaced from Homes by Extremists, Under State Supervision
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Published on Tuesday, 24 March 2015 07:51
Written by MCN (edited)
Copts are subjected to displacement from their houses to other places inside Egypt by the orders of Muslim militants under the supervision of police in the framework of the so-called 'customary reconciliation meetings.'
This tribal phenomenon is sometimes used instead of applying the national laws when Copts are subjected to attacks. In most cases, the perpetrators escape punishment and Copts lose their rights. They are typically forced to waive their complaints. Worse still: this procedure is done under the supervision of security departments, especially in Upper Egypt governorates.
Sobhy Nady Mehany (26 years old), a Copt displaced from Delga village, Dar Mawas, Minya governorate (Upper Egypt), said that he and his family were displaced on July 3, 2013 after they were attacked by Muslim Brotherhood supporters. He mentioned that they cannot return to their houses and that the displacement was enforced under the supervision of the security forces that were standing in front of the house during the attack.
He told MCN that the incident dates back to July 3, 2013 after General Al-Sisi, then Defense Minister, ousted the Islamic president Mohamed Morsi. He said that Muslim Brotherhood members of the village swept Copts’ houses, and opened fire, blaming them for the ouster of Morsi. Mehany mentioned that attackers looted a shop and a store owned by his family, and that Copts hid in their houses out of fear.
Mina Shohdy Awad, a Copt from Al-Basrah village, Al-Amiriyah, Alexandria, still cannot return home three years after being displaced. This took place after a rumor that he had an affair with a Muslim girl in the village. A customary reconciliation meeting was held by Sherif Al-Hawary, a Salafist Call leader in the west of Alexandria, which ordered Awad to leave the village.
Awad told MCN that he lost hope in returning to his house. Yet, he mentioned that he refuses to beg for his right from some individuals who belong to the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists in the village, who have no right to displace or return him, but they control the area amid absence of police.
Under the Muslim Brotherhood rule, Dahshor area in Giza witnessed in August 2012 the displacement of Christian families after a clash broke out between a Coptic launderer and a Muslim client, who accused the Copt of burning his shirt. The dispute escalated into an attack on Copts. A customary reconciliation meeting ordered displacement of some Christians from the village.
These meetings are now being held even in some parts of the capital. A customary reconciliation meeting was at Al-Mataryiah district in Cairo, a year ago after clashes between two Muslim and Coptic families. The verdict was to displace the Christian family from the area, to have them sell all their property, pay one million pounds, slaughter 100 camels and 5 calves and to give up their 1000 meter land.
This meeting was held under the supervision of security leaders and police including Maj. Gen. Yehia Al-Iraqy, deputy director of Cairo State Security. The meeting included also Sheikhs of the area and witnessed by media professionals and channels.
Saeed Abdel Masih, is a lawyer of a Copt imprisoned in an Al-Mataryiah incident which occurred four months ago between Zaghlol and Hetler Coptic families and Al-Walimah Muslim family. He said that the customary reconciliation meeting held recently at Al-Mataryiah humiliated the Copts.
He told MCN that Al-Mataryiah police station colluded with the Muslim family, something clearly apparent in the terms imposed on Copts in the meeting.
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Edited from: http://www.mcndirect.com/
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With my sincere appreciation and respect
Dr. Seti Shenouda
Egyptian doctor and human rights activist
Researcher in terrorism and political Islam
Member of Amnesty International
2/6/2015
