Mourners Protest Islamic Attacks on Copts in Egypt

Muslim assailant gruesomely slays Christian, attacks two others with knife.

ISTANBUL, September 23 (CDN) — A funeral for a Coptic Christian gruesomely killed on a village street north of Cairo by a Muslim assailant last week turned into a protest by hundreds of demonstrators in Egypt.

Galal Nasr el-Dardiri, 35, attacked 63-year-old Abdu Georgy in front of the victim’s shop in Behnay village the afternoon of Sept. 16, according to research by a local journalist. Other Copts watched in horror as El-Dardiri stabbed Georgy five times in the back, according to interviews by Gamal Gerges, a reporter for newspaper Al-Youm al-Sabeh.

As Georgy fell to the ground, El-Dardiri took his knife and stabbed him four times in the stomach. He then disemboweled him, slit his throat and began sawing off his head, according to Gerges. The Rev. Stephanos Aazer, a Coptic priest who knew Georgy and saw photographs of his mutilated body, said the victim’s head was attached to the body by a small piece of flesh.

After killing Georgy, El-Dardiri got on a motorcycle and rode 30 minutes to another town, where he found Coptic shopkeeper Boils Eid Messiha, 40, and stabbed him twice in the stomach, according to Gerges. El-Dardiri immediately left the scene, went to nearby Mit Afif and allegedly attacked Hany Barsom Soliman. Soliman, a Copt in his mid-20s, managed to fight him off.

Messiha was taken to a hospital where he has been operated on at least five times. He remained in intensive care at press time. Soliman suffered lacerations to his arms but was otherwise unharmed.

On Thursday afternoon (Sept. 17), about 1,000 people gathered at Georgy’s funeral to protest the killing and assaults on Coptic Christians. Protestors chanted that Georgy’s “blood was not [spilled] in vain” as they carried signs that read, “Where are you, government? The terrorists are going to kill us.”

Aazer and several other priests participated in the demonstration. Aazer, of the Behnay area, confirmed that police had been monitoring local Copts and even tracking telephone conversations of clergy.

El-Dardiri was arrested on Thursday (Sept. 17) in Cairo and has been charged with murder. It was unclear when he would appear in court.

Ibrahim Habib, chairman of United Copts Great Britain, said Egypt has encouraged the type of “radicalization” that has led to such attacks.

It is the Egyptian government’s responsibility now to stop the persecution and victimization of its Coptic minority by Islamic fundamentalists,” he said. “The persecution and victimization of the Christians in Egypt has been persistent for three decades and recently escalated to a worrying tempo.”

Habib added that Egypt needs to root out Islamic extremists from government agencies, “including the Egyptian police, which frequently show complacency or collusion with the Islamists against the peaceful Christians.”

Report from Compass Direct News 

HEAVY PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN INDIA SPREADS NATIONALLY

There seems to be no end in sight to the heavy persecution against Christians in India. Recent attacks have taken place in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra — clear indication that the violence is spreading further than just Orissa, reports MNN.

Two weeks ago, Gospel for Asia missionary Raju was assaulted in Uttar Pradesh on his way home from a visit with fellow Christians. Extremists severely beat Raju, kicking him repeatedly until he lost consciousness. Raju was unconscious for five hours afterward and unable to speak for longer. He is now recovering from a broken hand and many facial injuries.

Of course, the reason for Raju’s victimization was not that he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Raju’s church has been blessed by the Lord and has grown to over 150 members. Many Hindu extremists are not happy with Raju’s dedication to his ministry, and they clearly found a way to show it.

Other GFA missionaries have also served as prey for extremists. In Delhi, Vikram, who leads a church of 80 other believers, was recently warned by death threats to put an end to his worship services. College Bible students in Maharashtra have been arrested and threatened for handing out tracts as well, accused of forcing Christianity on passers-by.

Although this violence had been seemingly confined to the state of Orissa in past weeks, now it is making headway throughout the rest of the country.

Report from the Christian Telegraph