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Gunmen kill three Coptic Christians in Egypt

04:15 a.m. Aug 13, 1998 Eastern
CAIRO, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Three unidentified gunmen killed three Coptic Christians in anattack in southern Egypt, witnesses and security sources said on Thursday.

They said the gunmen shot three Coptic brothers dead as they were sitting outside their house in the Samalut district of Minya province, about 185 km (115 miles) south of Cairo, on Wednesday night. Two of their relatives escaped unhurt.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but security sources said the assailants belonged to a ``terrorist group,'' the term the authorities use for Moslem militants.

Minya province has been a hotbed for activities by violent Islamist groups, some of which have targeted tourists, policemen and members of Egypt's Coptic minority.

About 1,200 people have been killed since militants took up arms in 1992 to try to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak's government and turn Egypt into a purist Islamic state.

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Gunmen shoot two villagers in southern Egypt

11:24 a.m. Aug 04, 1998 Eastern
CAIRO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Three suspected militants shot a carpenter to death and then fired at random in a southern Egyptian village, killing another man, security sources and witnesses said on Tuesday.

They said the attack took place late on Monday in Dairut Umm Nakhala village in Minya, 236 km (141 miles) from Cairo.

Residents chased the gunmen after they shot the carpenter in his workshop and then the attackers shot randomly in the village, killing another man. Three people were injured. security forces surrounded the area and were searching for the gunmen. Prosecution sources say they suspect the attackers to be Islamic militants and the victims to be Christians.

About 1,200 people, mostly militants and police, have been killed since militant groups took up arms to topple President Hosni Mubaraks government and set up a purist Islamic state.

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Two policemen shot dead in Southern Egypt

05:38 p.m Jul 31, 1998 Eastern
MINYA, Egypt, July 31 (Reuters) -
Two policemen were shot dead by unidentifed men on Friday in southern Egypt, security sources said.

The two policmen, both of the Coptic minority, were on duty in Badrman, a village near Minya, 290 km (180 miles) south of Cairo.

Police said armed men opened fire from cover immediately killing Munir Aziz and Samir Habib Marzouq.

Minya has been a hotbed of militant activities by violent Islamist groups trying since 1992 to topple the government of President Hosni Mubarak and set up a purist Islamic state.

Militants have targeted tourists, policemen and members of Egypt's Coptic minority.

Interior ministry sources, however, said that Friday's shootings were the result of a feud over a job promotion.

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Slain nuns laid to rest in Yemen cemetery

05:34 p.m Jul 30, 1998 Eastern
SANAA, Yemen (Reuters) - Three Roman Catholic nuns murdered by a suspected Islamic extremist in Yemen were buried on Thursday in a Christian cemetery in the southern city of Aden.

``The funeral took place and the three nuns were buried,'' a government official told Reuters.

Government representatives, diplomats and some Muslim Yemeni citizens wishing to pay their respects took part in the funeral service at one of the two churches still in regular use in the port city.

Among the mourners was Mother Nirmila, who replaced the late Mother Teresa as head of the Missionaries of Charity Catholic order to which the slain nuns belonged.

The bodies of Sisters Zilia, 35, and Elita, 40 -- both from India -- and Michaela, 36, from the Philippines were carried from the Catholic church in a procession of vehicles to the small cemetery.

Residents said a few soldiers were posted outside the church and scattered along the route between the church in Al-Tawahi district and the cemetery in the Al-Rawdha area.

Earlier, a security official in Aden had said measures would be taken to ensure the nuns' final journey was not disrupted. ``We are going to ensure a very safe service and funeral, since it is our duty and we respect other religions,'' he said.

Residents said the church where the funeral was held had in the past been vandalized by Islamic extremists.

Yemen, a predominantly Muslim country, has only two Christian cemeteries, both in Aden, one where the nuns were buried and a second for British servicemen. Aden was once a strategic colonial port for the British Empire.

The three nuns were shot dead on Monday on their way to work by a suspected Islamic extremist in Hodeidah, 225 km (140 miles) from the capital Sanaa.

Pope John Paul on Wednesday prayed for the three nuns. A telegram sent to Mother Nirmila said the Pope was ``deeply saddened to learn of the murder of three missionaries of charity.''

Residents seized the gunman immediately after the incident as he tried to escape. He was handed over to police.

Residents said about 10-12 nuns offer medical services in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

An official said the suspect confessed to his crime and said he killed the nuns because they were ``preaching Christianity.''

Guns are openly carried in Yemen, one of the Arab world's poorest countries. Unofficial estimates put the number of firearms in the country at 50 million, more than three times the population of 16 million.

Yemen launched a campaign last year to seize illegal weapons, but residents said guns were still carried in public by most men.

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July 27, 1998
EGYPTIAN SECURITY FORCES CLOSE DOWN A CHURCH NEAR MAADI

The following news item appeared in the Egyptian Newspaper "Al-Ahali," on July 22, 1998, in the first page:

" In an unprecedented action, the (Egyptian) Security Forces closed down a church in the vicinity of Maadi (near Cairo), wax-sealing all of its doors, windows and the inside doors of its rooms. The raid was led by officers from several security apparatuses in a spectacular show of force that included several high ranking officers and many soldiers with more than 7 armored cars, motorcycles and sirens after sealing off the whole area. The people living in the area, especially the Copts were stunned at the presence of such massive security forces. They were offended at the act of wax-sealing the doors of the church, not just closing it down.

"The congregation of the church sent cables of denunciation of the incident and an appeal for help to President Mubarak. H.G. Bishop Daniel also sent a petition to General Habib Al-Adly Minister of Interior. Pope Shenouda received the news of the closing of the Church with much distress; he declined the attendance of a (previously scheduled) conference for national unity in Al-Azhar University. Some simple-minded people in the area tried to wipe out the disgrace by their own hands, if it were not for the interference of Bishop Daniel, who calmed them down, and asked them to seek peaceful measures instead.

"The church was built 4 years ago, on a 700 square meters piece of land owned by the Coptic Church in the Kostica area which is part of the Diocese of Maadi. The church sits at the foot of the mountain and is used for praying on Sundays only. A spokesman for the Security Forces attributed the closing due to the lack of an official permit. However it was mutually understood that the building of the church would start first until the permit is secured in a later date. An example is the church of the Virgin Mary in Dar Al-Salam which obtained its permit 12 years after it was built and used for prayer. This in addition to the fact that the citizens of the area, Muslims and Copts, live together in peace and harmony without any provocation or problems."

Comments
This flagrant act of violence against the peaceful Christian minority of Egypt comes at a time when the Egyptian government is giving the outside world the notion that it is finally in the process of addressing the Coptic problem. The fact that the operation was executed by officers belonging to different security apparatuses is a proof that the order came from a very higher-up authority. While President Mubarak alleges to the media, that there is no permit to build a church that he refused, his government commits such barbaric acts of closing down existing churches. The manner of how the church was closed down, and the harshness of the police forces towards the peaceful worshippers was nothing but a slap on the face and an insult added to injury. Amassing such a huge force against a few unarmed citizens while they were praying is a treatment only befitting a den of dangerous murderers. The claim that the church didn't have a permit was only a sham. The church was not hidden under ground. For 4 years the church was in existence, and the congregation was praying in it every Sunday. The timing of the incident, and the fact that it coincided with Congressman wolf visit to Egypt and his investigation of the human rights violations against the Copts, raises many suspicions: Could it be that the Egyptian Government is sending the Copts a message that the more the government is pressured to improve the Copts' condition, the more they are going to make life miserable for them? In other words, Copts should be happy with the status quo or it will be worse! Like hostages, Copts must accept whatever crumbs, their captors throw to them, and don't complain, or else!!

Please pray and stand in support of your oppressed Coptic Christian brothers and sisters in Egypt.

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June 14,1998
MR. MUBARAK JUSTIFIES INJUSTICE AGAINST COPTS

The International Coptic Federation, on June 3, 1998, published a full-page ad in the Washington Post, regarding the Egyptian Government policy of discrimination towards the Coptic Christians of Egypt. On June 12, 1998, the Egyptian semi-official newspaper Al Ahram published excerpts from a news conference in which Mr. Mubarak, seemingly, reacting to some of the points in the ad, defends his government's policies. We will publish here a literal translation of the newspaper's report, followed by our comments.

With respect to what is being circulated outside Egypt regarding the (Egyptian Government's) refusal to build churches, the President explained that we don't lag in building churches, but we examine (the matter) in order that we don't give a chance to the extremists; Christians or Muslims. Also, the number of churches, which were approved, has reached double of what was existing. Both the church and the mosque must obtain a permit from the concerned authorities. Repairs (of churches) are done by the approval of the appropriate local authorities according to normal procedures. If this is what being raised by Copts of the Diaspora, they are not Egyptians but they carry other citizenship. They try to stir up the feelings of the Muslims and the Copts and this is not in the best interest of Egypt.

In reply to what they (Copts abroad) raise regarding appointing Copts to leading positions, the President said that they should ask themselves: is there a Copt or a Muslim in the United States who occupies the position of a Governor or a Mayer of a province? but the goal is to incite the Copts and Muslims extremists.

Comments
In the face of the glaring evidences of the Coptic problems, Mr. Mubarak, this time, couldn't deny the existence of these problems. But, instead of attempting to solve them, Mr. Mubarak tries here to find justifications for such injustices. His arguments, however, don't hold water. Let's examine each of Mr. Mubarak's arguments.

Mubarak's first argument: Restricting the building of churches is needed to avoid acts of violence from Christian or Muslim extremists.

Mr. Mubarak knows well that there is no such thing as "Christian extremists" in Egypt Records shows that not a single act of violence was ever committed by a Christian. Logically, Christians wouldn' t act violently to the building of a church.
Muslims extremists, on the other hand, may act violently to the building of churches. However, yielding to their demands is not only unfair, but also is not a good policy. This would recognize them as a decision making power to be reckoned for in Egypt. Yielding to their wishes will put no end to what they may demand next.

Mubarak's second argument: The number of churches that were approved has reached double of what was existing.

This is an extreme exaggeration. The Very Rev. Keith Roderick of the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights Under Islamization, puts the number of permits issued during 1981-1990, as 10 permits for new churches and 25 for repairs. Lord David Alton of Jubilee, puts the averages of permits issued from 1983-1993 as one new church per year, and gives the ratio of new churches to church members of 1:900000.
The important thing, however, is not about numbers but about a principle. Why Christians are not treated equally to Muslims regarding building places of worship? Why Muslims have the freedom to build mosques, while Christians face restrictions?

Mubarak's third argument: Both the church and the mosque must obtain a building permit.

Building churches is subject to an 1856 Ottoman Empire decree that requires the approval of the President of Egypt himself, after satisfying 10 rigid conditions. Building mosques, on the other hand, are not subject to any restrictions, on the contrary, they are offered many incentives
The only restriction some mosques may face, are for those that are owned by the Muslim extremists. The restrictions are not for the building of the mosques, but for monitoring the contents of the sermons to be delivered for fear they may be used to incite violence against the government.

Mubarak's fourth argument: Copts outside Egypt are not Egyptians and they stir up the feelings of Copts and Muslims

Mr. Mubarak should check his Egyptian law. For his information, the Egyptian law allows dual citizenship. An Egyptian doesn t loose his Egyptian citizenship just because he immigrated to another country and obtained a second citizenship.
Regardless, of that law, Copts will always be Egyptians. This is something nobody can take away from them. They are the pure and original Egyptians who can trace their ancestry to the times of the Pharaohs. Whether Copts stay in Egypt or immigrate to another country, their genes, blood, the color of their skin, and the make up of their character will never change. Their love for the land of their forefathers is eternal.
Copts outside Egypt have interest in what is going on in Egypt. Relatives, friends and brethren in the faith, are still there suffering from what they once were subjected to.
Even looking at the Coptic problems from just a human rights point of view, one doesn't need to be an Egyptian to defend the Coptic rights. Human right issues are no longer local issues; they are rather global issues that concern the whole human race.
The one who stir up the Copts and the Muslims, Mr. Mubarak, is not he who exposes the injustice but he who commits it, namely the Egyptian government itself.

Mubarak's fifth argument: If Copts and Muslims in the United States don't occupy the positions of governors or mayors, why Copts are asking for these jobs in Egypt?

If we, wrongly, assume that the United States is not fair to its citizens from Egyptian background, would that be a legitimate justification for Egypt to do the same to its Copts?
In Egypt, these jobs are filled by appointing, so the Egyptian government is responsible for the discriminating policy regarding whom they appoint. In the United States, however, these jobs are political jobs decided by the voters through the election process. Egyptians (Copts or Muslims) in the United States don't reach these jobs because they don't run for these offices. Egyptians don't run for offices for many reasons, one is that they are new to this country and unknown to the American society, in addition, it takes a lot of money to run a campaign. Other minorities who have been in the United States longer , and are well established, have successfully reached these positions, such as the Jews, the Armenians, the Lebanese, etc. Regarding the Copts in Egypt, the situation is different. Copts have been in Egypt as long as the Muslims have, or perhaps longer, there is no justification for any preferences be granted to Muslims over the Christians.
Egyptians (Copts or Muslims) in the United States have been very successful in reaching leading positions, that are filled through appointing, based on qualifications. Many Egyptians (Christians or Muslims) are now heads of American agencies in both the government and the private sectors. These are the same positions that have been denied to the Copts in their own country.

Mr. Mubarak:

your arguments are nothing but an insult to people's intelligence. There is nothing you can say that will convince people to accept injustice. We are not living in the 7^th Century where it was once accepted to treat Christians as a second class Dhemmis. We are now at the turn of the 21^st century, and minorities these days have equal rights.

It is high time for you to understand and accept that.

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March 5,1998
International intervention on behalf of Copts Is the legal and moral thing to do..

Mr. Hosni Mubarak's top political advisor, Osama al-Baz, in an interview with the Middle East Times, on March 2,1998, blasted the US Congress for its role in defending the human rights of Copts, as part of the "Freedom from Religious Act of 1997". The following are highlights of Mr. al-Baz claims, and our response to them

Coptic problems are domestic affairs. He says, "the United States should not rush to point a finger at domestic affairs such as the treatment of Copts."

Mr. Al-Baz have a problem understanding that according to modern international laws, human right violations against citizens of any country are no longer looked at as internal matters of that country. Rather, they are considered international issues that concern the international community.

Cops are opposed to international intervention. He says, "Copts here are opposed to it. You can ask the pope."

As usual, Mr. Baz resorts to the government's favorite tactics of exerting pressure on our religious leadership to deny the persecution of Copts. One thing must be made clear is that Copts in Egypt are likened to 10 million hostages surrounded by 60 millions hostile Muslims. You can not take a statement from a hostage to represent his true feeling, when his kidnappers are pointing a gun to his head. Nevertheless, our Coptic leadership never alluded to the notion that Copts are not discriminated against. All what Coptic leadership have said was that they prefer that Coptic problems should be handled inside Egypt. It should be understood that they fear for the wellbeing of millions of Copts, if they ask for international intervention, as this will make them look like traitors to their country.

Copts are not a minority that needs protection. He says, "We have no minorities here in Egypt. We have a Christian community that is equal to the Islamic community. The Copts are not a minority because you can not distinguish them."

Mr. Baz is sidetracking the issue here. The important thing is not whether Copts are a minority, although this can be easily proven, but it is whether they are persecuted. Copts are a minority because , unlike Muslims, they can trace their ancestry to the Pharaohs without mixing with Arab's blood. Also, they are a minority based on religious affiliation. Just because Copts look alike Muslims doesn't make them all one ethnicity. Copts, Jews, Italians, Arabs, (all Middle-Easterners), all look close to each other, but they all belong to different ethnic backgrounds

More Muslims have been killed by terrorists than Copts. He says, "More Muslims have died at the hands of terrorists than Copts."

This is a misleading statement, because some of the Muslims who died were either mistaken for Copts, or were informants of the government. Most Muslims who died were police officers who were engaged on behalf of the government for a power struggle with the extremists who are seeking to overthrow the government to establish an Islamic state in Egypt. Copts on the other hand are being killed for one reason only , that is because they are Christians.

Defending Copts will hurt American-Egyptian relations. He says, "It is the most injurious for the American Congress to have the image that it is an entity that is harassing other nations by describing them as persecuting nations."

Mr. Baz: What name you want to use to describe persecuting nations other than that they are persecuting nations ?!

To the American Congress: God bless you for standing by the persecuted Copts, it is your moral responsibility that supersedes all other considerations, such as friendship. A friend who persecutes his own people is not a true friend.

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January 26, 1998
Mubarak's new maneuvers to evade the issue of Coptic persecution

Under pressure from the members of the U.S. Congress, Mr. Mubarak promised last year that he would improve the condition of the Copts (Christian of Egypt). We were waiting with hope and anticipation for these changes to come through.

Unfortunately, the news that we have been getting lately diminished all hopes for any improvement any time soon. Instead, Mr. Mubarak resorted to several tactics to avoid dealing with the problem, and in the same time hoping to guarantee getting the U.S. foreign aid uninterrupted. What he wants is eat the cake and keep it, too. Here are some of these tactics:

Denying completely the existence of any discrimination against the Copts, as if the Coptic complaints were a product of their imagination. The fact is, there are hundreds of neutral reports from respected human rights organizations that documented these human rights violations against the Copts. The State Department Report on July 1997 listed many of these violations which occupied about 2 pages of the report. We would be happy to provide anybody who is in doubt with all documentation.

Trying to pressure Coptic leadership to deny the persecution of Copts. Many Coptic leaders were forced to say that Copts are facing only little problems, that they prefer to solve within the Egyptian family. Examining the so-called "little problems", will convince anybody that they are actually as big as it can get. We must understand that Christians in Egypt are not free to express their opinion. They are like hostages in their own country. You don't expect a hostage to say the whole truth when the kidnappers are sticking a gun to his head.

Making only superficial changes that doesn't really improve anything. An example is the latest presidential Decree on January 23, 1998. That decree was designed to give the impression that Mr. Mubarak was changing the Hamayouni Decree, the law that requires a permit signed by the president in order to be able to build or repair a church. The fact is that the new change kept all existing rules and regulations intact, it just shifted the duties from the president to the 26 province's governors. Now, Copts have to deal with a more fanatic source for getting a permit just to repair a church.

How long the Copts have to wait to get their right of being equal to Muslims in Egypt? How many more Copts need to die, how many more churches need to burn, how many more young Coptic women need to be kidnapped& , before the world hear their cry and do something about their plight?

We hope that you will be among those who will champion the new legislation in Congress for protecting Christians worldwide who suffer for no reason other then being Christians. Copts are certainly on the top of the list.

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January 24, 1998
The Hamayouni Decree Is Still Alive And Kicking

The semi-official, Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, on January 23, 1998, published the following news item:

Presidential decree to delegate Governors to issue permits for the structural reinforcement or repair of churches

President Mubarak issued a Presidential Decree to delegate Governors, each within the realm of his governorate, to carry out the duties of the President regarding the issuing of permits to religious denominations for the structural reinforcement or repair of churches, provided that this will not infringe on the laws and regulations that regulate this type of work.

Comments
Under pressure from the United States Congress, and threats of cutting off U.S. aid to Egypt, Mr. Mubarak promised to improve the condition of Copts (Christian of Egypt). On top of the list of unfair practices directed against Copts is a law that goes back to the Ottoman Empire called the Hamayouni Decree. That 1856 law requires Christians to obtain a Presidential Decree to build or repair a church. On the other hand, the building or repairing of mosques encounters no obstacles, it draws special incentives and privileges. Last year, Mr. Mubarak promised to change the law, and perhaps issue a new unified law for building and repairing all places of worship (mosques and churches).

Now, comes this new law that doesn't really change, or improve anything, on the contrary, it may make things even worse for Christians. Under this new law there are still two laws, one for the building of churches, and the other for the building of mosques. The new change doesn't abolish any unfair existing laws, it confirmed them. Permits for building new churches are still in the hands of the President. Repairing churches still requires a Presidential Decree, and is still governed by the existing restrictions. The new change is that governors now have the power of the President to approve permits for repairing churches. It is worth noting here that when the few permits to repair churches were issued by the President in the past, in most cases, it was the Governorates that stopped them. Delegating this function to the Governors doesn't solve the problem. Instead of dealing with one Hamayouni (the President), Copts now have to deal with 26 Hamayounis (the Governors). The new Hamayounis don't answer to the international community.

We feel that this is nothing but a new maneuver by Mr. Mubarak to give the American Congress the impression that he is fulfilling his end of the deal about making a change. It is no secret that the timing of this new law coincides with the discussion which is taking place now in Capitol Hill in regard to religious persecution of Christians worldwide.

Why does Mr. Mubarak resort to the tactics of playing games with the international community? How hard can it be for him to abolish the Hamayouni Decree, once and for all, and treat Christians as equal to Muslims in the land of their forefathers, Egypt ?

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