By: Ashraf Ramelah
Voice of the Copts
In a recent update based on further information from our contacts in Cairo regarding the latest attack on the St. Mary and Archangel Church in the Talbya town of Giza, the Egyptian state police, in what seems to be an increased effort by the Egyptian regime to dominate, control and ultimately prevent the building of Christian churches anywhere in Egypt, originally issued a construction permit to the church based upon an unspoken agreement that the church building exclude any visible signs of Christianity, such as: copulas, minarets and crosses. Furthermore, the building permit issued by authorities specifies that it should primarily function as a social center.
Upon detecting violations of the unstated part of the permit-agreement, the Egyptian regime sent out special state security police forces to the building project in the middle of the night (1:30 a.m.) to meet with the director of Giza police enforcement. A situation that should have appropriately been handled by an injunction or a stop-order of sorts in civil court, instead began with a brutal, aggressive attack against the Copts which resulted in bloodshed.
Although the Egyptian constitution gives religious rights and freedoms to all citizens, Shariah law of the second amendment overrides this and along with the Omrany decree, is the impetus for such violence against Copts and consistently the basis for this type of approach by authorities to Coptic concerns.
News of a third Copt who has died at the hands of the Egyptian regime police, reached our office at the time of completing this report.
