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Egypt's Christians respond to attack with prayer, fasting

By 
  • October 11, 2011

Prayer and fasting is the only possible response to a military attack on civilian, Christian protesters, a Canadian Coptic priest in Egypt told The Catholic Register.

Fr. Bishoi Yassa Anis was just blocks away from a battle between Christian protesters and Egyptian soldiers on the streets of Cairo Oct. 9. Egyptian officials put the death toll at 26 with more than 300 injured.

While protests began with the destruction of a church in Aswan, the Cairo protests were trying to draw attention to a long series of attacks on churches since the government of Hosni Mubarak fell in March of this year, said Bishoi (Egyptian family names come first).


The entire Christian community of Egypt — Orthodox, Catholic, Maronite and other churches represent approximately 10 per cent of the population — is praying and fasting, said Bishoi in a telephone interview from Cairo.

"When we meet troubles, Jesus says we must pray and fast. We are all praying and fasting."

Fr. Isaac Moheb, in charge of Toronto's Holy Family Coptic Catholic parish while Bishoi visits Egypt, encouraged members of the Catholic Coptic community to pray and fast.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird issued a statement condemning the violence and calling on the Egyptian government to protect religious freedom.

"People of faith must be able to practise and worship in peace and security," said Baird.

Plans are underway for a Toronto demonstration by the Coptic community, but that won't have much affect on the situation in Egypt, said Bishoi.

Fr. Bishoi Yassa Anis

Fr. Bishoi Yassa Anis

Photo by Michael Swan

"Who is it that will listen? Is it the administration? Is it the Salafi? I don't know," he said.

At press time details of the Toronto demonstration were not known.

With support from the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafi sect has escalated confrontations with Egypt's Christians and agitated for an Islamic state. At the same time public safety has become a constant problem as travellers are faced with armed groups demanding money, said Bishoi.

"There is no safety. If you travel from one place to another place you can meet people who threaten (you)," he said. "What kind of democracy can you have with no safety?"

The Egypt-based Christian NGO Egyptian Federation of Human Rights released a report in September claiming 93,000 Christians had left Egypt since Arab Spring protests brought down Mubarak's government in March. But leaving the country is only a solution for a small group of Copts able to afford to leave their homes and jobs, said Bishoi.

"That is not the solution. The solution is to stay here," he said. "This is where our country is, our culture, our history. We don't want people to leave."

The issue of church burnings comes down, once again, to the rule of law, said Bishoi.

"We get permission and then someone comes and says this cross on the tower of the church, it offends Muslims," he said. "We must have civil law."

More in this category: « Pope Shenouda declares days of mourning after protest turns violent Church leaders fear civil war in Syria »

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