Coptic Christian activists in Egypt are calling on the Interior Ministry and its organs in the Fayum district to move and rescue the monks, workers, and visitors of the ancient Monastery of Saint Makarius, which is located in the deserts between Alexandria and Cairo.
Arab Bedouins have been raiding, plundering, and keeping the monastery in a constant state of duress. Among other depredations, these raiders have especially taken up the practice of waylaying Christian travelers to the monastery, including those in vehicles, and robbing them under threat of gunfire.
In one incident, a monk was stopped, seized, and had gun shots fired near his ear, before he was robbed of all the money in his possession, which was meant to be used to purchase much needed building materials for the monastery. In another incident, the monastery car was stolen and returned in exchange for a large sum of money.