A Coptic Christian priest in Egypt is appealing to President Sisi to intervene on behalf of a Coptic church being threatened by “religious extremists.”
Four years ago the Coptic Church of St Abram in Shubra al-Khaima received a permit to build an additional services building. However, for four years, seven “thugs”—in the words of the report—have been preventing the church from building the services building, including by mobilizing the areas Muslims to demonstrate against, and threaten, the church—despite the fact that the church acquired the necessary papers.
The priest lamented that “after suffering many long years” they managed to acquire the permit to build, but then the next obstacle presented itself in the person of the aforementioned seven “thugs” who constantly harass, and incite Muslim mobs, against the church, whenever it tries to exercise its right to build the services building.
Islamic law forbids the building of new churches or the renovation of existing churches.
Over the last four years, both local and national authorities have failed to respond to the church’s pleas for help and intervention against the Islamic mob.
Accordingly, Fr. Bayman just wrote to President Sisi imploring him to intervene.
Sisi received great support during the anti-Muslim Brotherhood revolution from the nation’s Coptic community—evinced by the “retribution” meted out by Brotherhood sympathizers and other Islamists, which culminated in the destruction of dozens of churches in Egypt.