Fr. Ibrahim said people besieged the site, where work started two years ago, throwing stones at the workers and nearby Coptic houses. Later, thousands of Muslim men and women walked through the streets of the village chanting “There is no god but Allah, the priest is the enemy of Allah”.
“Security leaders managed to contain the situation, and it was agreed to stop construction work for the time being,” Fr. Ibrahim said. “A lot of rumors spread, however, claiming the building would be used for Christian proselytizing. When I denied such allegations, Muslims demanded to be partners in the services building to ensure its use by Muslims and Copts.”
Furthermore, Fr. Ibrahim said, “We had purchased a 100 square meters house adjacent to the church because the church area of 70 square meters is too small. When we tried to demolish the walls separating the church and the house to expand and renovate the church, Muslim villagers surrounded the church and hurled stones at it. Sheikhs came to the village in many cars to join Muslims from the village in besieging the church,” the priest explained.
According to Fr. Ibrahim, security services managed to control the situation and it was agreed in a meeting with the governor and security leaders to stop all further work until reaching a compromise with the village’s Muslims.
He pointed out that he asked to build a fence around the piece of the land, which overflows groundwater and threatens neighboring houses with collapse, but they refused.
The priest said that work has stopped and the church has been placed under the control of security personnel and various sheikhs, who want to close the openings linking the church and the adjacent house.
__________________________________
Edited from: http://www.mcndirect.com/showsubject.aspx?id=43818