• 07:26
  • Sunday ,31 October 2010
العربية

Re: An appeal to intercede and save the Copts (Christians of Egypt)

By-INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN UNION

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00:10

Sunday ,31 October 2010

Re: An appeal to intercede and save the Copts (Christians of Egypt)

 Dear Mr. U.N. Secretary General:
As many thousands of Copts (Christians of Egypt) are demonstrating today in front of the United Nations, we find it necessary to appeal to you to help in stopping the blood-shed of the Christians in Egypt. Our Coptic Communities all over the world are shocked and stunned through the latest attacks against His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. We like to bring a serious matter to your attention about the atrocities that Christians in Egypt face! His Holiness Pope Shenouda III - at present time – is exposed to verbal abuse, threat of expulsion, exile, murder and serious insults to his person, his church and religion through utmost dirty insults. Also His Eminence Metropolitan Bishoy is subjected to the same problems or even worse. Recently, Coptic persecution has reached its peak as the threat of murder and genocide of the clergy and all Copts became the most prominent slogans that the Jihadist Muslims – supported by the Egyptian Government – are shouting in their violent demonstrations against the innocent Christians of Egypt. Every Friday, Muslims come out of the mosques - after their prayers -in rough ugly rage pouring their wrath on all Christians at all levels. These craze raids terrify all Copts and being worried about their lives, they lock themselves indoors! Ten attacks of this type took place in the last five weeks with an average of twice a week. They will emerge, led by Imam of the mosque to insult and curse the Pope, his church, his religion and all Copts, threatening and insulting them with more humiliation and more threats to kill Christians. This happens in the streets at the sight and hearing of all the Egyptian people and government officials. These insults and death threats are recorded in sound and image through all the media, audio-visual, electronic and printed. Police and security people have participated with the aggressors in the recent demonstration called “volcano”. This also can be reviewed in the visual media. All this is happening because of false allegations of Egyptian Muslims who fabricate lies and propagate them among the public.

Two days ago, the court postponed the trial of the killers of Nag Hammadi martyrs in an attempt to vindicate the criminals as the Sharia law dictates that.  In January 6th 2010 on the Coptic Christmas eve, six Egyptian Christians who just went out of their church were killed and many seriously injured. This happened as an assassination attempt on the life of H.G. Bishop Kirollos in Southern Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi was foiled on Wednesday, the 6th of January at 11.15 PM.  “I was the one intended to be assassinated by this plot, and when it failed the criminals turned round and started shooting and finishing off the young ones." Bishop Kirollos of the Nag Hammadi Diocese said. Eyewitnesses saw a dark-green "Fiat" 131 without registration, one Peugeot 504 car and a half-truck. The cars were driven by masked men shooting randomly at the congregation as they came out of Church. The cars then went into three nearby areas (15th March Street, 15 May Street and Railway Station Street) shooting Copts. One eye-witness told MECA that those killed were mostly young men in their early 20s. He said that most people were killed or wounded near the church, but that the cars went around shooting in other areas, resulting in two more death, besides the wounded. It was reported that among the dead was a young man and his fiancé and a 14-years-old boy. Another witness criticized the absence of security. "Security came as everything was over, instead of trying to catch the criminals; they were interrogating us about the description of cars." This video shows the shootings. An eye-witness told Coptic News Bulletin from Nag Hammadi Hospital that the situation is dire, and there is a critical shortage of blood for transfusions. "The Muslims promised us a wonderful Christmas, and I think the message is received now," he said.
The Bishop accused security services of negligence in dealing with the events which led to the massacre, and added: "Not one single security man intervened to prevent casualties." He criticized the absence of adequate State Security forces guarding the church, which is customary on such events and in view of the unrest which took place in the area in November 2009. According to Wagih Yacoub of MECA, Bishop Kirollos had recently received a death threat. Bishop Kirollos also mentioned that the assassination attempt was meant to dispose of him in view of his standing position on the rights of the victims of the attacks on Christians in November 2009, in the areas of Farshout, Abu Shusha, Aerky and Alshokeify, part of the parish of Nag Hammadi. The State Security was heavily criticized at the time for the shameful role it played when Muslims assaulted Copts, in addition to looting and burning their businesses. One hundred and sixty three Copts were forcibly deported from their village by State Security following the events. These events were sparked by a rumor that a Copt had indecently assaulted a minor Muslim girl. Many Copts believe that the rape incident was fabricated by the Muslims to use it as a pretext to start violence against them. The accused Copt has not yet been charged by the Police. (AINA 11-22-2009, 11-23-2009). A state of curfew was imposed on the city of Nag Hammadi, and those inhabitants who were outside could not get back into their homes in the city.
 
Most witnesses interviewed believe that there was collusion between those carrying out today's shooting and the State Security, as for the first time, none of them attended the Christmas Eve midnight mass, which is customary in those events. "They must have known in advance of the shootings and avoided the embarrassment of participating in the festivities inside church," said one witness. All Christmas festivities have been cancelled said the Bishop. "Copts are terrified and will be staying indoors."
A similar incident occurred in April 2009 when Muslims opened fire on worshipers as they left the prayer service on Easter Eve in the village of Hidaka, Qena Governorate, resulting in the death of Amir Stephan’s (36 years) Aye Said (22) and the injury of Mina Samir (35) Hidaka village turned into a military barracks since April 2009.
 
The Lord commanded us in Proverbs 31:8-9 saying "Speak up for those who can't speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the right of the poor and needy” We are forced to appeal to the International Community for interceding on behalf of H.H. Pope Shenouda III and  more than 20 million Egyptian Christians who are facing persecution, impending massacres and ethnic cleansing. Mr. Mubarak has to act fast and protect the Copts if he is sincere in being a president for all Egyptians and not only to the Muslims.
 
I am also attaching a very short summary in the form of complaints we have made for the Copts’ massacres that took place recently.
 
 
Monir A. Dawoud, President.
 
Monir A. Dawoud, MD 
 
           Monir A. Dawoud, MD, FACS, FRCS, 
           General & Vascular Surgeon.
           Board of Trustees Member of “Act for America!”
           Member of the Chairman’s Advisory Board of the Republican National Committee, USA.
           President of the International Christian Union, 
           President of the American Coptic association,
           President of LEVANT (Previously, the Arab American Physician Foundation), and  
           Board of Trustees Member, of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organization (EUHR) and,
           CEO of (EUHR and the only Representative   in USA. 
 
Tel: (201) 424-1001 E-mail: mdmd1239@aol.com, mdmd121@yahoo.com, and mdmd12390@gmail.com. WEB-SITE: www.coptspharoes.com
 
 Joseph Hakim, Vice-President of the International Christian Union,
 
201-387-1867,201-387-0782,Fax201-832-8058 
Personalemail:hakimintl@hotmail.com    business email: hakimintl@aol.com