• 04:10
  • Tuesday ,14 August 2012
العربية

Dahshur is not the end

Dr. Raafat Fahim Gendy

Article Of The Day

00:08

Tuesday ,14 August 2012

Dahshur is not the end

 Last November, after the massacre of Maspero, I joined Mr. Hanna Hanna and Mr. Medhat Aweidah to meet with Gillian Keelty, Senior Advisor of Anti-ethnic cleansing office under the Secretary-General of the United Nations in New York City. During the meeting, which lasted for 90 minutes, we made a presentation and gave her a file prepared by the lawyer Hanna Hanna about the practices of the Egyptian government and the massacres and prosecution they suffer from since the era of Sadat till Maspero massacre. 

In 1954, Sadat mada a pledge in the Islamic Conference that by the year 2000, Egypt will have no Christian, but those who work in shoe cleaning. However, he didn't live till 2000 as he was killed by those who were supposed to help him achieving this goal! 
 
Furthermore, Morsy has started his era by a scandal of forced displacement for Coptic Christians of Dahshur, which is not the end as Egypt looks to be committed to the promise of Sadat, however, the time may change.
 
When the Emperor Nero burned Rome in order to establish great gardens, he accused the Christians of his own crime. Then, Christians were driven to be tortured and killed by fire and beasts. Great martyrs appeared then like Sts. George, Mina, Demiana, etc. Finally, this war against Christianity came to an end after Christianity had flourished even more.
 
After the Arabic invasion of Egypt, poll tax was imposed on Christians who suffered a lot from humiliation, degradation and even killing under the unfair conditions set by the Caliph Omar Ibn al-Khattab, (who is called “the just”!). Nevertheless, many rulers came under the Islamic ruling who tried to put an end to  Christianity, but it lasted and they have gone, and the only difference is that the Church has become even stronger with a huge number of patron saints like: Veronia, Sedhom Bishay, and Simeon the shoe maker... etc.
 
Moreover, Eras of Sadat and Mubarak have gone, and so will do the Muslim Brotherhood, while Christianity will last forever. Furthermore, Egypt will not be able to fulfill the promise of Sadat to free Egypt of Christians.
 
Should the Coptic Diaspora do something and tell the whole world about the prosecuted Coptic Christians of Egypt? Shall we leave 120 families of Dahshur living away of their houses? Shall we stop at praying claiming it is the only solution for our problems? I can only say that Dahshur is not the end.