• 22:04
  • Wednesday ,29 August 2012
العربية

Copts and violence!

Monir Beshai

Article Of The Day

00:08

Wednesday ,29 August 2012

Copts and violence!

Mubarak’s regime has claimed that Christians of Egypt are using violence against their enemies, which is a big lie of the former regime that lasted till now. It used to announce it would face violence of both Muslims and Christians, and I used to wonder as I never heard of violence of Christians. It seemed to me that the regime is trying to make some balance to avoid blaming only the Muslims for any violence from one hand, and to threat the Christians not to calim their rights other wise they will be charged like their attackers on the other!


After Mubarak's regime, came the regime of freedom and justice of Muslim Brotherhood, but the attacks against the Copts have increased with no justice or fair trials. Churches and properties of the Copts are being destroyed, burned, and looted. Moreover, they experienced forced displacement. Amazingly enough, the Copts are the only people who were arrested in such attacks as if they had burned their own houses and churches! Sometimes, they are tortured to admit falsely they had committed certain crimes, while the real perpetrators remain free to plan for the next attack!


The latest accusation against the Copts was by sheik Khalid Abdullah on Al-Nas satellite channel that Copts are planning to use (their weapons) to burn the headquarters of Muslim Brotherhood on August 24. He has repeated the claims of Dr. Muhammad Salim Al-Awa on Al Jazeera satellite. However, on August 24 no one has used violence save the supporters of Muslim Brotherhood in Tahrir Square and Alexandria!


I remember the words of the anchor Rasha Magdy from the Egyptian television talking to the Copts who were being attacked by the Egyptian Army and crushed by its armored vehicles: Why are the Copts attacking their own army!


I heard also on the Islamic Al-Nas satellite channel claims that Copts have a battalion called  “Theban battalion” that has a newspaper to attack Islam! In fact, I know this newspaper very well and I write articles in it from time to time. It only claims the civil rights the Coptic Christians without attacking Islam.


Theban battalion that the newspaper was named after doesn't exist today, as it dates back to the time of the Roman emperor Diocletian (284 - 305 AD). It traveled to Europe with its Coptic leader Maurice. In Europe, they refused to offer incense to the emperor as it's against the Christian teachings. Consicuently, all its members (6600 soldiers and leaders) were martyred. It's clear that Theban battalion existed 1800 years ago, and never used violence, but rather were victims of violence. 


In sum, Coptic Christians has nothing to do with violence. They are following Jesus Christ who tells them to forgive their enemies and even love them. They carry no weapon save the spiritual ones that usually affect the devil, but not the people who are more evil and violent than the devil himself.