Egypt’s Christians Increasingly Anxious about the Future

Calandra Vargas / April 22, 2011

Good Friday, a holy day for Christians around the world, is turning out to be a bad day for Egyptian Christians.

Thousands of Muslims gathered to protest the appointment of a Coptic Christian governor in the Qena province this week. This incident comes amid a campaign of discrimination and violence targeting Egypt’s Christian community, which makes up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population.

Egypt has a long history of sectarian violence and discriminatory practices against religious minorities, especially Coptic Christians. This past year alone, dozens of Christians have been murdered, hundreds have been injured, and churches and homes have been destroyed in attacks by Islamic extremists. A bombing at a church in Alexandria on New Year’s Eve claimed the lives of 13 Christians and injured many others. In March, nine Christians were killed, over 150 were injured, and eight homes and a monastery were set on fire when a group of Copts were protesting against religious discrimination near Cairo. A church in the village of Sool was attacked and completely destroyed last month after a local Muslim leader incited violence against the residing Coptic community. What’s worse, Egypt’s transition to a new government is still in danger of being overshadowed by Islamist sentiment. (more…)