Islamic Sharia law forbids Christians to build new churches or repair old ones. And even in Mubarak's "secular" Egypt, "no church can be constructed without a presidential decree," while "mosques are not subject to the same regulation." And many Muslims there obviously take this very seriously.
"Muslims battle Christians in Egypt," by Noha el Hennawy for the LA Times, with thanks to Morgaan Sinclair:
CAIRO — A group of Muslim men, angered by plans to enlarge a Coptic church, battled with Christians after Friday prayers, setting fire to several buildings and injuring at least 11 people, officials and witnesses said.Attackers roamed through the village of Bamha, about 15 miles south of Cairo, carrying hatchets and fuel canisters, said a witness, Tarek Gabbas.
Muslims and Christians reportedly threw firebombs and bricks at each other, and at least 10 Christian houses and businesses were set ablaze before police restored order. Seventeen people from both faiths were arrested, Reuters news agency reported.
Under Egyptian law, no church can be constructed without a presidential decree. However, mosques are not subject to the same regulation, a fact cited by Egypt's Coptic minority as evidence of discrimination....
Muslim villagers in Bamha, angered by the plans for expansion of the church amid rumors that the Christians did not have building permits, had been circulating leaflets, calling on residents to "defend the religion of Muhammad" by burning down Christian property in the village, said Gabbas, a Muslim.
He said some Muslims ran into the burning buildings to try to help trapped Christians.
"Not all Muslims there were happy with what was happening. There were Muslims who risked their lives while trying to rescue Copts," Gabbas said.
l wonder if the muslims in Egypt are worried about a backlash? or is this worry about backlash only in "Western countries"?
There is a community of Coptic Christians
living in our town-those whom I've met have been traumatized by persecution in Egypt which they say is getting worse.
So why does the West KEEP TAKING MUSLIM REFUGEES INSTEAD OF CHRISTIANS WHO LIVE IN FEAR OF THEIR LIVES EVERY DAY IN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES??
If you recall, some here professed to be scandalized by the guy in Texas who organized pig races to protest the building of a mosque. Can you only imagine if there had actually been threats or attacks, with property damage and injury? Will CAIR be issuing a protest on behalf of the Egyptian Christians? I am not holding my breath.
A girl that works with my daughter just went to Egypt and married over there. She cannot get back here now till she can prooves how she has another name. I said to my daughter good luck! She says NO it's not like that! Haa! I say!
The religion created by Mohammad is threatened by the expansion of a Christian Church building.
God's religion is not threatened by buildings.
Only religions created by man, such as Islam, are.
Islam is a very insecure religion, so threatened by any belief or idea that differs from it. Whereas in Christianity, Jesus was persecuted (thus turn the other cheek, and "The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth); Islam has no such tenet.
There is absolutely NO dissent within this "religion of peace." What a crock...
What would happen if a group of Christians burned down a mosque, or if the American army destroyed a mosque because it was being used a militant haven or base? World outrage, THAT would be the result.
Islamists attacking other religions burning their places of worship/work. Rampaging through the streets wielding machetes, torches and fake ham sandwiches and you have the unmitigated nerve to point it out? Don’t you realize the huge backlash you are provoking by posting this article?
Which is correct according to the tenets (Tenet?) of islam?
Mosque= Militant haven or base,
Or
Militant haven or base=Mosque?
Oh by the way, count me out as part of the outraged world gang.
The Copts need to enlarge a church? A growing congrgation? But, but I keep hearing that Islam is the fastest growing whatever it is. Is this disinformation spread by the Jihad Army?
As the columnist Don Feder has written in the past: "Muslims don't play well with the other children on the block." Actually, that is probably an understatement. Many Muslims are bullies...fueled with hatred and resentment of anyone different. For those Muslims that stood by and watched as their Christian neighbors' homes and businesses were burnt, I say that they gave their tacit consent to such actions. Muslims that give their tacit approval/consent to Islamic violence and jihad numbers in the millions and millions. They scare me as much as the Muslims doing the actual violence.
World outrage, THAT would be the result.
Posted by: Todd Anthony
Todd,
The World & Islam are the same (enemies of God and haters of His people the Jews and the Christians).
Maybe we should just do what is right and ignore the world. They have it wrong anyway.
"So why does the West KEEP TAKING MUSLIM REFUGEES INSTEAD OF CHRISTIANS WHO LIVE IN FEAR OF THEIR LIVES EVERY DAY IN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES??"
Morgane,
A question I've asked many times. The Christian refugees from Muslim countries are the real refugees in need of our help. They are the ones that would really appreciate the the freedom of religion we offer in this country, and they are the ones that would make good loyal citizens of the United States. They are the ones that would be truly grateful for a place of refuge from religious persecution.
So what does our government do? they import the persecuters instead of the persecuted. We import those who hate our guts, and everything we stand for. These people give us evidence of their hatred for us all the time, but we still import them into our country -- and in large numbers.
I can only conclude that the ideologues that control our government believe that once in our country, Muslims will learn to love us and our way of life. Well, that's not the way it works. Their hateful and destructive religion comes with them and stays with them -- even into succeding generations.
Nothings going to get done until the American public demands that something gets done. We should not be shy about demanding that only non-Muslims -- and especially persecuted Christians in Muslim countries -- be eligible for immigration to the United States.
And if Muslims countries object and scream "discrimination", we should have the guts to tell them the truth about themselves and their murderous persecution of Christians in their own countries.
Unfortunately, we've just got through electing a bunch of ideologues to the Congress of the United States who are the least likely to do the moral thing regarding Immigration, so don't look for any serious changes.
Like Robert pointed out, it's against sharia law, not just Egypt's "secular" law, for dhimmis to expand/upgrade/repair a church in dar al islam. It would be nice to see a media report convey the Islamic foundation for this intolerance more clearly.
C'mon folks - let's see some honest and complete reporting for a change. We can handle the truth - I promise.
Muslim socieities are not beacons of tolerance as many Muslims falsely claim. This story highlights the real threat that Christians face in Muslim nations where Muslims are in the majority. Persecution and violence against Christians are clearly justified under the banner of sharia and jihad. Egyptian Christians have every right to defend themselves when they are attacked. Wrongly treated like the worst kind of criminals in Egyptian society because they want to make improvements on their church, these Coptic Christians have every right to protest and resist Islamic intolerance.
..more divinely ordained violence from the RoP. I like the fact that the Copts didn't sit there and take it, though. More Power to them.
Rational, I concur the same with the churches saying here we must do what Jesus would of wanted so they harbor illegals but never have they taken in all these homeless people and do "God's work."
Let's face facts. Nobody care what happens to Christians anywhere in the world. The Left is as guilty as islam concerning the hatred for Christianity. They are natural allies in this "war".
I am constantly confronted by this hatred all over the internet, "I hate Christians", "I hate Evangelicals", just pick your flavor....but they don't hate islam.
A general consensus has emerged, save in certain self-deluded (and sadly influential circles) that Islam is what it says it is, in the Qurah, Hadith and Sharia. In this conclusion infidels have been assisted mightily by the Jihadists. What we need now is to bring the focus to the Christians of the Muslim-majority nations. When, oh when, will ANY western nation have a leader with the vision to do this?
In addition to my above post:
Who controls the media? The Left.
So don't expect any sympathy from the media.
Morgane, I couldn't agree more with your sentiments. Any middle eastern Christian would be a compatible and good citizen anywhere in Europe or North America. And yes, they are the ones abused and in need of help but the western governments don't care. I guess a world government is more important right now than a couple of million dumb Christians, especially since they don't try to blow up things. Hypocrites.
Ya know what their REAL beef is?
They try to suggest islam being the fastest growing religion on Earth. It's not...
It's Christianity.
That's their beef...their achilles heel...and that's what scares the living hell out of them, because they know deep down, they don't stand a chance in the real world of ideas...and ideals.
They're an endangered religion and scared sh*tless at the thought of reality winning out over their power & control racket (and for damned good reason-their followers will turn on THEM when they wake up and see the light that they've been shammed for 1,400 years)...and they're right.
That's it in a nutshell.
"Muslims AND christians threw bricks and fire bombs at each other......"
Yea okay.
You mean the christians defended themselves against the mob of fireboming and brick throwing muslims?
Didn't it say "attackers" roamed through the village of bahma?
Didn't it say the "attackers" carried "HATCHETS" and "FUEL CANISTERS"?
Didn't it say about 10 CHRISTIAN HOUSES and BUISINESSES were burned?
No muslim mosques or buisinesses?
11 people were injured....wonder what religion the 11 people were that were injured?
17 people from BOTH faiths were arrested.....I wonder which will go free and which will be imprisoned or even tortured and killed?
Who will be the "normal and good people" here?
Isn't it against Islamic law for those under muslims to harm muslims or to even look at them funny?
And if this isn't the case then why such an uproar over an addition being built to an existing church?
It's either islamic law or not.
Although it is good to see the two way street system still works in some areas.Meaning the blame was spread around amongst all those "involved".You know the opposite of the one way street where islam gets it's way anywhere it lives,but do not expect your way when you live where it rules.
I think these poor christians have some more persecution waiting for them,women raped,kids defiled and men beheaded.
AAAAHH,the modern and moderate muslims they make me feel so.......well like i have nothing to worry about.
All is serene!!
Also does anyone note that it seems fire is used more often these days?
Maybe it's just me.
Maybe the fire deems the infedel body too mutilated for the soul to return to the body in the grave.Therefore sending the infedel straight to hell.
The "pious" and "holy muslims" say screw the worms and confined wait for "the day" for infedels.Straight to eternal damnation and pain.
Judge,jury and executioner.
True islam= commit multiple sins to punish for a single sin.
Golly gee whiz isn't Islam wonderful?
Islam deserves humiliation on a daily basis.Five times a day i say.
The only way islam grows is by the sword.It has no other conversion tool built into it to grow by any other means.
You see it with 'Murdering mickey",they can't even invent thier own freaking cartoon character.Islam is stagnant and is not INVENTED to be anything more than a war machine.
Think about it they prosper by nothing to speak of....hand outs....(jizya).
All that they have by way of modern means ,sold to them or stolen.
They breed more than they can provide for,average 6 six kids per family,more with more wives and concubines.
They see the west and it's riches and of those all around them that have not been led by islam.
Thats thier means of growth.
Projected growth of population under islam is viewed on how much population they will enslave.
Projected growth of islaimc economy is seen in how much they can steal from the over ran nations in the future.
While the west predicts these things on "normal" human being activites and hard work...or earnings.islam predicts through war and agression.
Islam is not the fastest growing religion,it is in fact a minority of sorts because throughout the west for example and in many many other countries it is thinned out and in actuality SURROUNDED!!!!!
It's proven throughout history the only reason islam flourished and made "contributions" to the world was by thier dimmis,once islam became all encommpasing all good things came to an end.
THEY NEED FRESH MEAT,THEY ARE ROTTING! And have been.
Islam is totaly devoid of common morality. So a Coptic church can't open an expantion for a daycare center for example, without getting fire bombed from the local Mosque.
Since they believe in that law I wish that would go for Mosque's too!
Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Chechnya...
Everywhere Muslims are in control, churches are destroyed and Christians are murdered. It's time for a crusade!
We sent 2 billion dollars to Egypt year after friggin' year.
I'd rather burn it all in a bonfire at Ground Zero, every 9/11, than give one more cent of it to these s.o.b.'s.
Or use it to pay for plane fares to send Muslims, here illegally, back to their glorious Islamic lands.
What is the price of this lunacy?
A September 11th, squared.
Coming one day to a city near you.
I've just been reading James Parkes' history of eretz Israel - 'Whose Land?'. On page 106 he describes how one particular Muslim tyrant decided he was going to kill all the Christians within his domain (which included The Land, and other places). But: the then King of Abyssinia (i.e. Ethiopia) let it be known that were this to happen, quote, "I will kill all Muslims and pull down all mosques within my dominion, if Christians in the [Holy] Land are not left alone". He must have been awfully convincing about it; because the murderous Muslim backed down in a hurry, and so there are 'Palestinian' Christians in the land of Israel today.
Perhaps there may come a time for desperate measures: inspired by this 15th-century King of Abyssinia, let it be known that whenever and wherever within Islamised lands a church is damaged or destroyed, a mosque in the West will be shut down and sold off (to Non-Muslims). Every time a Christian or other non-Muslim is raped or killed or robbed within the Empire of Islam, a Muslim living in the West - or in Russia - or in China, or anywhere else where non-Muslims rule - will have their citizenship revoked - starting with all those who are deemed 'of interest' to the police, or who have any kind of criminal record. If Muslims keep on attacking non-Muslim civilians within dar al-Islam, then revocation of citizenship is followed by deportation.
Dead thread I know, but I'll chance it anyway.
Regarding the postings from Morgane and rational on why the US allows in the persecutors rather than the victims, here is a JW post from 2005 on the subject:
The State Department has launched an investigation into whether hard-line Islamic employees at the U.S Embassy in Egypt are working behind the scenes to deny visas to Coptic Christians, The Post has learned.
State Department officials are closely examining 15 to 20 Egyptian employees of the embassy's consular section after top officials received complaints from lawyers and human-rights groups about discriminatory behavior toward the Copts seeking visas to the United States, sources said.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/009551.php
SILVESTER.....Would that surprise you?
Unfortunately unless the guilty parties arrest themselves.....nothing would come of it.The investigation would come up empty.
Worse case they would find illegal activity and then allow it to continue and "follow the envelope" so to speak. All the while the worst (or cream )of the crop get in to terrorize and murder.....er excuse me to "Resist".Uh yep thats right "resist" the "resistance".
You keeping up with what i am saying?
However thier enemies stand before them ,thier armour gleaming and thier songs being sung.There just aren't enough candles lit.....yet.