Islamic-Intolerance Alert: "Muslim-Christian clashes erupt in Egypt," from the Media Line, December 14:
Several people were wounded in renewed clashes between Muslims and Christians in Egypt over the past week.
Christians, also known as Copts, were on their way to a monastery to pray when children hurled stones at them, according to a report in the London-based A-Sharq Al-Awsat.
Stones were also hurled at Christians in a separate incident in the north east of the country, in Minya Al-Qamh, as Christian worshipers made their way to a building set to be transformed into a church.
Coptic sources said thousands of Muslims surrounded the building in Kafr Farag Girgis to stop the Christian gathering.
Security forces were summoned to the area to ease tension between the parties.
In Luxor, several buses carrying Christians were attacked with stones, lightly wounding the travelers.
The monastery to which they were heading announced it would close its doors to visitors in the evenings, out of concern for the visitors, following the clashes last week.
Sectarian tensions are a recurring theme in Egypt. Christians make up around 10 percent of the country's 80 million inhabitants, constituting the largest Christian community in the Middle East.
Rights groups say the Copts in Egypt face discrimination and harassment from the Egyptian authorities. Copts complain of fewer rights than Muslims, and say they are refused positions of authority in some sectors of the government, the military and academia.
The relationship between the two communities is usually calm but there have been a few violent flashpoints in recent years.
Tension between Muslims and Christians throughout the Middle East tend to flare up ahead of Christmas.
Rights groups say the Egyptian government is failing to provide effective measures to eradicate sectarian violence. They say that perpetrators enjoy immunity and that the Coptic Church often pressures victims of sectarian violence not to complain so as not to ruffle the authorities' feathers.
Ah yes, those anonymous "tensions" keep "flaring up" like arthritis in humid weather.
No aggressors here, no victims, no injuries --just a flare up of tension.
And they're "sectarian" too -- sort of like the arguments between Catholics and Protestants.
Just a squabble between cousins.
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Jesus!
I can never get used to the way they keep grinding this crap out.
joeblough - I agree with you. It's so subtly biased, to bleach out Muslim responsibility and set up some sort of moral equivalence between the parties, when what is obviously happening is that peaceful inoffensive dhimmi Christians are being violently assaulted and harassed by Muslim thugs; that what is happening is not a fight between two lots of hooligans, but something rather more like ambush and lynching.
Here's the whole thing, headline and all, rewritten to make it correspond rather more closely to the truth, given what we have all learned here, about Islam, and about how the Copts have been treated in Egypt by the Muslim Arab supremacists.
"Muslims Again Attack Christians in Egypt"
'Several Christians were wounded by renewed Muslim attacks in Egypt over the past week.
'Christians, also known as Copts, were on their way to a monastery to pray when Muslim children hurled stones at them, according to a report in the London-based A-Sharq Al-Awsat.
'Muslims also threw stones at Christians in a separate incident in the north east of the country, in Minya Al-Qamh, as Christian worshipers made their way to a building set to be transformed into a church.
'Coptic sources said thousands of Muslims surrounded the building in Kafr Farag Girgis to stop the Christian gathering.
'Security forces were summoned to the area to prevent the Muslims from lynching the Christians.
'In Luxor, Muslims using stones attacked several buses carrying Christians, lightly wounding the travelers.
'The monastery to which the pilgrims were heading announced it would close its doors to visitors in the evenings, out of concern for the visitors, following the Muslim attacks last week.
'Muslims frequently harass and attack Christians in Egypt. Christians make up at least 10 percent of the country's 80 million inhabitants, constituting the largest Christian community in the Middle East.
'Rights groups say the Copts in Egypt endure discrimination and harassment from the Egyptian authorities.
'Copts complain of fewer rights than Muslims, and say they are refused positions of authority in some sectors of the government, the military and academia.
'The relationship between the two communities is usually calm but in recent years Christians have been violently attacked.
'Middle Eastern Muslim attacks on Christians seem to spike ahead of Christmas.
'Rights groups say the Egyptian government is failing to provide effective measures to prevent or punish Muslim attacks on Christians.
'They say that perpetrators enjoy immunity and that the Coptic Church often pressures victims of Muslim violence not to complain so as not to ruffle the authorities' feathers."
END.
One must note that under the system of dhimmitude, described in detail by Bat Yeor in 'The Dhimmi', in 'The Decline of Eastern Christianity Under Islam', and in 'Islam and Dhimmitude', the dhimmi - a non-Muslim person who pays a stiff fee [jizya, protection money] for nominal 'protection' from Muslim aggression - is not permitted any right of self-defence against, or complaint about, ANY assault or insult perpetrated upon him or her, by a Muslim.
The Coptic Church - telling its members, if they suffer Muslim violence, not to complain - is merely obeying the Rules for Dhimmis: never protest, never complain, DO NOT defend yourself...smile, flatter, cringe, grovel, do not even dare to scream. Submit, submit, submit...and allow the arrogant sneering Muslim thugs to grind their boots into your faces.
dumbledoresarmy: 10-4
We need to get these people video cameras so they can record this abuse. If the world sees the evil that Muslims do to Christians, things may change.
People just don't believe this is happening.
A long time ago, walking through Alexandria, noting that the streets were substantially cleaner than Cairo, the noise and grit in the air somewhat moderated, I saw a group of boys on the other side of the wide street or boulevard. They were about 10-12 years old and maybe 50 meters away or more. One of them stooped quick as a flash to pick up a rock and hurled it across the street. I watched its arc as it landed not more than a meter away from me.
It's impossible to determine what this kid's motivations were. Perhaps he was just a thoughtless twerp. I had already observed that Egypt was chock full of thoughtless types, such as peasants mercilessly beating overladen donkeys in a way one never would see in Greece, where donkeys were also widely used. So who knows what his motivations were. One thing was certain: This little fellow had had practice.
The story and others like it can be summarized by the following.
Perpetrators aka moslems
Victims aka Christians, hindus, buddhists, etc.
By the way, I have been enjoying your very articulate and thoughtful posts, dda,
Is the typepad problem over? That posted on the first try!
A Egyptian Christian convert has been arrested, barred from leaving the country, and threatened with rape if she doesn't convert: http://www.aina.org/news/20081216193035.htm
Maybe it's the Christmas spirit.
A Egyptian Christian convert has been arrested, barred from leaving the country, and threatened with rape if she doesn't convert: http://www.aina.org/news/20081216193035.htm
Maybe it's the Christmas spirit.
Although I would prefer to be mistaken in this, I fear that you are probably wrong.
Consider what has happened to Lebanon, a well liked, well developed, highly visible Catholic country -- trashed and destroyed before the eyes of an indifferent world. A violation of all norms of decency that is continuing to this very moment. Who ran to help Lebanon?
Consider what has happened and is happening now to Israel -- a country covered with the news cameras of every nation in the world, not to mention its own very active press. The cameras are there, the murders are happening right in front of them, and the footage is suppressed, if not actually thrown away. Who sees footage in real time of even the rescue teams that rush in after one of the hundreds of bombings that happen every year -- that are happening in Sderot as I write this! And who would care, even if they saw?
Consider the coverage of Mumbai, hell, of 9/11.
I fear the problem is not a lack of exposure to the facts. It is rather a moral and spiritual problem. A failure of faith and of courage. (If you will forgive the use of such terms by an unbeliever).
None are so blind as those that will not see.