This report says that Coptic Christians are defying Pope Shenouda and participating in demonstrations; on the other hand, however, a source on the ground in Egypt tells me that the news reports are wrong, and that Copts are not participating. Whatever may be the truth of the matter, it is certain that a Muslim Brotherhood state in Egypt would make their situation even worse than it is already.
"Fate of Coptic Christians in post-Mubarak Egypt worries some," by John Rossomando in The Daily Caller, January 29:
Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton warns Egypt's ancient Coptic Christian minority could become increasingly endangered should the protests against Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak drive him from power...."The overthrow of the Mubarak regime will not by any sense of the imagination lead to the advent of Jeffersonian democracy," Bolton said. "The greater likelihood is a radical, tightly knit organization like the Muslim Brotherhood will take advantage of the chaos and seize power.
"It is really legitimate for the Copts to be worried that instability follow Mubarak's fall and his replacement with the Muslim Brotherhood."...
Copts complain Muslims are able to get away murdering them with impunity much like whites did in the South under Jim Crow, and the government discriminates against them by placing restrictions on the building and repair of churches while not imposing a similar rule on mosques.
"The Coptic problem is that of pressure on a minority, intolerance towards others and a lack of acceptance of pluralism. The more Egypt is influenced by the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam, the worse it is for the Copts, " Tarek Heggy, a leading Coptic intellectual, told the Italian press agency ADNKronos International last November while speaking about the Muslim Brotherhood's relationship with the Copts.
Their plight became painfully apparent to the world after an al-Qaida affiliate bombed of a Coptic church in Alexandria, killing 20 worshippers and wounding 100 others. But this terror attack has been one of several carried out by Muslim extremists to hit the Coptic community over the past decade.
Although the Brotherhood condemned the New Year's Eve attack, many Copts, particularly outside Egypt, worry their situation could grow worse should Mubarak fall.
"The Copts I know are scared," said Amir Makkar, a Copt who lives near Lancaster, Pa. "It's a dangerous proposal with what is happening in Egypt because the problem is there is a lot of uncertainty and it is impossible to tell what is going to happen amid the chaos situation because anything could happen." [...]
Pope Shenouda III, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and other church representatives have called on Copts to refrain from participating, but evidence shows many Copts have ignored their church and have joined the revolt....
I hope the deceived Copts are listening to their Church leaders. The Christian Copts will suffer much worst fate under the Nazi-like Muslim Brotherhood's rule, including through their puppet, Baradei. Further, the Copts should care about what could happen to the Jews in Israel with such savage rule. After all, the Arab-Muslims including the Palestinian Mufti of Jerusalem, Muslim Brotherhood founder, Hassan al-banna and the Turkish Ottomans were among or main Hitler/Nazi’s biggest collaborators or advisers! And the evil Nazi tradition under Islam continues with the top Arab-Egyptian Muslim cleric, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a follower of Hasan al-Banna and a longtime member of the Muslim Brotherhood, can make this evil call to mass murder the Jews: :At – http://europenews.dk/en: In – http://www.investigativeproject.org/2315/moderate-qaradawi-defends-hitler-and-nuclear\
“Moderate” Qaradawi Defends Hitler and Nuclear Terror
IPT News
November 9, 2010
….According to excerpts of a speech that aired on Al-Jazeera in January 2009, Qaradawi called on Muslims to put Jews in “their place” as Hitler had done, in revenge for Israeli military operations in Gaza several weeks earlier. “Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption,” he said. “The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them – even though they exaggerated this issue – he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hands of the believers.” At a January 2009 “Gaza Victory Rally” in Doha, Qatar, Qaradawi prayed for the opportunity to kill a Jew before his death. “The only thing that I hope for is that as my life approaches its end, Allah will give me an opportunity to go to the land of Jihad and resistance, even if in a wheelchair. I will shoot Allah’s enemies, the Jews, and they will throw a bomb at me, and thus, I will seal my life with martyrdom. Praise be to Allah.”……
I have to admit, as an Israeli, I too am fearful of a Muslim Brotherhood takeover. I can't sleep thinking about it. At least with Mubarak, we had some kind of 'peace'- we didn't have to worry about the Egyptian border. Now, we are faced with the Brotherhood who wants to wipe Israel off the map. Will this be our fate?
Fate of Coptic Christians in post-Mubarak Egypt worries some
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As though things were not bad enough in Egypt, with kidnappings and forced conversions of Coptic women, state harassment of Muslim converts to Christianity, shootings of Copts, and bombings of Coptic churches.
But things can *always* get worse. Egypt under the Muslim Brotherhood could see out-and-out genocide of the Copts.
I'm sure a lot of Copts relish the idea of Mubarak's ouster. But Pope Shenouda is right to caution Copts to lay low.
More:
Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton warns Egypt's ancient Coptic Christian minority could become increasingly endangered should the protests against Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak drive him from power....
"The overthrow of the Mubarak regime will not by any sense of the imagination lead to the advent of Jeffersonian democracy," Bolton said. "The greater likelihood is a radical, tightly knit organization like the Muslim Brotherhood will take advantage of the chaos and seize power.
"It is really legitimate for the Copts to be worried that instability follow Mubarak's fall and his replacement with the Muslim Brotherhood."...
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Bolton's is one of the most clear-eyed and outspoken voices in the mainstream media today. I entirely agree with his assessment of the things here.
If there is a regime change, the Copts should make a run for the Sinai in the confusion. I think they could defend themselves there, not from the army, but from the muslim mob.
Like Turkeys voting for Christmas.
You should here the left wing drivel being spouted in Britain's media. Makes you want to pull your hair out at their ignorance. They just don't realise, or don't want to see, that they are being used. They truly believe that their is going to be a multicultural democracy in Egypt. One station even refers to the Muslim Brotherhood as a humanitarian movement.
Well, Mubarak is an ill old man. The trouble with most regimes in the world is that they're headed by jerks who make themselves indispensible to the functioning of the state, and when the inevitable happens (old age, debilitation, death), everything falls apart. This is what is happening in Egypt. My guess us that it will happen all over again across the ME in another generation.
Mubarak's last ace up the sleeve was to let the mob turn against the Copts to keep them from turning against the government. Unfortunately for Mubarak, the jig's up.