Thu 3 Mar 2011
Coptic Monasteries Attacked by Egyptian Army
Posted by Mathew Block under Eye on World Christianity, Main
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I understand that there’s a lot going on in the Middle East right now, but how have alleged attacks on two Coptic monasteries by the Egyptian army not qualified for international media coverage? The Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) reports that Egyptian armed forces raided the monasteries of St. Boula and St. Bishoy in February, physically assaulting some of the monks and destroying walls which had been built around the grounds.
A day later, AINA reports that the monastery of St. Bishoy had been raided again. In this case, live ammunition was used; two monks and six Coptic workers were wounded during the attack. Three monks were arrested, as was a Coptic lawyer who had been on-site investigating the previous attack by the army.
The video below is purportedly footage of that second attack. The military use tanks to demolish the wall and fires live ammunition on the Copts. Around the 2:15 mark, a wounded man can be seen being carried away from the scene.
AINA quotes Monk Ava Bishoy on the confrontation: “When we tried to address them, the army fired live bullets, wounding Father Feltaows in the leg and Father Barnabas in the abdomen,” said Monk Ava Bishoy. “Six Coptic workers in the monastery were also injured, some with serious injuries to the chest.” He further asserted that the army initially prevented them from taking the injured to a hospital.
Following the attacks, thousands of Copts protested peacefully in Tahrir Square in Cairo.
Again, I ask: why didn’t this make the news? (I should note that it is briefly mentioned – without any specifics named – in an Associated Press story on al-Qaida. Unfortunately, it’s buried at the end of a 14 paragraph article. It’s not all that surprising therefore that no major news agencies ran with it).
