International
Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on October 5, 2020, a group of
extremists attacked the homes of Coptic Christians in the Egyptian
village of Dabous (Minya Governorate).
The mob attack was
planned on Saturday evening, following an incident at a neighboring
village's wedding. Two young Muslim adults bullied and beat a
10-year-old Coptic Christian child. Some Christian adults subsequently
confronted the two attackers. Mina, a 25-year-old resident of the
village, explained to ICC, “The cause of the story was that two
Muslim men who don’t belong to our village beat a young Coptic kid. The
Coptic men didn’t accept that.” The confrontation became violent and resulted in the Muslim individuals receiving injuries.
On Monday morning, one of the Muslim individuals involved in this
incident retaliated by beating a Coptic man and his son with a hose in
Dabous, causing them to fall off their motorbike. Mina continued, “At
the end of Monday, all of the Muslims gathered to beat the Copts. They
damaged the windows and doors, and injured around five or six persons.”
Describing the incident, one Coptic man said, “The
attack started with a Muslim woman screaming. The extremists attacked
the Copts’ houses, [even though] there were security bodies whose job it
is to protect the church. They did not call the police, but the Copts
did. Then the police came, and the extremists escaped to the farms and
grass.”
Pointing to some of the damage, Mina said, “This
was a car damaged which belongs to a Coptic man. The Muslims suggested
to make a reconciliation meeting and they will fix all the damages. Now
my father has gone to the police station to follow the situation, but I
will stay home. They are treacherous and traitors.”
The Deputy of the Salmalout Eparchy, the Priest Nashed Daoud, told Watani, “This
was an unjustified attack. We are in contact with the investigation
officers and prosecution. We want officers of wisdom to work in this
case, so they don’t let any party raise violence here.”
Multiple injuries were reported from the incident. Reconciliation
meetings are often used following mob attacks to prevent Coptic
Christians from seeking justice through a formal legal system and
frequently result in victim-blaming rather than accountability. The
situation in Dabous remains tense, and the outcome uncertain. The
village is located within an Egyptian governorate heavily populated by
Christians, and community-based violence toward them by Islamic
extremists is common.
Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, “We
cannot forget that this incident started because Christian adults
defended a young child from the violence of Muslim men. The subsequent
mob attack against Christian homes sends the clear message that
Christians should remain silent when witnessing abuse. Neither the
targeting of a child, nor of a community, because of their shared
identity should be accepted by the authorities. We urge local officials
to hold those who planned and participated in the mob accountable, as
well as those who facilitated the abuse of the child before Monday's
incident.”
International Christian Concern is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused on human rights, religious freedom and assisting the persecuted Christian Church around the world.
Media Contact
Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator
E-mail: press@persecution.org
Phone: (301)-859-3842
International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #941, Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org | E-mail: icc@persecution.org
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