SUBSCRIBE NOW

SIGHT

Be informed. Be challenged. Be inspired.

At least seven dead as Coptic pilgrims targeted in another bus attack in Egypt

At least seven people have been killed and 14 more been injured in another attack on a bus of Coptic Christians travelling back from a monastery in Egypt on Friday.

The victims were on their way home after visiting the St Samuel the Confessor monastery in the governorate of Minya in Upper Egypt – reportedly for a baptism – and were attacked at almost exactly the same location as the May, 2017, attack by Islamist militants which left 28 dead.

The so-called Islamic State has reportedly claimed responsibilty for the attack.

Local contacts confirmed to the Christian charity Open Doors International that two church-owned buses were targeted – one big, one small – by a number of gunmen.

“The big bus belonged to a church in Sohag,” said Fr Abanoub Shehata, a priest in Maghagha diocese, Minya. “The driver managed to escape the scene and no-one in that bus got hurt. The second, smaller bus, came from a village in Minya and did not manage to escape. The terrorists stopped the bus and opened fire on the passengers.”

The injured have been taken to different hospitals in the area. 

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reportedly offered condolences to Coptic Pope Tawadros II in the wake of the attack. The President described the perpetrators as “treacherous hands that seek to undermine the cohesive fabric of the homeland”.

Hanaa Youssef Mikhael, who lost her husband in the 2017 bus attack, told World Watch Moniter: “I am very sad about what happened. And I am startled: How is it possible that this happened again?” 

“Why were they not protected?” asked Emad Nasif, a deacon in a church in Minya, reportedly said. “There seems to be an indifference to the safety of the Christian minority.” 

One of the “most wanted” Islamic extremists suspected of participation in that 2017 attack was recently captured by Libyan security forces.

The World Council of Churches issued a statement condemning the attack. 

“This attack in Egypt is yet another abhorrent example of the rising incidence of hate-crimes against people based on their religious identity,” it read. “We denounce it in the strongest possible terms, and call for urgent political and social action – and theological reflection – in all contexts in which such crimes take place to counter the hate and intolerance on which they are based, and to promote respect for diversity, for human dignity and rights, and for freedom of religion or belief for all.”

Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, extended their “deepest condolences to all who have lost loved ones in this attack” but also called upon Egyptian authorities “to increase its efforts to contain and combat sectarianism, this requires upholding constitutional rights and ensuring that all citizens are treated equally”.

“Egypt must end all forms of discrimination against Christians and other religious minorities; this includes restrictions on building places of worship for non-Muslims and state-sponsored reconciliation sessions depriving victims from their rights and emphasising the culture of impunity.”

– with World Watch Monitor

 

Donate



sight plus logo

Sight+ is a new benefits program we’ve launched to reward people who have supported us with annual donations of $26 or more. To find out more about Sight+ and how you can support the work of Sight, head to our Sight+ page.

Musings

TAKE PART IN THE SIGHT READER SURVEY!

We’re interested to find out more about you, our readers, as we improve and expand our coverage and so we’re asking all of our readers to take this survey (it’ll only take a couple of minutes).

To take part in the survey, simply follow this link…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.