JERUSALEM, January 15, 2019 (Morning Star News) – Police in Upper Egypt evicted Coptic priests and shuttered their church building after an Islamist mob converged on the site over the weekend, according to reports.
Muslim villagers in Manshiyet Zaafarna, Minya Governorate, attacked the church of Mar-Giris (St. George) at 1:30 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 11), after mosque noon prayers, according to a statement by the office of the Bishop of Minya and Abu-Qurqas, headed by Coptic Orthodox Bishop General of Minya Anba Makarios.
The next day, according to the bishop’s statement as cited by Watani News, a mob of about 1,000 Muslim villagers descended upon the church building, demanding that it be closed.
A video posted on Facebook shows a narrow street packed with male protestors chanting “Leave, leave,” as well as Islamic chants such as, “No other God other than Allah.”
Police pacified the mob by giving into their demands, according to Watani. They evicted two priests and the few remaining congregants inside and closed the building, which brought an elated response from the crowd.
“It appears to indicate that extremists now hold the upper hand,” Makarios said in the statement, “and appeasing them is the way out of problems.”
The statement pointed out that this latest closure is especially disappointing in the wake of claims by high-ranking government…
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