Religious minorities should not be victim of Egypt’s power struggle
EU should take a clear stand against sectarian violence in Egypt.
After the regrettable violence against the protest camps of the Muslim Brotherhood, this movement reacted by not only attacking the Egyptian military and police, but also the Christian minority in Egypt.
In the last few days at least 25 churches of various denominations have been attacked. Many buildings of Christian institutions like YMCA and the Bible Society have been burned. Reports are coming in of violence against Christians, their homes and businesses. The pastor of the Adventist church in Assuit and his wife have been kidnapped. Nuns of the Good Shepherds Monastery in the same city have been attacked as well.1
The EU representatives in Egypt have made a laudable effort to bring the conflicting parties together in order to bring peace in this situation. ECPM is in full support of these actions but we also call on the EU representatives to be aware of the precarious situation of religious minorities during this crisis.We call on the EU representatives to put serious pressure on the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood to take substantive steps to end the attacks against Christians and other religious minorities in Egypt. The EU cannot remain silent on this issue in the ongoing efforts to reach a peaceful agreement between the conflicting parties. There is no real peace in Egypt if it is reached at the expense of the Christian minority.
