tagged w/ Coptic Christian
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CAIRO, EGYPT (Catholic Online) - Hundreds of Egyptian Christians marched in protest over a recent attack on a church. Their march began as a peaceful demonstration following the destruction of the Christian church upon orders of a regional governor on October 1.
As the protesters were marching, witnesses say a group of plainclothes counter-protesters assaulted them. Witnesses say pellets were fired at the Christians. It's believed that some of the people may have snatched weapons from soldiers, and turned them on the military. Rocks and bottles were thrown indiscriminately at the protesters.
The resulting violence led to the deaths of 24 people, according to an Egyptian health Ministry official. The military deployed more than 1,000 troops and several armored vehicles along the Nile river where the fighting began. Because protests continued late into the night, the military imposed a curfew until 7 AM local time, in the city of Cairo.
Several military vehicles were set ablaze, as troops fired into the air to disperse the Christians.
Protesters were demanding that the governor of the Aswan province be removed and for their church to be rebuilt. All accounts agree that the demonstration started peacefully with a march and a sit in at the state television building in Cairo. However when the protesters were attacked the situation quickly turned violent.
Security forces also used tear gas to disperse the protesters.
Additional protests broke out in four other provinces in Egypt according to local television sources.
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf appeared on television to denounce the clashes as "unjustified violence." He further said that the recent riots also, "raised fear and concerns about the future of this homeland" and that the country's transition to democracy was in jeopardy.
Coptic Christians are the most significant religious minority in the Middle East and account for about 9 percent of Egypt's population.
Discrimination against Christians had long been encouraged by the government of Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak's regime often refused to prosecute people accused of crimes against Christians, and actively worked to discriminate against them.
Still, government leaders are not framing the recent conflict as a Christian versus militant fight. Rather, they claim the protests have been sparked by political agitators. Government officials have asked the people not to join in the protests.
Dissatisfaction with Egyptian government is growing as the transition to democracy is taking much longer than most people would like. Some accuse the government of being a military dictatorship that is moving only glacially to implement democratic reforms.
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=43174CAIRO, EGYPT (Catholic Online) - Hundreds of Egyptian Christians marched in protest... more
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The Guardian’s “Arab Spring” hasn’t been all too kind to Christians, and the “world’s leading liberal voice” hasn’t found their, um, voice, in condemning the religious bigotry and violence this glorious revolution has unleashed.
Another Church has been attacked and burned down in Egypt by a mob of Muslim extremists on the basis of “a rumour” that the Church was holding captive a Christian woman who, they claim, wanted to convert to Islam.
My guess is that it will pass largely unremarked as Liberal and Left opinion-makers cast an Nelsonian eye in its direction. There is growing evidence that the secular democratic revolution in Egypt will be victim to a Trojan Horse filled with theocrats.
Let’s face it, little fuss was made or concern shown when it happened last time. On News Year’s Day, a bomb killed 22 Coptic Christians attending Midnight Mass. Inevitably – so removed from reality is the political milieu this is happening in – the finger was pointed at Israel by some prominent Egyptian political leaders.
Even today, as the ashes of the church still smoulder, The Guardian has a CiF piece pontificating to Coptic Christians:
The way forward is for Egyptian Copts to participate vigorously in political life. They should do that not as a religious group seeking to solve limited Coptic problems but as Egyptian citizens calling for equality and freedom for all.The Guardian’s “Arab Spring” hasn’t been all too kind to... more
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The wives of two Egyptian Coptic priests, forbidden by the Church from divorcing their abusive husbands, desperately sought another way out by converting to Islam. When their intentions were discovered, police handed them over to the Church and their whereabouts since have been unknown.
http://www.indiareport.com/India-usa-uk-news/ap/International/70833The wives of two Egyptian Coptic priests, forbidden by the Church from divorcing their... more
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From Remigiusz Sowa best Documentary Transmitter Award winner at the Crystal Palace International Film Festival; a truly remarkable story of Father Lazarus El Anthony, university lecturer, Marxist who abandoned his life in Australia and went in search of God and freedom. His pilgrimage eventually brought him to a life of a Christian Coptic monk and live in solitude on the Al-Qalzam Mountain (Egypt) in the pursuit of what the Desert Fathers called apatheia, holy stillness.
http://www.thelastanchoritefilm.co.ukFrom Remigiusz Sowa best Documentary Transmitter Award winner at the Crystal Palace... more
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From Remigiusz Sowa best Documentary Transmitter Award winner at the Crystal Palace International Film Festival; a truly remarkable story of Father Lazarus El Anthony, university lecturer, Marxist who abandoned his life in Australia and went in search of God and freedom. His pilgrimage eventually brought him to a life of a Christian Coptic monk and live in solitude on the Al-Qalzam Mountain (Egypt) in the pursuit of what the Desert Fathers called apatheia, holy stillness.
www.thelastanchoritefilm.co.ukFrom Remigiusz Sowa best Documentary Transmitter Award winner at the Crystal Palace... more
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And offers 60 million for his head. More on Islam's Public Enemy #1. "Exclusive: Al Qaeda targets leading Arab evangelist operating in the U.S. for preaching the Gospel to Muslims," by Joel C. Rosenberg for Flashtraffic, September 9 (thanks to Erick):
You have probably never heard of Father Zakaria Botros. But you need to know his story. He is far and away the most-watched and most-effective Arab-American evangelist focused on reaching the Muslim world, and by far the most controversial. The Rush Limbaugh of the Revivalists, he is funny, feisty, brilliant, opinionated, and provocative. But rather than preaching the gospel of conservatism, he is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. And his enemies do not simply want to silence him. They want to assassinate him.
Last week, I had the honor of interviewing Botros by phone from a secure, undisclosed location in the United States, where he now resides. He told me that he had just learned that an al Qaeda website had posted his photograph and named him one of the "most wanted" infidels in the world. The Radicals have even put a bounty on his head. The Christian Broadcasting Network reported the figure was as high as $60 million. Botros does not know for certain. But just to put that in context, the U.S. bounty on Osama bin Laden's head is "only" $25 million.
Why are the Radicals so enraged by an elderly Coptic priest from Egypt who is in his 70s? Because Botros is waging an air war against them, and he is winning.
Using state-of-the art satellite technology to bypass the efforts of Islamic governments to keep the gospel out of their countries, Botros is directly challenging the claims of Muhammad to be a prophet, and the claims of the Qu'ran to be God's word. He systematically deconstructs Muhammad's life, story by story, pointing out character flaws and sinful behavior. He carefully deconstructs the Qu'ran, verse by verse, citing contradictions and inconsistencies. And not only does he explain without apology what he believes is wrong with Islam, he goes on to teach Muslims from the Bible why Jesus loves them and why is so ready to forgive them and adopt them into His family, no matter who they are or what they have done.
If Botros was doing this in a corner, or on some cable access channel where no one saw him or cared, that would be one thing. But his ninety-minute program - a combination of preaching, teaching and answering questions from (often irate) callers all over the world - has become "must see TV" throughout the Muslim world. It is replayed four times a week in Arabic, his native language, on a satellite television network called Al Hayat ("Life TV.") It can be seen in every country in North Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, as well as all throughout North America,Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. And not only can it be seen in so many places, it is seen - by an estimated fifty million Muslims a day.
At the same time, Botros is getting millions of hits on his multiple web sites in multiple languages. There, Muslims can read his sermons and study through an archive of answers to frequently asked questions. They can also enter a live chat room called "Pal Chat" where they are not only permitted but encouraged to ask their toughest questions to trained on-line counselors, many of whom are Muslim converts to Christianity who understand exactly where the questioners are coming from and the struggles they are having. And offers 60 million for his head. More on Islam's Public Enemy #1.... more
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LONDON. A third of the Coptic sculptures at the Brooklyn Museum of Art are modern fakes. Its collection of late Egyptian sculpture was, until now, the second largest in North America. Brooklyn curator Dr Edna Russmann, who is concluding a study of the works, warns that other museums which acquired Coptic sculptures in the past 50 years are likely to face similar problems.
The unmasking of the forgeries will be revealed in an exhibition on “Coptic Sculpture in the Brooklyn Museum”, opening on 13 February 2009. The Art Newspaper can reveal that ten of Brooklyn’s 30 sculptures are now deemed to be complete fakes, with over half the remainder having been recarved and repainted in modern times.
The fakes were mainly bought in the 1960s and 70s, and can be traced back to major antiquities dealers in New York and in Switzerland, to where they were shipped from Egypt. Dr Russmann believes that the dismissal of these works will encourage scholars to “re-evaluate Coptic art”.
What is striking about the fakes is that they place a greater emphasis on Christian iconography than the authentic works. This reflects market demand for such imagery in Europe and North America.
LONDON. A third of the Coptic sculptures at the Brooklyn Museum of Art are modern... more
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It's too bad Jonathan McCullum wasn't obese when he started his student exchange to Egypt. He was placed with a host family of Coptic Christians, a sect that adheres to strict dietary regimens including fasting for more than 200 days a year. After a year in the placement, Jon, who had gone to Egypt weighing 155 lbs., came home at a "slim" 97 lbs, weak and at risk of a heart attack.
Both the AFS Intercultural Programs that arranged the exchange had no comment, the father in the host family said Jonathan ate as much as 6 people. Judging by the pictures, I think he meant 6 fasting people who weren't eating at all.It's too bad Jonathan McCullum wasn't obese when he started his student... more
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Tori
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added this
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4 years ago
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