Monday, October 01, 2012

Threats force Egyptian Christians to flee


Most Christians living near Egypt's border with Israel are fleeing their homes after Islamist militants made death threats and gunmen attacked a Coptic-owned shop, a priest said on Friday, according to Egyptian website Aswat Masriya.

The website, quoting Reuters, says the departure of nine families that made up the small Christian community in the border area of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula will fuel worries about religious tolerance and the rise of militancy after the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak last year.

“Coptic Christian families decided to leave ... out of fear for their lives after the threats and the armed attack,” said Mikhail Antwan, priest at the Coptic Margirgis church in the North Sinai town of al-Arish.

Death threats had been printed on flyers circulating in the desert area, Antwan added, according to the website. Read more


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