Anti-Christian violence swept Egypt today after the military forcefully dispersed camps of protesters, killing more than 150 Muslim Brotherhood members and their supporters in the bloodiest day yet of Egypt's revolution. World Watch Monitor (WWM) reports how Islamist protesters "took out their anger Wednesday on government and [dozens of] Christian buildings and homes."
The Bible Society of Egypt reports that 15 churches and three Christian schools have been attacked, while two of its bookshops in Assiut and Minia, the largest cities in southern Egypt, were set on fire and completely destroyed. "Fortunately we were closed today, fearing such an attack, so none of our staff were injured," wrote the society's director, Ramez Atallah, in an email dispatch. He went on to note, "It is important to underline that—while some Christian properties have been the victim of this violence—they are by no means the only ones targeted. This is an attack against the State by a violent minority in an attempt to destabilize the Nation."
Tensions in Egypt, which today declared a month-long state of emergency, have continued to flare six weeks after the uprising that resulted in president Mohamed Morsi's removal. Attacks by Islamist protestors recently forced Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II to back out of speaking engagments and prompted 16 human-rights groups to voice their concern. Read more
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