Release International

A huge mob launched a lengthy attack on a Christian community in northern Egypt – apparently in protest at a church's decision to build a wall around its land.

Some 24 Coptic Christians were seriously injured when a mob went on the rampage in the coastal city of Marsa Matrouh, allegedly spurred on by calls over a mosque's loudspeaker urging them to wage jihad or holy war against Christians. The attack went on for several hours until security forces contained the mob.

The assault on March 12 marks a disturbing new development as violence against Egyptian Copts has largely been focused on the south of the country to date. Prayer Alert has reported on several attacks on Coptic communities in Upper Egypt over the past few months, including the fatal shootings of six Christians outside a church in Nag Hammadi, Qena province, on January 6 (Prayer Alert, January 19, 2010).

During the latest attack on the  Copts, the mob's main target was Reefiya Church, which had built a wall around newly acquired land adjacent to it. The Assyrian International News Network says the attackers pelted the building with rocks before assaulting several of the 400 believers who had sought refuge inside. The mob also burned an estimated 28 Christian homes.

The assault on Christians in Marsa Matrouh coincided with the release of a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, criticising Egypt for not bringing to justice those responsible for anti-Christian violence.

(Sources: Assyrian International News Agency, Compass Direct, VOM Canada)

• Pray for peaceful relations between Copts and Muslims in Marsa Matrouh.
• Pray for justice for those suffering anti-Christian violence in Egypt.

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