A Plea For Help




Scores of Christian churches across Egypt have been attacked by Muslim mobs as supporters of ousted President Mursi fight with police and military. 

The violent clashes follow the military’s seizure of power from Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood this summer and subsequent crackdown on demonstrators loyal to the former head of state. Partly urged on by anti-Christian fanaticism and the perception that Christians did not support Mursi’s government, churches have been especially targeted by enraged Islamicists. Anglican churches have been no exception.

The Anglican Bishop of Egypt and North Africa, Mouneer Anis, has appealed in an open letter for calm and prayer as his churches come under fire from Islamists:

Dear Friends,

Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

As I write these words, our St. Saviour’s Anglican Church in Suez is under heavy attack from those who support former President Mursi. They are throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the church and have destroyed the car of Rev. Ehab Ayoub, the priest-in-charge of St. Saviour’s Church. I am also aware that there are attacks on other Orthodox churches in Menyia and Suhag in Upper Egypt, as well as a Catholic church in Suez. Some police stations are also under attack in different parts of Egypt. Please pray and ask others to pray for this inflammable situation in Egypt.

Early this morning, the police supported by the army, encouraged protestors in two different locations in Cairo, to leave safely and go home. It is worth mentioning that these protestors have been protesting for 6 weeks, blocking the roads. The people in these neighborhoods have been suffering a great deal—not only these people, but those commuting through, especially those who are going to the airport. The police created very safe passages for everyone to leave. Many protestors left and went home, however, others resisted to leave and started to attack the police. The police and army were very professional in responding to the attacks, and they used tear gas only when it was necessary. The police then discovered caches of weapons and ammunition in these sites. One area near Giza is now calm, but there is still some resistance at other sites. There are even some snipers trying to attack the police and the army. There are even some rumors that Muslim Brotherhood leaders asked the protestors in different cities to attack police stations, take weapons, and attack shops and churches.

A few hours later, violent demonstrations from Mursi supporters broke out in different cities and towns throughout Egypt. The police and army are trying to maintain safety for all people and to disperse the protestors peacefully. However, the supporters of former President Mursi have threatened that if they are dispersed from the current sites, they will move to other sites and continue to protest. They also threatened to use violence. There have been a number of fatalities and casualties from among the police as well as the protestors, but it seems that the numbers are not as high as expected for such violence. However, the supporters of former President Mursi claim that there are very high numbers of casualties. The real numbers will be known later on.

Please pray that the situation will calm down, for wisdom and tact for the police and the army, for the safety of all churches and congregations, and that all in Egypt would be safe.

May the Lord bless you!

+Mouneer


In America, which is home to some 200,000 Coptic Christians, Bishop Serapion of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles released a statement calling for “all the people of the church to unite in prayers and fasting.”

“What is happening against innocent Copts is the result of the suffering of Christians for many decades of hate speech and incitement against them and the repeated attacks on their lives and their churches and their property with the inability of the consecutive governments to provide them with security, safety, and the rights of citizenship,” the bishop said. “We are confident that the people of Egypt, both Muslims and Christians, can come together against the evil forces of terrorism.”

Forward in Christ urges your prayer and support for Egypt’s Christians. 

Forward in Christ

Proclaiming the Faith and Order of the Church, given to us by Christ.