Cairo Clashes Resume After Coptic Christian Massacre

Clashes resumed in Cairo on Monday between Christian protesters and Egyptian security forces a day after at least 26 people were killed and 180 injured, including many Christians, according to the Associated Press.

Violence erupted in the streets of Cairo on Sunday when Christians protested the burning of a Coptic church in southern Egypt a week ago, according to press reports.

Carl Moeller, president/CEO of Open Doors USA, is calling for an end to the violence and for prayers for peace and calm.

“Please pray with me for a halt to the loss of lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ in Egypt,” he says. “Pray for calm. Pray for those who have resorted to killing and wounding to stop their actions.”

Moeller says that Egyptian Christians are frustrated over a string of church bombings and closures since the first of the year. On New Year’s Day a suicide bomber killed 22 Christians in front of the Two Saints Church in Alexandria.

“Instead of more freedom since the end of the Hosni Mubarak regime in January, Christians have been even more targeted by Muslim extremists,” Moeller says. “And they feel the current military leaders have done little to protect them and insure their religious rights.”

According to Compass Direct News, attacks on Coptic churches are part of a larger and ever-increasing trend taking place in Egypt whereby a government official in a province or municipality grants permission for a church to be built or re-opened and hard-line Muslims threaten violence if services take place. Coptic leaders accuse the government of playing a colluding role in the violence by not enforcing the law, including a recently renewed and expanded Emergency Law, which stipulates imprisonment as a penalty for acts of sectarian strife, “thuggery” and vandalism of private property.

Egypt is ranked No. 19 on the Open Doors 2011 World Watch List of the 50 worst persecutors of Christians. Egypt has by far the largest Christian minority in the Middle East—an estimated 10 million. The population of Egypt is 80 million.

Today Egypt’s Coptic church leaders called on followers to fast and pray for three days to mourn Christians killed in the clashes.

“This is a time for the entire body of Christ to pray for the church in Egypt and the entire region,” Moeller says. “It is also a time for all peoples of every religion to come together and work for true freedom, democracy and peace.”