Egyptian Coptic family displaced over blasphemy claims
Egyptian Coptic family displaced over blasphemy claims
A Christian family forced out of an Egyptian village over a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam are hoping to return, local media have reported.
2 min read
Coptic Upper Egyptian in the village of Awda [Getty]
18 Christian residents of the village of Kafr Darwish in the Upper Egyptian province of Beni Suef who fled their homes this week over a Facebook posting seen as offensive to Islam are hoping to return, local media reported Tuesday.
Villagers had earlier accused a 28-year-old Coptic local man named as Ayman Youssef Tawfiq of posting pictures that insulted Islam on his personal Facebook account.
The mayor of the village, Ahmed Maher told a TV channel that the villagers would return home today, Tuesday.
Maher explained: “We met with the governor yesterday and a reconciliation deal was made, the family that was moved will return tomorrow [Tuesday].”
A Coptic news website earlier reported that Maher advised the family that local police couldnt guarantee their safety if they stayed.
Locals gathered outside of Tawfiq’s family home on the evening of Sunday 24 May and threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at the house and destroyed the car of a neighbour.
Sectarian attacks went on for several days in the village, 100km south of Cairo, despite heightened police presence with locals setting four Christian homes on fire and uprooting crops on Christian owned agricultural land.
Meetings were arranged with Tawfiq’s family, village elders and Muslim and Christian religious leaders to defuse the tense and dangerous situation.
Those convicted of blasphemy face severe penalties, including death, with religious minorities and atheists often being the target.
In May, four Christian teenagers and their teacher were detained and charged with offending Islam because of a video they made pocking fun at the Islamic state group [IS].
Egyptians of all religions took to social media to denounce the displacement of the Christian villagers using the the Arabic language hashtag “No to the displacement of the Copts of Kafr Darwish”, which was trending in the country.
Amr Hamdon tweeted:
Villagers had earlier accused a 28-year-old Coptic local man named as Ayman Youssef Tawfiq of posting pictures that insulted Islam on his personal Facebook account.
The mayor of the village, Ahmed Maher told a TV channel that the villagers would return home today, Tuesday.
Maher explained: “We met with the governor yesterday and a reconciliation deal was made, the family that was moved will return tomorrow [Tuesday].”
A Coptic news website earlier reported that Maher advised the family that local police couldnt guarantee their safety if they stayed.
Locals gathered outside of Tawfiq’s family home on the evening of Sunday 24 May and threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at the house and destroyed the car of a neighbour.
Sectarian attacks went on for several days in the village, 100km south of Cairo, despite heightened police presence with locals setting four Christian homes on fire and uprooting crops on Christian owned agricultural land.
Meetings were arranged with Tawfiq’s family, village elders and Muslim and Christian religious leaders to defuse the tense and dangerous situation.
Those convicted of blasphemy face severe penalties, including death, with religious minorities and atheists often being the target.
In May, four Christian teenagers and their teacher were detained and charged with offending Islam because of a video they made pocking fun at the Islamic state group [IS].
Egyptians of all religions took to social media to denounce the displacement of the Christian villagers using the the Arabic language hashtag “No to the displacement of the Copts of Kafr Darwish”, which was trending in the country.
Amr Hamdon tweeted:
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Translation: If the police and state can’t protect its own people then what’s the point in them existing? No to the displacement of the Copts of Kafr Darwish.
Member of the April 6 Youth Movement activist group, Amr Ali, said,
Twitter Post
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Translation: Racism and sectarianism won’t end with some words from the constitution or changing the president because they have simply become a part of the Egyptian character.
Aisha Moubarez tweeted,
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Translation: Are we living in a state that respects the law and constitution, which guarantees a good life for all Egyptians or a jungle where only the fittest survive? No to the displacement of the Copts of Kafr Darwish.
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