The village of Higaza Qibli in Qena, Upper Egypt, was the scene of a tragic vendetta killing last Sunday. As Copts left church following the Midnight Mass that celebrated Easter, four Muslims in a passing car opened fire on the congregation killing 22-year-old Hedra Soliman and 24-year-old Amir Stephanous, and seriously injuring Samir Gad al-Rub, 37, who now lies in hospital in a critical condition. The police caught Mustafa Mohamed Said, 23, Abdel-Qader Mohamed Ibrahim, 30, and Moussa Mohamed Yassin, 37, who are being questioned by the prosecution. The fourth suspect, Abu-Bakr Mohamed Said, is still at large.
The person targeted in the killing was Soliman for a vendetta between his family and the Ibrahims, following a fight that took place in the village marketplace in 2004, during which Mohamed Said Ibrahim, 58, was killed. At the time three Copts were caught and brought to trial for manslaughter; they were convicted and spent time in prison till 2006. In the meantime all attempts by the Solimans and the local elders and officials to reconcile with the Ibrahims failed. The police therefore forced 15 Coptic families to leave the village and relocate in Aswan but, a few months ago, some of these families returned to Higaza.
The Solimans and the Stephanouses have refused to accept condolences for their dead, meaning the vendetta is ongoing. Security in Higaza Qibli has been heavily tightened in anticipation of further violence, and attempts at reconciling the families are going on at a frantic rate. Until Watani went to press, however, there was no progress on this front.
The incident drew attention to the chronic grievances of Christians in Egypt regarding the building and restoration of churches. The funeral service for Stephanous, who is a member of the Coptic Catholic Church, had to be conducted in the courtyard of the Fransiscan School in the village since the Coptic Catholic church there was closed down by the authorities while in the process of restoration.