In a step that is unprecedented in the aftermath of sectarian violence, the victims of the most recent sectarian attack against Coptic property, which occurred in the Upper Egyptian town of Esna three weeks ago, were indemnified for the damages they incurred. They were handed cheques which amounted to a total value of LE1,295,000 by order of Qena governor Magdy Ayoub. The local Church of the Holy Virgin, the shrine of the three peasants—a 4th-century shrine built to commemorate three Coptic Esna peasants who had been martyred during the Christian persecution in the third century—and 26 shops had been subjected to various degrees of damage and plunder during the riots.
Reconciliation possible
Father Matta’os of the church of the Holy Virgin told Watani that, once the cheques were handed to the victims the local politicians asked Anba Pimen, Bishop of Naqada and Qous, to agree to a reconciliation session between the Copts and Muslims. Anba Pimen, representing the Copts, had adamantly refused a cosmetic reconciliation, and had insisted that there can be no reconciliation unless the culprits were brought to justice and the victims indemnified. A reconciliation session was thus held last Wednesday and it is hoped that it will help calm down the tense climate in Esna. Fr Matta’os said that paying compensation was a good step to regain the Copts’ rights and prevent such incidents from recurring.
Esna mayor Diaa’ Taher, who is also secretary-general of the National Democratic Party in Esna, said that the damages were estimated by a committee which he headed. Taher strongly condemned the violent incident, saying that the Copts of Esna had always coexisted and worked intimately with the town Muslims. He said the culprits must be brought to justice, and this was the responsibility of police, the prosecution and the judiciary.
Copts still held
Ra’fat Samir and Rafla Zikry who are both lawyers and rights activists, expressed their happiness with the unprecedented compensation, adding that they are awaiting the release of the detained Copts, especially since no charges have been brought against them. Maged Girguis Hilmy and his father, as well as Bishoi Ishaq and Michael Milad are still in custody for ‘security reasons’.
The Esna violence had occurred on the evening of Saturday 16 December with the rampage extending till dawn. It is rumoured that the reason was that Maged Girgis Hilmy who owns a shop that sells cell phones had accused of shoplifting a fully veiled woman who entered his shop and bought nothing then left. The argument that ensued between them in the street ended in Maged and his father being detained since the woman accused Maged of attempting to assault her.
The preceding Wednesday a Muslim mob had attacked Bishoi Ishaq and Michael Milad because they were thought to have been involved with a Muslim young woman. The police consequently detained them.
Egyptians against discrimination
Egyptians Against Religious Discrimination (EARD) issued a statement condemning the attack against the Copts of Esna, expressing deep sorrow at the recurrence of similar attacks and at the lack of any measure to deal with the fanaticism and sectarian violence which hinder the coexistence of members of the same nation. EARD declared its belief that these attacks were not sectarian conflicts but planned criminal attacks organised by groups who hide behind religion to assault Copts and inflame hatred between Christians and Muslims. This only serves Egypt’s enemies, the statement confirmed, and is the result of the lack of legal retribution against attackers.
The criminal attacks against Christians, the statement declared, are the result of an increasingly widespread climate of hallucinatory religious attitudes emanating from salafi fundamentalist thought. These attacks occur with tacit official endorsement or, at best, with the State turning a blind eye to events. Even an everyday dispute between a Christian and a Muslim may lead to a bout of mobbing, violence, destruction, plunder and looting against churches and Christian-owned property or businesses by gangs donning the cloak of religion.
Inadequate
Security apparatuses, according to EARD, through complicity or inadequacy, have helped augment the attacks against Copts. These apparatuses did nothing to quell the attacks and, instead, protected the criminals against legal penalty and encouraged them to repeat their crimes. It became usual practice for the security forces to reach the scene of the crime only after the mob had completed the destruction, the statement said, and end the matter with the infamous non-legal “reconciliation sessions”, imposing an unjust settlement between the victim and the attacker. The culprits go unpunished and, worse, motivated to repeat similar assaults.
EARD declared it believes that any serious measure to maintain national unity and protect Copts against the violence perpetrated by fanatic Islamists should be based upon strict measures. Fanatic attackers should be tried not only for theft and plundering but also for jeopardising national unity. The victims should be fully compensated for their losses, and the attackers should be made to fulfil their civic obligations towards the victims. Permanent committees should be formed in districts where the attacks take place, their task being to confirm the time-honoured ties between Muslims and Christians and to detect early on any suspicious activity which may lead to new attacks against Christians. And, on the popular and official levels, Muslims should participate in the repair and restoration of the churches attacked or damaged, as a sign of solidarity between all the sectors of the Egyptian community.
Finally EARD asserted their full trust that all Egyptians, including those of Esna, are capable of defeating plots against their unity and their country’s reform programme. They called for an end to cosmetic reconciliation, and for law enforcement against the criminals.