The Copts of the village of Menbal in Mattay, in Minya some 250km south of Cairo were yesterday 9 July attacked by a mob of village Muslims who, to Islamic shouts of Allah Akbar (Allah is the Greatest) hurled stones at the Copts’ houses.
The attack comes as collective punishment for the Copts on account of a young Copt from Menbal posting on his Facebook page a link for an article that allegedly disdains Islam. The post is said to make comparisons between religions.
The young Copt was detained by the police on Friday 6 July when a complaint was made against him, and the Church and local Coptic community announced they were against disdain of religion. Even so, fundamentalist Muslims from Menbal incited the Muslims villagers against the Copts and, two days later the attack took place.
Local eyewitnesses told Watani that the police quickly arrived, cordoned off the Coptic area, and brought the situation under control. The extent of damages incurred by the Copts It is not yet known; they had been kept to their homes in terror.
A Coptic villager who asked to remain unidentified told Watani that the incitement against the Copts has not stopped.
Watani International
10 July 2018