* Statement does not take into account recent upheaval
BRUSSELS, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The European Union denounced attacks against Christians and Muslims on Monday, having previously failed to agree a statement that included Christianity among persecuted religious faiths.
The EU began a debate about religious violence after an attack on a Coptic Christian church in northern Egypt at the end of December left 23 people dead and dozens wounded.
* Biggest gathering yet in movement that began on January 25
* Egyptian president issues decree forming committee to oversee constitutional changes ahead of elections later this year
CAIRO: Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators flooded Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square and towns across Egypt on Tuesday as the nation’s embattled President Hosni Mubarak took a step towards democratic reform in another bid to appease opponents.
In Cairo, the immense crowd hailed as a hero a charismatic cyberactivist and Google executive whose Facebook site helped kickstart the protest movement on January 25 and who has since been detained and held blindfolded for 12 days.
Egypt: Internet down, police counterterror unit up
AP – General view showing Egyptians protestors clash with anti-riot policemen in Suez, Egypt, Thursday, Jan.27,
By HAMZA HENDAWI and SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press – 29 mins ago
CAIRO – Internet service in Egypt was disrupted and the government deployed an elite special operations force in Cairo on Friday, hours before an anticipated new wave of anti-government protests.
The developments were a sign that President Hosni Mubarak's regime was toughening its crackdown following the biggest protests in years against his nearly 30-year rule.
Pro-democracy advocate returns; Mubarak's party dismissive of protesters: "The minority does not force its will on the majority."
CAIRO — Egypt's ruling party said Thursday it was ready for a dialogue with the public but offered no concessions to address demands for a solution to rampant poverty and political change heard in the country's largest anti-government protests in years.
At the same time, the grass roots protest movement was getting a double boost likely to energize the largest anti-government demonstrations Egypt has seen in years. Mohammed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace laureate and the country's top pro-democracy advocate, was returning to the country Thursday night and declared he was ready to lead the protests. The country's largest opposition group — the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood — also threw its support behind the demonstrations.
10,000's of Egyptians Revolt Against Mubarak Regime: 3 DEAD
Assad Elepty
Tens of thousands of Protesters have taken to the streets of Egypt in an unprecedented act of defiance and people power.
The protestors in Cairo have broke through police ranks and headed towards the Nile. Some protestors were beaten by police but the demonstrators remained defiant chanting at the police, most of whom are from very poor neighborhoods, to join them. One un-named police officer revealed, “we have been prepped and warned we will be charged with treason and taken before the security court if we join the protestors” he added, “I want to stand with my countrymen, but what will happen to me, my wife and five children, we will be killed”.
The sole aim of the protest is to bring down the Mubarak regime. Official reports are 3 people have died including 1 policeman. Unconfirmed reports from sources state 9 people have died. One eyewitness, on video alleged 6000 people have been arrested. The demonstrations continued well into the night. Egypt’s Parliament, high Court and interior ministry were heavily fortified and barricaded to prevent the protestors reaching them.
Egypt Islamic authority freezes dialogue with Vatican
The highest Islamic authority in Egypt, al-Azhar, is to suspend all dialogue with the Vatican.
by Rachel Ford, Christian PostPosted: Friday, January 21, 2011, 7:06 (GMT)
Pope Benedict has condemned the persecution of Christians around the world AP
The move is in response to the Pope’s condemnation of widespread violence and discrimination against Christian minorities in predominately Muslim countries.
Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, the president of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, met with members of the Islamic Research Academy before making the announcement Thursday morning. The group accused Pope Benedict of “repeatedly addressing Islam negatively, more than once", reported Islamic news website Ahram Online.
Baroness Ashton, EU foreign policy chief (Photo: PA)
The European Parliament has urged governments to do more to protect Christians from persecution.
It said in a resolution addressed to EU institutions: “In some cases, the situation facing Christian communities is such as to endanger their future existence – if they were to disappear, this would entail the loss of a significant part of the religious heritage of the countries concerned.
Assault of a police officer will be added to the list of charges facing eight protesters who demonstrated earlier this month in solidarity with Christian Copts, a judicial source told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Thursday.
An Egyptian Coptic Christian priest prays over the coffin of Fathi Ghatas during his funeral at the Mar Yohan church in Cairo. Ghatas was shot by a 23-year-old off-duty policeman who boarded a train near the southern town of Samalut and opened fire on passengers, killing a 71-year-old Coptic man and wounding his wife and four other Copts on January 11.
Angry mourners gathered on Wednesday for the funeral of an Egyptian Christian gunned down in an attack that threatened to exacerbate sectarian tensions, just days after a deadly church bombing in Alexandria.
Angry mourners gathered on Wednesday for the funeral of an Egyptian Christian gunned down in an attack that threatened to exacerbate sectarian tensions, just days after a deadly church bombing in Alexandria.
Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday voiced solidarity with Egypt's Coptic Christians two days after they marked a sombre Christmas following a deadly New Year's Day church bombing.
"I salute the Coptic faithful present here to whom I renew my expression of closeness," he told thousands of people gathered on Saint Peter's Square during Sunday Mass.
HONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama has condemned deadly New Year’s Eve attacks in Egypt and Nigeria.
In a statement, Obama says the perpetrators of an attack on an Egyptian church have no respect for human life or dignity. He says those responsible for the bomb that killed at least 21 people must be brought to justice for “this barbaric and heinous act.” The bombing enraged Christians in Egypt who often complain of discrimination at the hands of Egypt’s Muslim majority.
In a statement, Obama says the perpetrators of an attack on an Egyptian church have no respect for human life or dignity. He says those responsible for the bomb that killed at least 21 people must be brought to justice for “this barbaric and heinous act.” The bombing enraged Christians in Egypt who often complain of discrimination at the hands of Egypt’s Muslim majority.
Obama also says a separate attack near an army barracks in Abuja, Nigeria demonstrates the “bankrupt vision” of those who carry out the attacks. At least four people were killed and 21 wounded while celebrating the new year.
Obama says the U.S. will offer any necessary assistance to Egypt and Nigeria.
(Sarkozy) Attack in Egypt: "an indiscriminate and cowardly crime"
By Abdel Fattah Hussein
President Nicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy on Saturday denounced a "blind and cowardly crime" and expressed "great emotion" in a letter to his Egyptian counterpart, Hosni MubarakHosni Mubarak, following the attack that killed 21 people at a Coptic church Alexandria (north).
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday led condemnation of a New Year's Day bomb attack in a Coptic church in Egypt that claimed 21 lives, urging world leaders to defend Christians against abuse.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church was the first religious leader to react to the bombing which targeted worshippers as they emerged from a midnight mass in Alexandria.
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (AFP) – Egypt said a suicide bomber killed 21 people and wounded 79 outside a Coptic church on Saturday, in an attack President Hosni Mubarak said was the work of "foreign hands."
Egypt Weighs Easing Rules on Building New Churches
Written by David E. Miller Published Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Regulations make it almost impossible for Copts to erect or repair their houses of worship
Egypt’s government is weighing changes to laws that make it virtually impossible for the country’s Christians to build or expand a church.
No law regulates erecting houses of worship, but building a new church in Egypt requires a presidential permit, as well as security clearance from Egypt's State Security Intelligence. The procedure can take years winding its way through Egypt’s bureaucracy or may never get approval at all.
Hon. Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, and Hon. Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, issued the following statement condemning Al-Qaida’s naming of Coptic Christians in Canada on their website
Ottawa, December 21, 2010 – The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, and the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, today issued the following statement condemning Al-Qaida’s naming of Coptic Christians in Canada on their website:
“Our government strongly condemns threats made on the internet by hateful fanatics against adherents to the Coptic Orthodox Christian faith in Canada and abroad.”
Verdict in Egyptian Copt killings trial expected mid-January
Cairo - An Egyptian court is expected to hand down its verdict against three men charged with shooting Coptic Christians outside a church in the south of the country on January 16, a judicial source said Sunday.
Gunmen opened fire on parishioners leaving a Coptic Christmas Eve mass in January this year in Nagaa Hamadi town, 650 kilometres south of Cairo. Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7.
United Nations (AINA) -- Thousands of Egyptian American Copts, led by Coptic bishops and clergymen representing other Christian denominations, protested on December 14 in front of the United Nations in New York against the on-going opersecution of their Coptic brethren in Egypt (video of rally).
Coptic movement in Australia urges Kevin Rudd to express concern over Coptic persecution in Egypt
Australian Coptic Movement Association
The Hon. Kevin Rudd MP, the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, has today attended a meeting with His Excellency, President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. The two are set to host Middle Eastern peace talks, in a rare visit by a senior Cabinet minister to Egypt.
Given the nature of this meeting, the Australian Coptic Movement (ACM) have issued a statement, stating that it would have been only appropriate that the Hon. Kevin Rudd convey the concerns of the Australian Government and the people, over the state of affairs pertaining to Egypt’s Indigenous Coptic Population of over 10 million.
An Egyptian Coptic Christian priest prays over the coffin of Fathi Ghatas during his funeral at the Mar Yohan church in Cairo. Ghatas was shot by a 23-year-old off-duty policeman who boarded a train near the southern town of Samalut and opened fire on passengers, killing a 71-year-old Coptic man and wounding his wife and four other Copts on January 11.
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (AFP) – Egypt said a suicide bomber killed 21 people and wounded 79 outside a Coptic church on Saturday, in an attack President Hosni Mubarak said was the work of "foreign hands."
