Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Bishop Munib Younan denounces Coptic killings


Stephen Brown reports for ENI that Jerusalem Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan has denounced the killing of six Coptic Christians in Egypt and he offered support to the patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

"The attack is horrifying and puts fear in the hearts of Christians in Egypt," Younan said in an 11 January statement to Ecumenical News International from Beirut, where he is attending the general assembly of the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches.

"We pray for the victims and their families," Younan stated. "But we also pray that such acts will not be repeated, neither in Egypt nor anywhere else."

There's also an opinion piece from Bikya Masr arguing that the killings are not revenge but rather sectarian.

All Egyptians, Muslims and Copts, should admit there is a problem, and sit down and solve it, instead of waiting for foreign voices to offer their “solutions.” Consider the simple analogy of two school pupils quarreling. If they don’t solve their problems alone, the tattletale who loves to cause trouble will take it to the principal and both will end up being suspended.

Let’s ban sheikhs and priests who continue to incite hatred and division among Egyptians; whether they are in churches, mosques or on satellite TV. Let’s stop focusing on religious studies in schools and instead, incorporate ethics into the curricula. Let’s encourage Egypt’s children to love, respect and accept one another. Egypt belongs to all Egyptians, who are all Egyptians first and foremost. This is the kind of sentiment that must be instilled in the nation’s children.


1 comment:

Jane said...

Just to let you know that there willa demonstration in the Swiss capital Bern tomorrow to prostest the killings in Egypt. the Coptic churches in Switzerland ahve called on Christians of all denominations to attend.

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