Coptic Christians call for Change
25/1/2010
Followers of the Coptic Christian faith rallied in St. Catharines Sunday, calling for Canada to take a stronger stand against persecution of members of their religion in Egypt.
The call to action comes after eight people were shot to death as they left a church service Jan. 6 — Coptic Christmas Eve — in the Egyptian city of Nag Hammadi.
The drive-by shootings by Islamic extremists have outraged Coptic Christians, who maintain the act is the latest in a long history of hate crimes in their homeland.
About 80 members of the congregation at St. George & St. Mercurius Coptic Orthodox Church gathered Sunday to urge the Canadian government to push Egypt to put an end to the discrimination.
“This terrorism is growing day by day under the permission of the Egyptian government,” Father Antonius Samaan said at the Glenridge Avenue church.
“We love Muslims, we love everyone. But we don’t love terrorists.”
Approximately 10% of Egypt’s population of 80 million are Coptic Christians.
“We’re not allowed to build our faith. We’re not allowed to worship under our faith easily,” Samaan said.
The congregation had the ear of St. Catharines MP Rick Dykstra, Welland MP Malcolm Allen and St. Catharines city Coun. Andrew Gill.
Dykstra told the gathering at the church Canada’s foreign affairs minister has taken “a very strong stand,” expressing Ottawa’s view on the latest spree of violence to the Egyptian government.
“It does call us to stand together,” he said.
Related News:
