The BBC Ignoring Egypt's Attacks on Christians

[Teddy Bear]

I received this update today from Jihad Watch, and immediately wondered if and how the BBC might be relating the fears of Christians there. I must admit, it was more IF than HOW

Here's the article first from Jihad Watch

Egypt: "People are afraid and believe that if the Muslim Brotherhood wins, there will be no place for Christians in the country"

I tried to tell you. Islamic Tolerance Alert from the glorious new Egypt of the Arab Spring: "Attacks against Coptic churches, part of a plan to expel Egypt’s Christians," from Asia News, October 5 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

Cairo (AsiaNews) – Recent attacks against Coptic churches in Merinab (Aswan) and Elmadmar (Sohag) are part of a strategy promoted by Saudi Arabia to use its petrodollars to bring the country under a radical Islamic regime, sources in Cairo told AsiaNews. The latter are fearful of a mass exodus by Egypt’s minority Christians.

On Sunday in Merinab (Aswan, Upper Egypt), more than 3,000 Muslims, incited by their local imam, set fire to the local Coptic church after they accused Christians of building it without a permit.

Islamic law (Sharia) forbids Christians to build new churches.

On Monday, a group of Muslims in Elmadmar, (Sohag province, Upper Egypt) tried to tear down Saint Mary Church, but were repulsed by police sent to rescue the Christian community. However, none of the attackers were arrested....

Sources say Egypt’s military is powerless against attacks by Salafis who use money and promises to turn people in the poorest regions of the country against Christians.

The extremist group is spreading across the Middle East, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, and Lebanon.

Salafis are taking advantage of the region’s instability to get caretaker governments to impose their ideology based on Sharia and Islam’s supremacy on other religions.

According to a recent report cited by the Assyrian News Agency (Aina), about 100,000 Christians have already left the country since Mubarak’s fall.

“The figure is an exaggeration,” sources told AsiaNews, “but many Copts are indeed leaving the country. In Upper Egypt, but also Cairo and Alexandria, many parish churches lay empty. People are afraid and believe that if the Muslim Brotherhood wins, there will be no place for Christians in the country.” (S.C.)

While it's true, that according to a recent Office for National Statistic survey that only 70% of the population of this country consider themselves Christian, you'd think that even for this 'minority' (as the BBC like to consider them), they would tell us something that is seriously affecting other Christians around the world. Something to put the real perspective of what is happening in the 'Arab Spring'.

So here's the most recent article on events in Egypt. Do you get the feeling the BBC are making us believe that all that is happening there is soft, warm, and inviting?
I'll underline certain passages I find telling. By the way, nothing of dangers to Christians. Who'da thought? It must be because they've got their resources working full time on protecting Bolivian cats from an insensitive government.
Nice to know the BBC have their priorities straight

Tantawi says Egypt in sensitive stage

Egypt's military leader has said the country is undergoing a "sensitive stage" in its history, and called for people to "rally round national goals".

Speaking on the anniversary of the 1973 war with Israel, Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi said he was confident Egyptians could build a "strong modern state".

Earlier, six presidential candidates appealed to military rulers to accelerate the timetable for elections.

The call came amidst growing criticism of Egypt's military rulers.

"The anniversary of October comes as Egypt is passing through a sensitive stage of history," Field Marshal Tantawi said in a televised address.

He said the uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak earlier this year had led to "looming changes and crises that require people, with all their political and non-political trends, to realise the consequences of this stage, how to overcome it and its hardships".

"We are confident in the ability of the people to build a strong modern state," he added.

Rumours dismissed
Egypt's interim military rulers initially proposed a transition period of six months, and many activists suspect they are trying to draw out the transition and hang onto power.

On Wednesday, six presidential candidates called on military rulers to accelerate the election timetable and hold presidential elections by the end of April.

Under the current timetable the military council may not hand over power until late 2012 or early 2013.

The candidates also appealed for parliamentary polls to be shortened.

The call for a faster handover was made by three Islamist candidates - Salim al-Awa, Abdel Monseim Aboul Fotouh and Hazem Abu Ismail - as well as former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, former judge Hisham Bastawisi and left-winger Hamdin Sabbahi.

Mohammed ElBaradei, the former head of the UN nuclear agency and liberal candidate, was not a signatory.

Parliamentary and senate elections are currently due to last from 28 November until 11 March, but Mr Awa said they should instead be completed by 30 January.

"Don't let this drag on, so that we don't lose all hope," said Mr Ismail.

Field Marshal Tantawi appeared to brush aside the candidates' concerns.

"The military council has no interest in staying [in power] for a long time," he said.

"Given the chance, the military council will step down tomorrow."

But he also said: "We will not abandon Egypt before we finish what we pledged to do and committed ourselves to before the people."

Egypt's military leader dismissed rumours that the army would put forward a candidate.

The speculation had been fuelled by the former defence minister's appearance in civilian clothes during a recent walk around central Cairo.

"These are rumours that are not worthy of stopping to consider, and neither should we spend time talking about them," Field Marshal Tantawi said.

Such sensitive, strong and modern people - that should reassure the Christians then.

[Teddy Bear]

I see that API has produced an article on the subject of how Christians in Egypt are afraid of the Islamist pressure they're feeling, and Yahoo news has put it at the top of the headlines they show.

Doesn't feature on any BBC horizon yet.

Christians fear Islamist pressure in Egypt
By MAGGIE MICHAEL - Associated Press | AP – 1 hr 16 mins ago

CAIRO (AP) — On her first day to school, 15-year-old Christian student Ferial Habib was stopped at the doorstep of her new high school with clear instructions: either put on a headscarf or no school this year.

Habib refused. While most Muslim women in Egypt wear the headscarf, Christians do not, and the move by administrators to force a Christian student to don it was unprecedented. For the next two weeks, Habib reported to school in the southern Egyptian village of Sheik Fadl every day in her uniform, without the head covering, only to be turned back by teachers.

One day, Habib heard the school loudspeakers echoing her name and teachers with megaphones leading a number of students in chants of "We don't want Ferial here," the teenager told The Associated Press.

Habib's was allowed last week to attend without the scarf, and civil rights advocates say her case is a rare one. But it stokes the fears of Egypt's significant Christian minority that they will become the victims as Islamists grow more assertive after the Feb. 11 toppling of President Hosni Mubarak. It also illustrates how amid the country's political turmoil, with little sense of who is in charge and government control weakened, Islamic conservatives in low-level posts can step in and try to unilaterally enforce their own decisions.
Wagdi Halfa, one of Habib's lawyers, said the root problem is a lack of the rule of law.

"We don't want more laws but we want to activate the laws already in place," he said. "We are in a dark tunnel in terms of sectarian tension. Even if you have the majority who are moderate Muslims, a minority of extremists can make big impact on them and poison their minds."

In the past weeks, riots have broken out at two churches in southern Egypt, prompted by Muslim crowds angered by church construction. One riot broke out, near the city of Aswan, even after church officials agreed to a demand by local ultraconservative Muslims, called Salafis, that a cross and bells be removed from the building.

The violence is particularly frustrating for Christians because soon after Mubarak's fall the new government promised to review and lift heavy Mubarak-era restrictions on building or renovating churches. The promise raised hopes among Christians that the government would establish a clear legal right to build, resolving an issue that in recent years has increasingly sparked riots. But the review never came, and Salafi clerics have increased their rhetoric against Christians, including accusing them of seeking to spread their faith with new churches.

Habib's experience was startling because in general, Egypt's Christians, who make up at least 10 percent of the population of 80 million, have enjoyed relative freedom in terms of dress and worship. The vast majority of Muslim women in Egypt put on the headscarf, known as the higab, either for religious or social reasons, but there's little expectation that Christians wear it.

The demand that all students wear the higab was a decision by administrators and teachers at the high school in Sheik Fadl, 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Cairo in Minya province. They said the headscarf was part of the school uniform, necessary to protect girls from sexual harassment.

A top provincial Education Ministry official, Abdel-Gawad Abdullah, said in an interview with CTV, a private Egyptian Christian television network, that the ministry gives schools the right to decide on school uniforms, and that parents during screening and application can either accept or refuse.
"And if the father wants to move his daughter to another school, it is OK," he said. "All the girls, including the Christians, put on the head cover and they have no problem," he added.
Habib's father Sorial complained to officials, demanding his daughter be allowed to attend without a scarf.
"After the revolution, there are no administration and no officials to go to. The system is lax and there is no supervision from the ministry," he told AP. "If things were under control, extremists would not have a free hand to act as they wish."
Habib was finally allowed to attend last Tuesday.
"I am happy I did what I want and that no one can force something on me. But I am afraid of the students and the teachers," she told AP. "The teachers are not normal with me and I am sure they will give me low grades at the end of the year."

Hossam Bahgat, head of the Cairo-based Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, which tracks religious discrimination and other civil rights issues, said he had not seen a case like Habib's before. "We know that there is pressure on Muslim girls to put on the higab, especially in secondary school, not from the administration but from the girls."

He said some Muslim girls in general put on the veil to distinguish themselves from Christians.

Recent attacks on churches in southern Egypt also illustrate the heat Christians are under. Under Mubarak-era rules, the building of a church or repairs for an existing one required permission from local authorities and the state security agency — a rule not applied to mosques. The rules sought to avoid outbursts of violence from Muslim hard-liners. Since permission was rarely given, Christians at times resorted to building churches in secret, often in parish guesthouses.

On Sept. 30, a Muslim mob attacked a church in southern village of Marynab in Aswan province because they believed the Christians were illegally constructing a new church. Church officials had documents showing they had permission to build a new church to replace a previous, run-down one at the same site.

Even before the attack, Muslim protests prompted priests to turn to security officials, who arranged a meeting with local elders and Salafis. In the face of their demands, the priests agreed to take down a cross and bells on the church, according to church officials. Still, after the Christians erected a dome, the mob attacked, setting the church and nearby homes and shops on fire.

Aswan's governor, Gen. Mustafa Kamel al-Sayyed, further hiked tensions by telling the media that the church was being built on the site of a guesthouse, suggesting it was illegal.

In response, hundreds of Christians marched in front of the governor's office last week, demanding those behind the attack be prosecuted and families who lost homes be compensated. Christians also protested in Cairo, cutting off a main avenue in the heart of the capital, demanding the governor's ouster, until soldiers dispersed them by force.

Days after the Aswan attack, Muslim villagers in the southern province of Sohag tried to storm Saint Girgis church, shouting "No to church construction," as Christians on rooftops rained stones down on them. The assault was prompted by construction of a church in a guesthouse.

[Teddy Bear]

More violence today in Egypt with Christians involved, but still not a word about it from the BBC.

Cairo Christian protest explodes into violence
The Associated Press Posted: Oct 9, 2011 2:46 PM ET Last Updated: Oct 9, 2011 2:49 PM ET


Riots erupted in Cairo Sunday night as Christians protesting a recent attack on a church came under assault by thugs who rained stones down on them and fired pellets.

Officials say four protesters and two soldiers were killed in clashes between Christians and army. A number of military vehicles were burning on a scenic street along the Nile.

Gunshots rang out at the scene outside the state television building, where lines of riot police with shields tried to hold back hundreds of Christian protesters chanting "This is our country." Thick black smoke filled the air from the burning vehicles.

Thugs with sticks chased the Christian protesters from the site, banking metal street signs to scare them off. One soldier collapsed in tears as ambulances rushed to the scene to take away the injured.

Television footage of the riots showed some of the Coptic protesters attacking a soldier, while a priest tried to protect him.

The trouble began when thousands of Coptic Christians protesting the latest attack on a church in southern Egypt came under attack as they chanted denunciations of Egypt's military rulers, whom they accuse of leniency in dealing with a series of anti-Christian attacks.

Christians are 10 per cent of population
The rally began in the Shubra district of northern Cairo, then headed to the state television building overlooking the Nile where men in plainclothes attacked the Christian protesters. It was not immediately clear who the attackers were.

Egypt's Coptic Christian minority makes up about 10 per cent of the country's population of more than 80 million people. As Egypt undergoes a chaotic power transition and security vacuum in the wake of this year's uprising, Christians are particularly worried about the increasing show of power by the ultraconservative Islamists.

"Our protest is peaceful and I don't know why they attack us," said Rami Kamel, a Coptic protest leader.

In the past weeks, riots have broken out at two churches in southern Egypt, prompted by Muslim crowds angry over church construction.

One riot broke out near the city of Aswan, even after church officials agreed to a demand by local ultraconservative Muslims, called Salafis, that a cross and bells be removed from the building.

[Teddy Bear]

With today's violence in Egypt the BBC felt they had no choice but to report it, but with quite a different slant than you would have read in the CBC article above. They seem to have left out the bit about
Riots erupted in Cairo Sunday night as Christians protesting a recent attack on a church came under assault by thugs who rained stones down on them and fired pellets.

Egypt troops dead after Coptic church protest in Cairo

Clashes erupted after a protest outside the state TV building in Cairo

At least three soldiers have been killed and dozens of people injured after a protest in Cairo against an attack on a Coptic Christian church.

Egyptian TV showed protesters throwing petrol bombs and army vehicles burning outside the state television building.

Copts blame Muslim radicals for the partial demolition of a Coptic church in Aswan province last week.

Sectarian tensions have increased since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising in February.

Egypt's Coptic Christians - who make up about 10% of the population - accuse the governing military council of being too lenient on the perpetrators of a string of anti-Christian attacks.

The protest began outside the state TV building in central Maspero Square but soon spread to Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the demonstrations which led to President Mubarak's resignation.

You think they want to present the Christians there in the same way as they do the Israelis?

(Update: Finally they have revised their earlier article to acknowledge more facts and truth to prevail - took 19 deaths today for it to happen though)

[Teddy Bear]

Following the update I mentioned at the end of the post above, it would appear I spoke too soon. Revisions since show the BBC neutering the actions of extremist Muslims and the military wreaking attacks on the Christians who are merely seeking some sort of justice.

You can follow this process here at Newssniffer, which shows exactly how the BBC have so far revised an article on these events, to see how the nuances and meanings get changed as it happens. So far there have been 6 revisions.

Judge for yourself what the purpose of these changes are.

[Teddy Bear]

When I read the details of what has really been happening in places like Egypt against true peace-loving people, and compare it to the way the scum at the BBC report it, likely causing similar scenes to continue, I find myself willing the most intense suffering and pain on BBC staff involved.

In the words of one Christian eyewitness, armored vehicles "came at great speed and drove into the crowds, going backwards and forwards, mowing people under their wheels. The most horrible scene was when one of the vehicles ran over a Copt's [Christian's] head, causing his brain to explode and blood was all over the place.

Keep that in mind when you read more about the 'Arab Spring' and 'moderate' Muslim Brotherhood from the BBC, and telling you how they are going to build a 'strong modern state'.

As the author here states, and I agree 100% Such journalistic and international dereliction of duty makes them complicit in the crimes, accessories to the massacres, and violators of the very notion of human rights they obscenely claim to advance.

Rot in Hell BBC!

The Egyptian Military's Crimes Against Humanity

by Raymond Ibrahim
October 11, 2011 at 4:50 am

Sunday, the Egyptian military opened fire on thousands of Christians protesting in Maspero, Cairo. In the words of one Christian eyewitness, armored vehicles "came at great speed and drove into the crowds, going backwards and forwards, mowing people under their wheels. The most horrible scene was when one of the vehicles ran over a Copt's [Christian's] head, causing his brain to explode and blood was all over the place. We got a clear message today that we are no first class citizens."

Various numbers of casualties have been given; AINA asserts that at least 35 Christians were massacred, many beyond recognition, and over 300 wounded; hundreds are still missing. Graphic pictures of some of the slain can be seen here.

Of course, you would not know any of this following the Western mainstream media (MSM). Conditioned to always appear "fair and balanced"—especially when the incidents being reported are neither—the MSM is giving the impression that the conflict consisted of equal violence and equal intolerance from both the military and "militant" Christians—or, to use the MSM's favorite, and increasingly meaningless, euphemism, "sectarian strife," conjuring up images of equally armed, equally militant factions fighting for supremacy.

Meanwhile, the MSM avoids the most obvious aspect of the conflict: religion, as Muslims—yet again—mow down infidel minorities for all to see.

While the military dictatorship cleanses Egypt of its Christian minority, the Egyptian media only depict images and "information" that comport with that agenda—all, of course, while naïve, gullible, or lazy Western reporters lap it up. State news, for example, asserted that armed Christians were on the offensive, killing three soldiers, injuring twenty, and burning state property—wanton lies, according to many eyewitnesses—yet perfectly in line with the MSM's obsession never to portray Muslims as aggressors.

Accordingly, these distortions were unhesitatingly regurgitated by the MSM. The BBC's headline was "Egypt troops dead after Coptic church protest in Cairo" [since changed]—as if that was the relevant news; the report's opening sentence highlighted Christian protesters "clashing with security forces, with army vehicles burning outside the state television building," again, portraying the protesters as the aggressors.

Even Fox News had its readers sympathizing with Egypt's military, even as it was busy massacring Christian citizens: the report told of an Egyptian soldier "collapsing in tears" as Christians "attacked" his fellow soldier. Of course, watching nearly 20 members of the police beating, dragging, and kicking a Christian for protesting the burning of his church—all while shouting slogans like "You infidel son of a bitch"—might counterbalance Fox News's weeping soldier.

After asking "Why have we seen an upsurge in sectarian violence this year?" a new CNN article titled "Egypt's Tensions Explained" does anything but that. After stating that "the reasons are not clear"—code for "the reasons are not politically correct"—it blames "those opposed to democratic changes" and "efforts by extreme Islamist groups to resist attempts by the Copts to establish more churches"—again, careful to portray the Copts as somehow equally responsible as the Islamists who murder them.

And, as usual, while mentioning the numbers of dead and injured, the MSM devoutly refuses to indicate who the dead are: after all, the overwhelming majority are Christians, and that fact would throw a wrench in their "balanced" portrayal of equal culpability.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, where objectivity is not at the mercy of ingrained relativism, political correctness, or the chronic need always to depict Islam in a positive light, eye-witnesses are describing these events as "war crimes" perpetrated by an Islamist-inclined regime against the nation's native Christians. Dr. Imad Gad, for instance, Strategy Expert at the Ahram Center, denounced the military's "crimes against humanity," even as he witnessed them during a live phone interview.

What sparked these latest crimes against humanity in Egypt? Why were Christians protesting in the first place? The answers to these questions only further validate the notion that Muslim persecution of Christians—whether perpetrated by the local mosque or the state—is a fact of life in Egypt.

Days ago, thousands of Muslims attacked and destroyed yet another church, in Edfu—following the New Year church attack, which left 23 dead, the destruction and desecration of the ancient church in Sool, and the Imbaba attacks, which saw several churches set aflame. In all of these wanton attacks, not one of the Muslim perpetrators were prosecuted by the Egyptian regime.

In the recent Edfu church attack, security forces "stood there watching," the Intelligence Unit chief of the region was seen directing the mob destroying the church. The governor himself appeared on State TV and "denied any church being torched," calling it a "guest home"—a common tactic to excuse the destruction of churches. He even justified the incident by arguing that the church contractor made the building three meters higher than he permitted: "Copts made a mistake and had to be punished, and Muslims did nothing but set things right, end of story."

The irony is that Christians went to demonstrate in Maspero because that is where Egyptian media are located, and they sought to get the world's attention, highlight the nonstop abuses they are suffering. Not only were they massacred for their trouble, but they were portrayed as the "aggressors" by the same media they vainly hoped would reveal their predicament to the world.

Meanwhile, the international community sits idly by. Despite the fact that the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom recommended that the U.S. government classify Egypt as a "country of particular concern"; despite the fact that several Egyptian churches have been destroyed with impunity in the last few months; despite the fact that any rational person could have read the writing on the wall—despite all this, the State Department failed even to cite Egypt as a "country of particular concern" in its religious freedom report.

Such journalistic and international dereliction of duty makes them complicit in the crimes, accessories to the massacres, and violators of the very notion of human rights they obscenely claim to advance.

[Teddy Bear]

I warn you this video has shocking scenes but shows the truth of what was happening when the military attacked the Copts over the weekend.
Watch it first, then read how the BBC is nothing more than a propaganda machine for the odious Egyptian regime at the expense of innocent Copts who will continue to suffer because of it. Bear in mind the BBC are as much aware of these videos, and my understanding is that they have aired something similar of their own. Now they change history to suit their agenda.

Egypt's army defends tactics in Coptic rally crackdown

Twenty-five people died and hundreds of others were injured in Sunday's clashes

Egypt's ruling military council has denied that the army opened fire on and drove military vehicles into crowds during Sunday's deadly clashes between Coptic Christians and troops in Cairo.

Generals showed footage of an armoured personnel carrier swerving around protesters, saying if anyone had been crushed it would have been by mistake.

Earlier videos posted on the internet showed mangled bodies, with activists saying some victims had bullet wounds.

Twenty-five people died in the clashes.

The violence - the worst since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in February - erupted as the Coptic Christians were protesting over an attack on a church in southern Egypt.

It is not clear how many of those killed were Christians, but the authorities said three soldiers were among the dead. Hundreds of people were injured.

'Guns and knives'
"The armed forces would never and have never opened fire on the people," Gen Mahmoud Hegazy, a member of the ruling military council, said during a news conference on Wednesday.

Pointing at footage of an army vehicle from the scene of the clashes, he stressed that "there has not been a case of rolling over people with vehicles".

"They are trying to avoid running into protesters, not rolling over them."

The general also said the video proved that soldiers had come under attack by demonstrators armed with guns, knives and rocks.

Sunday's protest and its handling by the authorities has drawn a storm of criticism of the army.

The military council is in temporary charge of the country while elections are organised.

The Copts, who make up about 10% of Egypt's 85 million population, have a number of grievances against the interim administration.

They say the authorities have been slow to punish radical Islamists who have attacked their churches.

[Teddy Bear]

Contrast the BBC article above with this one on the same subject from Associated Press

Egypt military denies shooting protesters
By MAGGIE MICHAEL - Associated Press | AP – 2 hrs 22 mins ago

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's military rulers blamed Christian protesters and "enemies of the revolution" on Wednesday for triggering the clashes that left 26 dead, almost all of them Christians. The accusation was sure to enflame the fury within and beyond the Christian community over the worst violence since Hosni Mubarak's ouster.

At a lengthy news conference to present their version of the events, generals from the Supreme Council of Armed Forces showed footage of priests and a Coptic Christian activist they accused of "instigating" the violence on Sunday night with calls for demonstrations and storming the state television building. He accused protesters of "savage" attacks on the military.

Many of those killed were crushed when armored military vehicles sped through crowds of protesters and ran them over. Other victims had gunshot wounds. The clashes outside the state television building were the worst between the military and protesters in the eight months since Egypt's uprising and has put the ruling generals on the spot.

In front of more than 50 reporters, Maj. Gen. Adel Emara, a member of the ruling council and deputy defense minister, tried to clear the military of any blame in the killings. He denied troops opened fire at protesters, claiming their weapons did not even have live ammunition. He said it was not in "the dictionary of the armed forces to run over bodies ... even when battling our enemy."

Emara said a minority of protesters were peaceful, but a more violent, armed crowd joined the demonstration and began attacking a unit of about 300 soldiers, armed only with anti-riot gear.
"I want to bring to your attention that the protesters outside Maspero (state television) had many strange things with them: swords, gas cylinders, firebombs," he said. "This was an indication that this was not a peaceful protest."

Coptic Christians, who represent about 10 percent of Egypt's 85 million, say they are treated like second-class citizens and repeated attacks on them go unpunished. But many Egyptian Muslims perceive Christians with suspicion, claiming they are empowered by western support and exploit any means to press their interests.
Christians have felt increasingly vulnerable since Mubarak's ouster while Islamist extremists, known as Salafis, have gained freer rein and are suspected behind many of the attacks on Copts.

The military's charges looked certain to deepen the sectarian rift.
Khaled Abdel-Hamid, a member of the Revolution Youth Coalition, reacted to the military's account by saying: "Frankly, the council is belittling people's intelligence."

"These are blatant lies. The witnesses and the video clips prove that there was monstrous suppression by the army of a peaceful protest," he added. "So a soldier is given an excuse for killings, while civilians are to blame."

Witnesses and Christian protesters have denied the demonstrators started the fighting. Videos show that the violence appeared to begin when military police with shields charged protesters who were peacefully holding speeches outside the state TV building. Another shows a soldier firing at protesters at close range from the back of a speeding armored vehicle weaving through the crowd.

The military's explanation aimed clearly to draw sympathy for the troops, particularly with those Egyptians who have grown weary of the daily disruptions to life and the economic hardships that the uprising has brought.

While failing to give a solid explanation for the flattened and torn bodies of the slain protesters who were apparently run over, Emara said soldiers were "in an unprecedented mental state beyond self control" after coming under protesters' attacks.
"I cannot deny that some people may have been hit. But it was not systematic," Emara said.

According to forensic reports for the slain protesters, a third of victims were killed by being run over by the armored vehicles, while two-thirds were shot with live ammunition. At least 21 of the 26 killed were Christians.

The military showed video of the events including scenes of a protester hurling a heavy stone at soldiers inside an armored vehicle and others beating up soldiers. Another showed a bloody soldier being carried away on a stretcher. The military has not said how many soldiers died, but security officials put the number at three.

A dozen youth groups and political parties, most of them born during the uprising, said in a statement that the clashes were a"turning point" in the revolution and the military crackdown on protesters was more violent than Mubarak's response to the uprising.

The statement praised Egypt's Christians for participating "in the struggle for freedom and social justice and equality with their blood."
The groups dismissed the generals' account that the protesters attacked the troops, saying the ruling military council led a "conspiracy to slaughter peaceful protesters— Christian and Muslim— who came out demanding equality between all Egyptians in their rights and duties."

"The issue has clearly gone beyond sectarian policies ... or the usual dragging of protesters by the military police to burning all of Egypt, and putting it on the brink of civil war, to distract Egyptians from their real enemy, and to derail the revolution," the statement said. The groups demanded the military council hand over power to a new transitional government.

[Teddy Bear]

"Egypt state television admits to making up news over soldiers’ deaths," October 15:

CAIRO: Egypt’s state television announced on Monday that there are no deaths among the military forces after previously reporting there were during the bloody Sunday clashes between the military and Coptic protesters, saying that it was the fault of the news presenter.

State TV, also known as Maspero, is under fire from rights activists for falsely reporting that the Coptic protesters attacked the military forces with weapons, which resulted in the death of at least three soldiers and the called on the Egyptian people to take to the street to help protect the armed forces.

"War is deceit."

I believe many in this country believe that such an event can only happen in these type of 'third world' countries, and we need have no fear of things like this. In fact we are just as much prey to false or deceitful reporting as the worst of any propaganda medium. Maybe more so, since the BBC still retains some credence, although based on a service it performed long ago and certainly not due to any current coverage. But there are those who would rather believe that it is fair, than suspect it has an insidious and destructive agenda.

Associated Press made very clear to its readers on Tuesday the 11th that the Egyptian military did purposefully set out to murder Copt protesters by shooting, and beating them and running them over with their vehicles. Also that the Copt demonstration had been peaceful until the military, along with Muslims stirred up the state media, attacked them, and that the same media purposefully lied to the public, urging them to protect the soldiers who were 'under attack'.

But the BBC report nothing of this. In an article from yesterday they maintain the original lies, both of the media and the military.

Cairo's Copts mourn their 'Egyptian Guevara'
By Yolande Knell BBC News, Cairo

Egypt's ruling council has denied that troops opened fire on Coptic Christian protesters and drove military vehicles into crowds during recent clashes, but many Egyptians have been left with a deepening sense of disenchantment with the authorities.

With his shaggy, shoulder-length hair, Mina Daniel tried to cultivate a physical resemblance to his hero, that notorious revolutionary, Che Guevara. And he often quoted his speeches in ordinary conversation.

It was something his family and friends used to tease him about.

But now - after the 19-year-old was killed in last Sunday's clashes in Cairo - they find solace in the fact that the media is identifying him as "the Egyptian Guevara".

"He lived like him and he died like him," one friend told me.

A new Facebook page, "We are all Mina Daniel" has pictures of the young Christian activist taking part in this year's popular uprising.

'Beautiful revolution'

One shot shows him running away from a cloud of tear gas as police tried to put down the protests.

And a video shows him smiling, with his arm around a Muslim friend in Tahrir Square. The two belt out an old Egyptian song. They have changed the lyrics so that it goes:

"Why is revolution so beautiful, and you are with me?"

In those heady days of demonstrations, there were many inspiring scenes of Christian and Muslim solidarity.

They offered an alternative utopian vision to the large number of Coptic Christians who had long feared an Islamist takeover.

People became more vocal in their complaints that the Mubarak regime had allowed discrimination against Egypt's Copts - who make up about 10% of the population.

It was yet another of the country's social problems that had been left to fester.

In February, I was in Tahrir Square for the night of jubilation as the military took control.

But since then, with each month that has passed during this chaotic period of political transition, public frustration has mounted.

And Christians in particular, have felt increasingly vulnerable.

Instead of seeing reforms to try to stop sectarian division, they point out that Islamist extremists, known as Salafis, have gained more free rein.

They are suspected of being behind many of the attacks on Copts.

After a church was set on fire in southern Egypt last week, a protest march was organised in the capital. Mainly Christians joined, with some Muslim activists.

Choking gas

It started off relatively peacefully in the mixed neighbourhood of Shubra and headed to Egypt's state TV building, called Maspero, in the city centre, by the Nile.

By the time I arrived, just as darkness fell, chaos had been unleashed. There was choking tear gas and military vehicles on fire.

Military police in riot gear had moved in and I saw gangs of young men throwing rocks at the demonstrators as they tried to run away.

Video shot closer to Maspero shows Christians yelling threats at the army for failing to protect their community and an armoured vehicle driving erratically through the crowd.

At least 25 people were killed that night, most of them Christians.

A doctor at the Coptic Hospital inspected the bodies of 17 of the dead. He said 11 were shot and six run over.

As anger mounted about how the army had handled events, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces summoned journalists to a lengthy news conference.

Christian protesters and "enemies of the revolution" were blamed for triggering the violence. They had swords, gas cylinders and petrol bombs, a general said.

We were told that the military would never use live ammunition against Egyptians, and that if an army vehicle had crushed anyone then it would have been because the driver was in "an unprecedented mental state".

Some people I have talked to did feel greater sympathy for the military upon hearing its explanations. They point to unconfirmed reports that it lost three soldiers last Sunday.

A new Egypt

This week Egypt also took a comforting step towards a return to civilian rule, beginning to register political candidates for a parliamentary election next month.

Needless to say though, those who were close to the Coptic activist, Mina Daniel, are still angry.

Outside St Mark's Cathedral, a man held up the blood-stained clothes in which Mina died, as worshippers entered the vast building for a memorial service.

Nearby Mary Daniel, a petite woman dressed from head to toe in black, stood among a group of her brother's friends, a mixture of Christians and Muslims.

She told me she blamed the Egyptian army for her brother's death, and wept as she remembered his dying wish - to have his funeral procession pass through Tahrir Square.

"Now it is our job to make sure his dream for a new Egypt comes true," she said. "Not a single drop of his blood that was spilled will be in vain."

[Teddy Bear]

This article is published yesterday by the Washington Post and is from Associated Press

Rights group warns of a cover-up in Egyptian Christian protesters’ killings

CAIRO — A leading international rights group has warned of a cover-up by the Egyptian military in the investigation of the killing of more than two dozen mostly Coptic Christian demonstrators in the deadliest single incident since the February overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.

The New-York based Human Rights Watch called Tuesday for the independent investigation of the October 9 deaths of 27 people, mostly Christian, in front of Cairo’s TV building. Military vehicles were filmed running down protesters.

The group also urged authorities to transfer investigation of the case from military to civilian prosecutors.

Meanwhile, prominent youth protest leader Alaa Abdel-Fatah posted on Twitter on Tuesday that he had been summoned before Egypt’s military prosecutor in connection to the same incident.

Jihad Watch has more on this. The BBC have still managed to avoid all reference to the ludicrous nature of the military investigating their own actions, following their disputed claims that they were not purposefully responsible for any Coptic deaths. We see all too often how the BBC are the first to jump on the 'Human Rights' bandwagon when the cause is one they want to advance.

One can only wonder at the 'World Service' they really perform.

[Teddy Bear]

Still no updates from the BBC on this story despite further developments.

Jihad Watch reports today that France 24 has this article Egypt military jails dissident over Coptic clashes. Basically it's taking a scapegoat, who has been a troublemaker for the present regime, and blaming him for what happened. Have a look first at this graphic video if you have any doubt about the complicity of the Egyptian military in the deaths of the Copts, and their present verdict, never mind their denials.



We'll see what the BBC report when eventually they get around to it. My guess is they will do their best to continue avoiding it.

Scapegoat found: Egyptian military jails dissident blogger in "investigation" of its own massacre of Christian protesters

It was reported earlier this month that the Egyptian military was taking over the investigation of its massacre of Christian protesters from a civilian prosecutor, and Human Rights Watch has warned of an impending cover-up. The inversion of well-documented reality described in this report alone puts Orwell's Minitrue to shame.

"Egypt military jails dissident over Coptic clashes," by Samer al-Atrush for Agence France-Presse, October 30:

Egypt's ruling military jailed a veteran dissident and blogger on charges of inciting deadly clashes between soldiers and Christians this month, his sister and a fellow activist said.

Alaa Abdel Fatah, who was jailed for his activism under ousted president Hosni Mubarak's government in 2006, was remanded in custody for 15 days, said his sister Mona Seif, who is also a leading opponent of military trials.

The prosecutor may choose to formally refer him to a military court or release him.

Abdel Fatah's detention came days after US President Barack Obama called on Egypt's military to lift a state of emergency and end military trials for civilians.

Bahaa Saber, another activist who faces the same charges but was not detained, said he and Abdel Fatah were charged with inciting attacks against soldiers and participating in the October 9 clashes in Cairo.

Coptic Christians were protesting against an attack on a church when clashes broke out with soldiers outside the state television's building. Twenty-five people died in the violence, most of them Copts.

Witnesses said soldiers fired upon protesters and ran them over with armoured cars, accusations the military has denied. The military said a number of its soldiers died in the clashes but has refused to give a toll.

If that is the currently official line, it is a reversal. State television recanted claims of casualties among soldiers that were used at the time to incite Muslims to take to the streets against Christians.

"We are charged with inciting attacks against soldiers and participating in them," said Saber.

What, did bifurcating a human torso scratch a military vehicle?

Saber said he and Abdel Fatah attended the military prosecutor's summons on Sunday "convinced that the military has no right to intervene in judicial matters," and they refused to answer the prosecutor's questions.

"It was humiliating and unacceptable," he said. "This is an unjust escalation by the military. I will not be silenced nor intimidated, and I don't think people will be silent either."

The military has tried thousands of civilians since it took charge of the country after Mubarak's ouster on February 11, in trials rights groups say are unfair and result in harsh sentences.

Saber said the pair's lawyers were not allowed to see the military prosecution's evidence.

Seif said several people, including a journalist and a blogger who opposes the uprising that ousted Mubarak, had filed complaints against her brother.

The blogger, who calls himself Ahmed Spider, posted on YouTube an interview with Abdel Fatah that he said led to the military prosecutor's charges.

The video shows Abdel Fatah at a protest saying he wanted to "cut off the military's hand" and threatening to storm the interior ministry.

How this leads to and explains the events of October 9, the military will likely not discuss.

Saber questioned the military's impartiality in investigating the deadly clash, given its role in the incident.

Military spokesmen were not immediately available for comment, but top generals have denied that soldiers killed any demonstrators and blamed a plot by "enemies of the people."

[Teddy Bear]

Now, with 3000 protesters marching through Cairo to show their feelings about the ridiculous outcome of this miltary court finding this bogger guilty, it's a wonder the BBC can still remain quiet about it. Still no sign of any mention by them. I guess they just push their heads further up the Egyptians military backside.

Once again Associated Press needs to tell us what's going on in the world.

Egyptians march to protest activist arrest

[Teddy Bear]

Here's an overall picture of events surrounding the Egyptian military attack on Copts, and subsequent travesty of justice. You can decide for yourself if you feel the BBC has in any way portrayed these events the way you see them depicted. Whether you are Christian or not, you should be disgusted by the way they have chosen to help those committing these acts and distorting this story to cover it up.

In my view, the BBC are just as much scum as the worst portrayed here.

Egypt's Massacre of Christians: What the Media Does Not Want You To Know

by Raymond Ibrahim
October 31, 2011 at 4:00 am

Western media coverage of the recent massacre of Coptic Christians in Cairo, Egypt—in which the military killed dozens of Christians and injured some 300—was, as discussed earlier, deplorable. It merely repeated the false propaganda of the complicit state-run media, without checking facts. Since then, further proofs of the lies and brutality surrounding the massacre have emerged; they are compiled in the following report which consists of documented facts and videos from Arabic sources—many of which have not appeared in the Western media.

This report documents: 1) the activities of the Supreme Military Council of Egypt and its de facto ruler; 2) the lies and duplicitous tactics of both the Military Council and its media mouthpiece, Egyptian TV; and 3) the anti-Christian sentiment pervading all aspects of this incident.

The Egyptian Military

Armored vehicles intentionally chased after and ran over protesters, killing and mutilating many:

• Here is perhaps the clearest video; it shows a high-speed armored vehicle willfully plowing over unsuspecting Christian demonstrators.
  
• This video shows another armored vehicle chasing protesters, and a soldier opening fire into the fleeing crowds.
  
• This video shows high-speed armored cars running amok in the middle of the crowds, including chasing protesters on the curb, as well as soldiers beating protesters.
  
• A new report by Magdi Khalil asserts that the day before the planned march, a "death squad" of snipers hid atop buildings and shot at protesters.
  
• As for eyewitness testimonies attesting to the brutality of the massacre, they are many, and include Muslims.
  

The Tactics of the Military Council ( or "War is Deceit")

Notwithstanding crushing evidence, after the incident Egypt's Military Council held a news conference wherein senior official, Mahmoud Hegazy, spun lie after lie: he stated that the military would "never, never" run over civilians; that the very idea was "impossible, impossible!" and "Shame on those who accuse the Egyptian military of such things!... Never has our military run over a single person, not even when combating the Enemy [Israel]."

Hegazy portrayed the Christian protesters as the aggressors, attacking and killing "honorable" soldiers. To prove his point, he showed an image of a protester on top of a stalled armored vehicle, throwing a rock at the soldier inside, and a video of a military vehicle—that he claimed had been hijacked by a protester—driving wildly into the crowd.

What Hegazy failed to disclose, however, is that the "hijacked" vehicle running amok, and the one stalled and attacked by a protester, were one and the same vehicle: Al Dalil revealed that both vehicles had the same identification number. In other words, when the vehicle in which a soldier was chasing and running over protesters finally stalled, the protesters then attacked it. Egypt's leaders willfully manipulated the footage to exonerate themselves and portray the Copts as violent aggressors.

Several eye-witnesses, including Muslims, further stated that, to hide the "evidence," they saw soldiers hurling the mutilated bodies of those run over into the nearby Nile River. Likewise, among the slain, a dead Muslim soldier, whom the military said was killed by protesters, was actually killed by friendly-fire—although there are indications that he may have died elsewhere, and his corpse thrown among the dead for show.

As Copts have long suspected, the "thugs" (al-baltagiyya) who always appear in protests attacking Christians seem to be men whom the military uses to create an excuse to open fire and exercise brutality: Muslim eyewitnesses say they saw the thugs coming with State Security: Al Dalil showed a video clip of a soldier exposed dressed as a civilian, interspersed among Coptic protesters, and another video showing the thugs cooperating with the military.

This video might offer the greatest proof: Days before the massacre, when Copts were protesting the destruction of their latest church, around 20 Egyptian soldiers and security personnel captured a protester and mercilessly beat him (while calling him an "infidel," to put the beating in context). Mixed among the military (camouflage uniforms) and security (black uniforms) is what appears to be a plainclothes civilian, who proceeds to stab the Christian protestor in the head with a knife several times; the victim later received 20 stitches. The plainclothesman is most likely a member of the military or security, dressed as a civilian for stealth purposes, otherwise he would not have been able to move among them so casually.

The Role of the Egyptian State Media (or "War is Deceit")

"Egyptian TV"—demonstrating, unsurprisingly, that state-run media always serve dictatorial regimes—merely propagated the lies of the Military Council.

Even as armored vehicles were mowing down Christian protesters, Egyptian TV broadcast footage of reporters saying, "Help, the Copts are killing our heroic, patriotic soldiers and burning Qurans!" One segment on Egyptian TV had an outraged reporter condemning Christians—"as if they were the Israeli enemy"—for killing "our noble protectors [soldiers], who never once fired a single shot." As a result, many Muslims took to the streets brutally attacking Christians and their property.

Egyptian TV also lied by saying three soldiers died at the hands of Copts; officials at the TV station later confessed to making it up. That, however, did not stop a barrage of op-eds in Egypt blaming the Christians for their own massacre.

Due to Egyptian TV's misinformation, several Egyptian reporters unequivocally condemned it. Anchorwoman Dina Rasmi said: "I am ashamed that I work at this despicable TV channel… Egyptian TV was effectively calling for civil war between Muslims and Christians… Egyptian TV has proven that it is a slave to those who rule." Another news anchor, Mahmoud Yousif, announced that he "washes his hands of what Egyptian TV is broadcasting."

Anti-Christian Hate

Although it should be clear that anti-Christian sentiment fueled this latest Muslim slaughter of Christian minorities, a few specifics follow:

• Soldiers screamed "Allahu Akbar!"["Allah is Greater!," the Islamist war cry], and cursed "Infidels!" as they approached and attacked the protesters—which of course is not so out of the ordinary when one considers that, even in olden times and in movies, the Egyptian military was called the Jihadiyya [the organization that wages holy war].
  
• A video of a soldier boasting that he shot a Christian in the chest is greeted by the crowd around him with "Allahu Akbar!"
  
• After the incident, Dr. Hind Hanafi, president of the University of Cairo, recommended separating the wounded Christians from the wounded Muslims admitted into the hospital, thereby institutionalizing religious discrimination, even in hospitals.
  

Conclusion

A massacre at this level never occurred during the thirty-year reign of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, and yet Mubarak is being charged with "crimes against Egyptians." What about the Military Council? It has committed greater crimes—even though it has been in charge for less than a year. Saddam Hussein was condemned by the international community for using chemicals on his own people; where are the international community, the media, and the so-called human rights groups when it comes to a government running over its own civilians with tanks and having "death squads" of snipers shooting at them?

Finally, if this report testifies to crimes against humanity, consider what it says about diplomacy: If Egyptian leadership lies and deceives to suppress its own "infidel" citizens—whose "crime" was to object to the continual destruction of their churches—how credible can it be to the outside "infidels," Israel and the U.S.?

[Teddy Bear]

The BBC main article on Egypt today concerns the upcoming results for their elections, and near the bottom we're told 'As the results loomed, a few thousand Egyptians gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square to honour the 42 people who died in clashes with police last week, Reuters news agency reported.'

So according to the BBC the 'Arab Spring' has had a few hiccups, but otherwise it's progressing nicely. Somehow this story didn't appear on their radar, or if it did, and I imagine it would have to, they decided it wasn't worthy of mention.

Egypt: Muslims attack Christian village, looting and torching homes and businessesJihad causes poverty once again, in opportunistic attacks by Muslims who jumped at the chance to pile on in collective extrajudicial punishment of the Copts. "Thousands of Muslims Attack Christians in Egypt, 2 Killed, Homes and Stores Torched," by Mary Abdelmassih for the Assyrian International News Agency, November 30: (AINA) -- Thousands of Muslims attacked and besieged Copts in elGhorayzat village, population 80,000, killing two Copts and severely wounding others, as well as looting and torching homes and businesses. A quarrel between a Copt, John Hosni, and Mahmoud Abdel-Nazeer, who later died in hospital, turned into collective punishment of all Copts in the majority Christian village of elGhorayzat, in the Maragha district of Sohag province. Muslims vowed not to bury Abdel-Nazeer until John Hosni is punished. Mr. Hosni fled from the village with his family, "fearing a wholesale massacre of Copts," reported activist Mariam Ragy.

The events started on Monday, November 28, when John Hosni, a building supplier, had a quarrel with his neighbor, Mahmoud Abdel-Nazeer (48), over some steel rods and cement Mr. Hosni had left in the street to use for erecting a wall around his house. This was perceived by Mr. Abdel-Nazeer as extending the home into the street, which is public property. "Instead of reporting this building transgression to the police or local authorities, Abdel-Nazeer took the matter in his own hands and brought some Salafists and torched the store and the home of the Copt," said an eyewitness.

In the altercation between the neighbors, Mr. Hosni hit Abdel-Nazeer in the head with a wooden branch, which lead to his death later in hospital.

[Teddy Bear]

(Reposted from Dec 2nd)
The BBC main article on Egypt today concerns the upcoming results for their elections, and near the bottom we're told 'As the results loomed, a few thousand Egyptians gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square to honour the 42 people who died in clashes with police last week, Reuters news agency reported.'

So according to the BBC the 'Arab Spring' has had a few hiccups, but otherwise it's progressing nicely. Somehow this story didn't appear on their radar, or if it did, and I imagine it would have to, they decided it wasn't worthy of mention.

Egypt: Muslims attack Christian village, looting and torching homes and businesses

Jihad causes poverty once again, in opportunistic attacks by Muslims who jumped at the chance to pile on in collective extrajudicial punishment of the Copts. "Thousands of Muslims Attack Christians in Egypt, 2 Killed, Homes and Stores Torched," by Mary Abdelmassih for the Assyrian International News Agency, November 30:

(AINA) -- Thousands of Muslims attacked and besieged Copts in elGhorayzat village, population 80,000, killing two Copts and severely wounding others, as well as looting and torching homes and businesses. A quarrel between a Copt, John Hosni, and Mahmoud Abdel-Nazeer, who later died in hospital, turned into collective punishment of all Copts in the majority Christian village of elGhorayzat, in the Maragha district of Sohag province. Muslims vowed not to bury Abdel-Nazeer until John Hosni is punished. Mr. Hosni fled from the village with his family, "fearing a wholesale massacre of Copts," reported activist Mariam Ragy.

The events started on Monday, November 28, when John Hosni, a building supplier, had a quarrel with his neighbor, Mahmoud Abdel-Nazeer (48), over some steel rods and cement Mr. Hosni had left in the street to use for erecting a wall around his house. This was perceived by Mr. Abdel-Nazeer as extending the home into the street, which is public property. "Instead of reporting this building transgression to the police or local authorities, Abdel-Nazeer took the matter in his own hands and brought some Salafists and torched the store and the home of the Copt," said an eyewitness.

In the altercation between the neighbors, Mr. Hosni hit Abdel-Nazeer in the head with a wooden branch, which lead to his death later in hospital.

[Teddy Bear]

Joy of joys, the BBC informs us today that
Egypt's Islamist parties win elections to parliament

The final results in Egypt's first post-Mubarak parliamentary elections confirm an overwhelming victory for Islamist parties.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) won the largest number of seats under Egypt's complex electoral system.

The hardline Salafist Nour party came second.

Since it emphasises that the Salafist Nour party is hardline, one can only wonder what it considers the Muslim Brotherhood party to be. For the BBC, it is the 'freedom and justice' party, despite any facts that would show how ridiculous that title is. They might have just as well called themselves the 'sweetness and light' party as far as any real meaning to be inferred from a name. The BBC however is happy to go along with it.

Despite both these typically corrupt violent Islamist shit parties purposefully preventing Christians from voting so as not to threaten their supremacy in these elections, the BBC prefer to carry on peddling the Arab Spring as a democratic experience. As for also mentioning the recent violence committed against the Copts, that would really spoil the BBC narrative, so they choose to omit mentioning it altogether.

Jihad Watch tells us

Egypt: Muslim mob chanting "Allahu akbar" torches Christian homes and shops

Will the Islamophobia never end?

"Muslims in Egypt Burn Christian Homes and Shops, Attack Church," by Mary Abdelmassih for AINA, January 20 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

(AINA) -- A Muslim mob attacked Copts today in the Upper Egyptian village of Rahmaniya-Kebly, Nag Hammadi, Qena province, destroying and torching their homes, straw huts and shops, while chanting Allahu Akbar. No one was reported killed or injured (video). According to reports, security forces were present but did not intervene and the fire brigade arrived 90 minutes late.

An eye-witness said that a straw hut belonging to a Copt was torched to clear the area for a mosque. There are more than 300 mosques in the village and one church.

According to Coptic residents, the reason behind the violence was the parliamentary elections. The Salafists wanted to prevent Copts, who number more than 50% of the inhabitants (20,000), from voting because they intended to vote for two moderate Muslims and not the Salafi candidates. "No Copt from Rahmaniya-Kebly was able to vote today, so the Salafists will win the elections," said a witness. Copts were forcefully prevented from voting.

US-based WAY TV, which covered live today's Rahmaniya attacks, called commander Osama, head of security at Rahmaniya, who said "everything was OK" -- despite live pictures on TV of the burning homes. Joseph Nasralla of WAY TV spoke to security and made them aware that the videos of the fires were being broadcast in the U.S. and Middle East, which caused the immediate dispatch of security vehicles. By late evening the violence had stopped.

Joseph Nasralla is the courageous human rights activist who has spoken at our AFDI/SIOA Freedom Rallies at Ground Zero on September 11, 2010 and September 11, 2011.

In another incident today, a large number of Salafis and members of the Muslim Brotherhood entered the Abu Makka church, in Bahteem, Shubra-el-Khayma, Qaliubia province, and informed the congregation that the church has no licence and no one should pray in it. One Muslim said the 1300 square meter church would be suitable for a mosque and a hospital....

[thehighlandrebel]

Thanks for digging that up Teddy.
I've emailed several authorities in the USA warning them that whatever they do never, ever allow the b-bbc a foothold on their mainstream media and given them links to this and several other sites to see for themdelves just what an insidious and immoral organisation this is.

[Teddy Bear]

It's me that thanks you for your efforts matey
I can believe that even when the BBC realise that 'their game' is up, and too many organisations know what they're up to and begin shunning them, that they will still continue their bias. Simply because they have convinced so many of their 'subjects' that the world-view they have peddled till now is accurate, they will feel power from this. Eventually they and their subjects will be neutered, and shown up for the imbeciles they are.

[thehighlandrebel]

An Egyptian Salafi sheik has issued a fatwa against, ahem, Chevrolet cars.

www.nowlebanon.com/BlogDetails.aspx?TID=2154&FID=6

So much for the Arab spring and the dawn of a new era.

[thehighlandrebel]

Well, at least one journo is awake
How can we remain silent while Christians are being persecuted?

[thehighlandrebel]

Some recent articles on Christian persecution

www.persecution.org/2012/01/

Yet not one of them has been reported by INBBC

[Teddy Bear]

Good links THR
I suppose it's understandable that vampires would complain about crosses

[Teddy Bear]

Today, besides the regular numerous BBC correspondents operating in Egypt there is also Lyse Doucet, Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen, and Wyre Davies. They are all involved on coverage of the elections going on there, presenting it as a democratic triumph of the Arab world.

So with all these journalists there, what might be the reason that the BBC has ignored the trial where 12 Christians have been sentenced to life imprisonment, but their Muslim attackers have all been acquitted.

Usually the BBC are quick to cover stories where human rights activists and legal experts criticize a ruling, as they have done in this case, but as we've seen time and time again, it's only when countries like Israel are being criticized.

I knew when I read this story that I wouldn't find anything about it on the BBC, it spoils their 'Arab Spring' narrative.

Islamo-Christian violence in Minya: life imprisonment for 12 Copts, eight Muslims acquitted
The conviction for the death of two Muslims, during the assault on a Christian village. At the base of the fighting, a street brawl, which ended with a beating. Activists and legal experts criticized the ruling, which is not appealable. Only the military council has the power to seek a new trial.

Cairo (AsiaNews/Agencies) - An Egyptian court has sentenced 12 Coptic Christians to life imprisonment and acquitted eight Muslims, in a trial heavily criticized by human rights activists and legal experts. The ruling came yesterday, at the end of a trial called to shed light on the sectarian violence last year in the province of Minya, in the southern part of the country, about 220 km from Cairo. Ishak Ibrahim, a researcher and expert on Egyptian law, emphasizes that "the acquittal of the eight Muslim defendants" shows that "the investigations started from the beginning by the attorney general are unfair and wrong" because there was "clear evidence of guilt against them, for having set fire to Christian properties."

The accused Christians were sentenced for inciting public disorder, possession of illegal weapons and the murder of two Muslims. The incident happened in April 2011 and has helped to exacerbate a situation of deep inter-religious tension in the area of ​​Upper Egypt, which then continued in the following weeks (see AsiaNews 06/27/2011 Upper Egypt, violence against Christians on the rise. Eight houses burned).

The violence erupted when a Muslim minibus driver, angered by the presence of a speed bump outside a house owned by a wealthy Christian, got into a fight with the house's security guards. Upon returning to his home village, the Muslim driver assembled a group of people to get revenge for the alleged wrong and the violence suffered.

The retaliation squad was joined by groups of Islamic extremists, who surrounded the homes of Coptic Christians, intending to launch an attack. In fear of being overwhelmed, the inhabitants opened fire from the roofs of buildings, killing two people in the crowd and wounding two others. In the days following, Muslim groups torched dozens of Christian houses and shops to avenge the dead.

The eight Muslims on trial were accused of illegal possession of weapons and having burned the Christians' buildings. However, the court ruled for aquittal of the charges.

The judgment delivered by the judges of the State Security Court is not appealable and the 12 Christians risk spending the rest of their lives in prison. Only the military council could - in what is a very remote hypothesis, moreover - request a retrial.

[Teddy Bear]

Though the article below details serious and worrying incidents related to the persecution of the Copts in Egypt, you wouldn't be aware of them if you relied on the BBC for your news source.


Even a march by thousands in Cairo Tuesday in support of the Copts, and marking the anniversary of the murder one year ago when 26 Copts were murdered, nothing is mentioned of it by the BBC.

Though Muhammad Morsi—who just freed a militant jihadi responsible for the burning of a church that left several Christians dead, the BBC don't cover this. Instead they run the story of 24 supporters of ousted President Hosni Mubarak were acquitted of organising attacks on protesters during last year's uprising, and Morsi has now fired the prosecutor general for doing so. The article also tells of hundreds of demonstrators rallying in Cairo against the acquittal.

So you can see clearly what is important to the BBC.

Egypt's Christians: Distraught and Displaced
by Raymond Ibrahim
Investigative Project on Terrorism
October 5, 2012

www.meforum.org/3356/egypt-christians-displaced
Last week Reuters reported that "Most Christians living near Egypt's border with Israel [in the town of Rafah in Sinai] are fleeing their homes after Islamist militants made death threats and gunmen attacked a Coptic-owned shop." Photos of desecrated churches and Christian property show Arabic graffiti saying things like "don't come back" and "Islam is the truth."

All media reports describe the same sequence of events: 1) Christians were threatened with leaflets warning them to evacuate or die; 2) an armed attack with automatic rifles was made on a Christian-owned shop; 3) Christians abandoned everything and fled their homes.

Anyone following events in Egypt knows that these three points—threatening leaflets, attacks on Christian property, followed by the displacement of Christians—are becoming commonplace in all of Egypt, and not just peripheral Sinai, even if the latter is the only area to make it to the Western mainstream media. Consider:

Genocidal Leaflets

On August 14, El Fegr reported that leaflets were distributed in areas with large Christian populations, including Upper Egypt, offering monetary rewards to Muslims who "kill or physically attack the enemies of the religion of Allah—the Christians in all of Egypt's provinces, the slaves of the Cross, Allah's curse upon them…"

As a testimony to just how safe the jihadis feel under Egypt's new Islamist president, Muhammad Morsi—who just freed a militant jihadi responsible for the burning of a church that left several Christians dead—the leaflets named contact points and even a mosque where Muslims interested in learning more about killing Christians should rally "after Friday prayers where new members to the organization will be welcomed."

On the same day these leaflets were distributed, a separate report titled "The serial killing of Copts has begun in Asyut" noted that a Christian store-owner was randomly targeted and killed by Salafis.

Muslim Attacks on Christian Properties and Persons

For months, Arabic-Christian media have been reporting ongoing stories of Muslim "gangs" and "thugs" attacking Christian homes, abducting the residents, including women and children, and demanding ransom monies—not unlike what is happening to Christians in Iraq and Syria. In one particular case, the Muslim gang attacked the home of a Coptic man, "releasing several gunshots in the air, and threatening him either to pay or die." The gang "picked this specific village because Copts form 80% of its inhabitants." Such reports often conclude with an all too familiar postscript: Christians calling police for help and filing complaints, all in vain.

A Coptic Solidarity report from August 20 titled "Copts in Upper Egypt Attacked, Beat, Plundered," tells of just that—how Christians are being beat, their businesses set on fire, and their properties plundered (see also here and here for similar reports). Likewise, according to Al Moheet, a new human rights report indicates that, in Nag Hammadi alone, there are dozens of cases of Muslim gangs abducting Christian Copts and holding them for ransom. Concerning these, the Coptic Church is daily asking for justice from the Egyptian government and receiving none.

Christian Displacements

As for the exodus of Copts from their homes, this, too, has become an ongoing crisis, so much so that a recent statement by the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt lamented the "repeated incidents of displacement of Copts from their homes, whether by force or threat." The statement also made clear that what happened in Sinai is no aberration: "Displacements began in Ameriya, then they stretched to Dahshur, and today terror and threats have reached the hearts and souls of our Coptic children in Rafah [Sinai]."

Indeed, back in February, a mob of over 3000 Muslims attacked and displaced Christians in the region of Ameriya, due to unsubstantiated rumors that a Christian man was involved with a Muslim woman. Christian homes and shops were looted and then torched; "terrorized" women and children who lost their homes stood in the streets with no place to go. As usual, it took the army an hour to drive 2 kilometers to the village, and none of the perpetrators were arrested. Later, a Muslim Council permanently evicted eight Christian families and confiscated their property, even as "Muslims insisted that the whole Coptic population of 62 families must be deported."

A few weeks ago in Dahshur, after a Christian laundry worker accidently burned the shirt of a Muslim man, the latter came with a Muslim mob to attack the Copt at his home. As the Christian defended his household, a Muslim was killed. Accordingly, thousands of Muslims terrorized the area, causing 120 Christian families to flee. One elderly Coptic woman returned home from the bakery to find the area deserted of Christians. Rioting Muslims looted Christian businesses and homes. Family members of the deceased Muslim insist that the Christians must still pay with their lives.

Most recently, at the same time the media was reporting about the displacement of Christians from Rafah, over in Asyut, after a quarrel between two school girls—a Christian and a Muslim—several "heavily-armed" Muslims stormed the home of the Christian girl, causing her family and three other Coptic families to flee the village. When the father returned, he found that all his saved money and possessions had been robbed and plundered; and when he asked police for help, the officer replied, "I can't do anything for you, reconcile with them and end the problem."

Indeed, this has been the same attitude of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood led government: in all of the above cases, the government looked the other way, or, when called on it, denied reality. Thus the Coptic Holy Synod made it a point to assert in its statement that "nearly one month ago the media had published the violations against the Copts but the Egyptian authorities have not taken the necessary measures to protect the Egyptian families, who have the right to live safely in their homes." As for the Rafah incident—the only incident to reach the mainstream media—Prime Minister Hisham Qandil denied that Christians were forced to flee, saying "One or two [Christian] families chose to move to another place and they are totally free to do so like all Egyptian citizens."

Such governmental indifference is consistent with the fact that, despite promising greater representation for Egypt's Christians, President Morsi just broke his word by allowing only one Copt—a female—to represent the nation's 10-12 million Christians in the newly formed cabinet.