Attack on the churches of Imbaba

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The attack on the churches of Imbaba on May 7, 2011 was a series of attacks directed against Coptic Christian churches in the working-class district of Imbaba in the Egyptian capital, Cairo .

The bloody attacks were carried out by Salafist Muslims and began at 4 p.m. local time when the Salafists first attacked the Coptic Orthodox Church of Saint Mina. They suspected that a Christian girl had been detained against her will for allegedly trying to convert to Islam.

During the attacks, 3 historic Coptic churches were completely burned down and many Christian houses and businesses were destroyed and looted. A total of 15 people were killed and 232 others injured in the attacks. Among those killed were at least 4 members of the Christian minority and six Muslims, while two other bodies remained unidentified.

Imbaba has been known as the stronghold of Islamic fundamentalists since the 1970s, but it also has a significant population of Coptic Christians.

According to the investigative commission charged with investigating the events in Imbaba, the attacks by Salafist Muslims were carried out in collaboration with Muslim gangs of thugs who live in the neighborhood. According to the commission, the aggressors organized themselves into groups; the first fired several charges to prevent Christians from protecting the church, while the second group broke into the historic churches and burned them down. The Egyptian Human Rights Council also criticized the Islamist movement for approving the attack. The Human Rights Council also accused Salafists of "intensifying extremist religious interpretations that envisage the reorganization of Egyptian society in order to exclude Christians."

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Egypt Sectarian Clash Leads To Multiple Deaths. The Huffington Post , May 7, 2011, accessed May 12, 2011 .
  2. ↑ At least 6 dead in Egyptian sectarian violence. CNN , May 8, 2011, accessed May 8, 2011 .
  3. ↑ Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Ian Lee: Egyptian Copts, reeling from violence, want protection. CNN, May 8, 2011, accessed May 8, 2011 .
  4. ↑ a b Egypt to lift restrictions on building churches. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011 ; Retrieved July 13, 2013 .
  5. ↑ 9 قتلى و 109 مصاباً في إشتباكات طائفية في مصر بسبب فتاة. Elaph.com, accessed May 12, 2011 .
  6. ↑ Egyptian Copts, reeling from violence, want protection. Retrieved July 13, 2013 .
  7. ^ Ernesto Londono: 12 dead in Egypt as Christians and Muslims clash. The Washington Post , accessed May 8, 2011 .
  8. ↑ At least 6 dead in Egyptian sectarian violence. In: Edition.cnn.com. CNN, May 8, 2011, accessed May 12, 2011 .
  9. ↑ AFP: Egypt warns 'iron hand' to halt religious unrest. Google.com, archived from the original on March 19, 2014 ; accessed on May 12, 2011 .
  10. ↑ Cairo's Copts organize groups for self-defense. In: Today's News from Egypt. al-Masry al-Youm, May 8, 2011, accessed May 12, 2011 .
  11. ↑ تقصي حقائق إمبابة: السلفيون والبلطجية ونظام مبارك وراء الفتنة. Retrieved July 13, 2013 .