Cairo, Egypt, May 23, 2007 / 10:54 am
A coalition of Coptic Christians is calling on governments of the world to intervene on behalf of the Coptic Christians of Egypt and demand that Egypt stop religious persecution and guarantee religious freedom and justice for all citizens.
For nearly four decades, the Coptic Christians in Egypt have been targeted by a wave of brutal attacks on their persons, churches, homes and businesses.
The Ibn Khaldoun Research Center has documented over 120 major attacks on the Copts during this period. Another study estimated that over 4,000 Copts were killed or injured during this same period. They have also suffered material losses in the tens of millions of dollars.
The researchers noted that many of these attacks took place on Fridays, after the Muslim prayer in mosques. As well, the vast majority of these attacks were not committed by organized terrorist groups, but by ordinary people from the neighborhood.