Egyptian military helping to rebuild Coptic church
(March 16, 2011) Egyptian armed forces have begun rebuilding the Saints Minas and
George Coptic Church set on fire by Muslims in Soul on 5 March. Sources who wish to
remain anonymous for security reasons, told AsiaNews that reconstruction began on
Tuesday and is being paid for by the government. “The church will be built on the
same location and will be as big as the old one, despite opposition by radical Muslims,”
the sources said. Copts welcomed the news, but announced that they would continue
to demonstrate in front of Egyptian TV to demand equal rights for Christians, a principle
still denied by Egypt’s constitution. Recently, a delegation from al-Azhar University
came to visit Christians in Soul to express their closeness to them. The torching
of the Coptic church in Soul, a town some 30 kilometres south of Cairo, was followed
by clashes between Copts and Muslims that caused the death of 13 people with more
than 50 wounded. According to the source, a positive atmosphere now prevails in the
capital, as no Christian-Muslim clash has been reported. However, the fear of Islamic
extremism remains high.