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.