Egypt: Angry Muslim Mob Targets Christians

An angry and armed Muslim mob recently stormed through an Egyptian village, unleashing violence against the Christians who live there.

ABC News reports that the Muslim mob was seeking revenge against a Christian man who allegedly had an affair with a Muslim woman. The mob seized the man’s elderly mother, stripped her of her clothes, beat her, and proceeded to parade her naked through the streets.

The mob also attacked other villagers in the town of Karma in Minya province with rifles and knives, in addition to looting and burning their homes.

After five days, the woman reported the attack to the police. She didn’t initially report it because she was so ashamed and humiliated from what she had suffered.

Police arrested six men suspected of being perpetrators of the violence, and are looking for 12 more. 

Anba Makarios, Minya’s top Christian cleric, stated that the family of the Christian woman who was attacked had gone to the authorities the day before the attack, to alert them, but that nothing was done.

"No one did anything and the police took no pre-emptive or security measures in anticipation of the attacks," said Makarios.

According to ABC News, Christians, who make up 10 percent of Egypt’s population, are often persecuted and the perpetrators aren’t always brought to justice, although Egypt’s current government, led by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, is trying to do more to bring about equal treatment.

Publication date: May 26, 2016