Egyptian Coptic Christians are being persecuted by their Muslim neighbors after violence erupted due to a property dispute.
Christian Today reports that the Makanouti family is currently in hiding from their Muslim neighbors, the Lahoty family. The Lahoty family first attacked the Makanouti family on September 20 even though the Maknouti family had a court order for property to be returned to them.
Police attempted to intervene in the situation, going to the village where the two families lived twice, but both times the Lahoty family ambushed them and chased them away.
Police have since ceased interfering in the conflict, a fact bemoaned by the Makanouti family.
"We live in fear and terror and there isn't any protection for us. Where is the police? Where is the government? How long will we be trapped in our homes?" a nephew of the family asked.
The family is currently hiding within their homes because the Lahoty family has threatened to kill them. The Lahoty family blames the Makanouti family for the death of a young Muslim man who was killed when the police came out to the property.
We are hiding in our homes," a Makanouti family member told International Christian Concern. "We are afraid to go out because we have received many death threats from the family of the man who was killed. They want to take revenge on us because they consider us as the main reason he was killed. The situation is extremely dangerous for us now and there isn't any protection for us."
The family fears that if they continue to remain in hiding, they will not be able to harvest their crops and will lose their livelihood. However, they fear the threats from the Lahoty family.
The land of other Christian families in the region has also been confiscated and Bedouins have attacked them and taken possession of it.
Publication date: October 2, 2015