The following is research published today from MEMRI’s Special Dispatch Series and the MEMRI TV Project. Inquiry & Analysis No. 693—Egypt/Minorities in the Middle East By: N. Shamni and L. Azuri* Since the January 25, 2011 revolution, Egypt has seen several clashes between Muslims and Copts, and attacks on Coptic churches have increased. In early March, clashes broke out in the village of Sol, in the Helwan Governorate, over the demolition of a church there. On March 23, in the Upper Egyptian city of Qena, Salafists attacked and cut off the ear of a Copt suspected of having relations with a Muslim woman. Qena also saw mass demonstrations by Muslims over the appointment of a Coptic province governor, ultimately leading the authorities to suspend his appointment for a period of three months. In April in the town of Abu Qarqas, a quarrel over a building put up by a Copt, which obstructed traffic, sparked clashes that ended in numerous arrests and dozens of injuries, with the homes of several Copts torched. Violence also erupted on May 19 in the Cairo suburb of Ain Shams, when Muslims demonstrated against the government's decision to reopen the Church of the Virgin there, which had been closed for three years. The clashes peaked on May 7, when a fight broke out outside the Mary Mina Church in the Imbaba neighborhood of Cairo, in the Al-Giza Governorate, leaving 12 Copts and Muslims dead and hundreds of others wounded. Violence was sparked off when hundreds of Muslims gathered outside the church, demanding the release of 'Abir Tal'at Fakhri – a young Coptic woman who, according to her Muslim husband, was being held there against her will after having converted from Christianity to Islam. Since then, Copts have staged numerous demonstrations throughout Egypt, as well as a prolonged sit-down strike outside the state television building in Cairo, demanding protection of their rights and the prosecution of those responsible for the violence. It should be noted that in recent years, there were a number of similar incidents in Egypt involving young Coptic women who were reportedly held captive by the Church after converting to Islam. In the Egyptian press, Muslim and Coptic writers pinned responsibility for the events on various elements. The Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces was held largely responsible, on the grounds that the security forces were failing to respond with sufficient urgency and resolve against the attackers. Some blamed the previous regime, stating that its supporters were trying to create chaos in order to pave the way for a counterrevolution. There were also those who blamed Egypt's Salafists, who, they said, have been intimidating the country's residents, Muslims and Copts alike, since the revolution. Others faulted the Coptic Church, claiming that it has placed itself above the law, and that the young women in question converted to Islam in order to escape the church's rigid divorce laws. Yet others said the events were a result of the sexist attitudes of Egyptian society. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5338.htm. Special Dispatch No. 3884—Egypt Following are excerpts from a religious program featuring Egyptian cleric Mazen Al-Sarsawi, which aired on Nour Al-Khaleejiah TV on January 3, 2011. To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2953.htm. Mazen Al-Sarsawi: "That is how these lowlifes have always acted in all their wars. What did America do when it won the war in Vietnam? It dropped an atomic bomb, causing total destruction. They did not spare anyone. That is the epitome of treachery, ignobility, baseness, and contempt, not to mention what it is doing in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and what the Jews are doing in Palestine…" To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5337.htm. MEMRI TV Clip No. 2951 - Recently Resigned Al-Jazeera TV Reporter Ghassan Bin Jiddu: The Way Bin Laden Was Killed and Dumped in the Sea Is an Affront to Arabs and Muslims Following are excerpts from an interview with recently resigned Al-Jazeera TV journalist Ghassan Bin Jiddu, which aired on Al-Dunya TV on May 19, 2011: Ghassan Bin Jiddu: "You just mentioned Sheikh Osama bin Laden. Regardless of what we think about Sheikh Osama bin Laden, or about what Al-Qaeda did in the United States… I am among those who never concealed their objection to the attack against New York and Washington in the United States. I was not ashamed to express my opinion from the very first moment." To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2951.htm. 
MEMRI Daily: June 2, 2011 -
Attacks on Copts in Egypt Increase;
Egyptian Cleric: We Ask a Person Nicely to Convert,
But if He Refuses We Fight Him;
Fmr. Al-Jazeera Reporter: The Way Bin Laden was Killed is an Affront to Arabs and Muslims
*Special Dispatch Series
In Egypt, Muslims' Attacks on Copts Increase
Egyptian Cleric Mazen Al-Sarsawi: We Ask a Person Nicely to Convert, But If He Refuses and Does Not Pay the Jizya Tax, We Fight Him
*From the MEMRI TV Project
Thursday, 2 June 2011
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