Copts still waiting for justice and an end to discrimination

Seven months after the overthrow of dictator Hosni Mubarak the situation of the Copts in Egypt has not tangibly improved, according to the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP). "At least 27 Copts have been killed in attacks or conflicts with Muslims since Mubarak was removed from power, more than 200 members of this minority have been wounded and three churches burnt down," reported Ulrich Delius of the STP's Africa section on Wednesday in Göttingen.. "The Copts have been waiting in vain for those responsible to be punished. Salafist extremists are using their new-found freedoms to agitate against members of this religious minority and prevent the construction of urgently needed churches."

Just last Friday radical Muslims in the village of Elmarinab in Upper Egypt (Assuan province) threatened to burn down the local Saint George's Church. The church, built over a century ago, was in such a catastrophic state that the governor of Assuan approved its restoration in June 2010. Work began one year later. But since then there have been continuous protests by Salafists willing to use any means to prevent the building's repair. They are using the new democratic freedoms in the land to protest publicly against the restoration. They claim that the church used to be a community center, and thus has no claim to preservation.

Egypt's authorities offer only half-hearted protection for the rights the religious minority, who make up approximately ten percent of the population. Rather than clearly taking a side and preventing the violation of the rights of the Copts, attempts are made to promote negotiations between Copts and radical Muslims. In the controversy surrounding the restoration of the church in Elmarinab, too, authorities called for a "reconciliation meeting" between the parties to the conflict, and the Copts came out the losers. In the process the Salafists, who have no interest in a reconciliation with the Copts, were able to campaign for their cause.

Although the government has discussed a law imposing equality, with vague provisions forbidding discrimination and stipulating higher fines for violations of the law, Coptic organizations have criticized the fact that the punishments do not provide an adequate deterrent. To this day their demands for a comprehensive anti-discrimination law have gone unmet.

The Copts have become embittered primarily because the terrorist attack on the cathedral in Alexandria on New Year's Eve still has not been investigated. Twenty-four people were killed and ninety-seven wounded in the attack. Because the investigation has been delayed, the Coptic church will file criminal charges against Egypt's prime minister, the minister of justice and the federal prosecutor, probably before the month is out. The Coptic church accuses these officials of arbitrarily delaying the investigations.