(Source: Der Spiegel)
The terrorist attack against the Coptic Church in Alexandria at the New Year Der Spiegel to publish a review article about the situation of persecuted Christians around the world, particularly in the East. This thorough article, titled ‘Murderers and Martyrs: The Difficult Situation of Christians in the Orient’ is worth reading. Here are just a few quotes, to raise your interest.
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…Mariam died on Khalil Hamada Street under an image of St. Mark the Apostle holding a little church in his hand. The screws, screw nuts and ball bearings that had been packed into the bomb also tore into the other three women. The only member of the family to survive was Mariam’s father, who had been standing behind them. The next day, he had to identify his daughter. Her body was so horribly burnt he could hardly recognize her.
Soon thereafter, the four women were buried at the St. Mina Monastery along with 17 other victims, where they would soon be joined by two others. The monastery is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) outside Alexandria. Although it’s a special honor to be buried there, it was also one final indignity: For security reasons, the authorities had reportedly insisted that the burial be held outside the city. Thus, even in death, the Coptic Christian Mariam Fakri had to show respect for a state that had failed to protect her.
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There, on the ground in front of Gloria Jean’s Café, lay a man shot more than 20 times, a man who had taken on some powerful opponents: bigotry, incitement and militant Islamism. Like Mariam, he too had posted a new year’s message online. “I was under huge pressure sure 2 cow down b4 rightest pressure on blasphemy. Refused. Even if I’m the last man standing,” he wrote on his Twitter page. And a few days later, he added: “Peace prosperity & happiness for new year … i’m full of optimism.”
The fear spread by Taseer’s enemies pursued him even after death. When his family wanted to bury him on the following day in observance of Muslim customs, even the state-appointed prayer leader refused to utter even the first verse of the Muslim funeral rites. A preacher from Taseer’s party eventually volunteered to fulfill the duty. And his supposed friend, the president of Pakistan, didn’t come to the burial — for security reasons.
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It’s not just the pope, bishops and patriarchs who are making more urgent calls than ever for these Christians to be protected. A growing number of politicians — ranging from US President Barack Obama to Volker Kauder, the parliamentary floor leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right Christian Democrats — are intensifying their warnings. “We are already past the stage where we can merely express our dismay or our sadness,” complained recently appointed French Foreign Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie. She has demanded a coordinated European Union plan to protect Christians in the Middle East. The issue is to be placed on the agenda for an EU foreign ministers meeting scheduled for January 31.
Mere appeals, however, will not suffice. The situation is much direr than it was even a few months ago. The recent attacks in Egypt and Pakistan have both served as examples of just how weak the regimes in the Islamic world are. They may have anchored the protection of religious minorities in their constitutions, but they long ago lost the power to protect Christians and other minorities. Even the elites who want to do so have lost the power to make it happen.
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You may read HERE the entire article.
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