In the past few days, about 50 Christian churches, monasteries and orphanages have been firebombed or looted by Muslim Brotherhood mobs. Dozens of homes and shops owned by Copts have been attacked or branded with a black "X". Amid such a discourse of hatred, al-Qa'ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian, has stirred up passions, demanding retribution against the Copts for openly supporting the June 3 removal from power of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohammed Morsi.
The Copts, who make up 10 per cent of Egypt's 85 million people, are the country's largest non-Islamic minority. They had a dreadful time during the year the Muslim Brotherhood held power. In one notorious attack, the body of a Coptic Christian shopkeeper in north Sinai was found in chains and decapitated after an Islamist assault. Amid the stepped-up attacks of the past few days, Human Rights Watch officials have warned of a "deadly problem spiralling out of control". Sixteen other human rights groups have denounced state agencies for failing to protect the Christians, and have spoken of "a pattern of impunity which spread during the Mubarak era and remained in place throughout the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood (and) continues to this day".
Western nations, in particular, must impress on Egypt's interim government the importance of ensuring the safety of a community that is vital to the country's future. The Copts' antecedents go back to the Council of Chalcedon in 451AD. They have long played a pivotal role in Egypt's religious, cultural and economic life. They deserve better than the escalating sectarian violence that has forced so many to flee, many to Australia. The international community should be concerned about all victims of the current upheavals. As an increasingly persecuted minority, however, the Copts need urgent help. General Sisi must understand the importance of defending them against the religious intolerance and sectarianism at the heart of his country's crisis.
