Egypt shuts down church in Minya due to alleged objections from Muslim residents

Egyptian authorities have reportedly closed down a church in the Minya governorate based on a claim that Muslim residents are opposed to the Christian worship site.

According to Morning Star News, Coptic Orthodox Bishop of Minya Anba Makarios has been pleading with government officials for weeks to re-open the Virgin Mary and St. Paula Church in Kedwan village, which was closed in July. After the government ignored his plea, he decided to issue a public statement refuting the claim that local Muslims objected to the 1,300-member church.

The bishop argued that Coptic Christians live peaceably with their Muslim neighbors and that any opposition comes from a small extremist faction.

"The security apparatus has prevented Copts from practicing their rites in Kedwan, Minya, claiming that it was because of objections of some opposing factions in the village, and that it was necessary to be considerate of their feelings," Makarios said in the statement.

"However, this means that there is no consideration for the feelings of the Copts and those who do not ask for anything but to pray, as if the decision belonged to the opposing factions and not to a great state such as Egypt, which should have authority and law," he added.

The Virgin Mary and St. Paula Church, which served Christians from Kedwan al-Baharyia, Kedwan al-Keblyia and Masaken Kedwan, is just one of at least 15 Christian worship sites in Minya that has been shut down by the authorities.

Local officials closed down the church for an extended period in March 2012 when hard-line Muslims damaged it after a funeral while police stood by. Church leaders believe that the worship site was shut down by local officials in order to appease Islamic extremists.

Apart from the closure of churches, Christians were also prevented from conducting worship services at a private home in Minya's Ezbat Al-Forn village this past Sunday.

According to a local resident, the authorities said that the Christians did not have a permit to worship in the home, but Makarios had argued that no permit is necessary. He went on to say that local Muslims have never objected to the prayers of Coptic Christians "in any place in Ezbat al-Forn."

In an open letter to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Al-Forn Minya Coptic Association complained that the police prevented the Christians from praying and attacked them with "inappropriate words" as if they were "criminals or outlaws."

The next day, Copts were able to process through the village to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of Mary without any incident, according to World Watch Monitor.

Local authorities are now considering a request for a permit to hold religious services at home, which is a process that is said to be frequently delayed or left unresolved.