The Monastery of Abu Fana
Rasha Noor
On May 31, 2008, the monastery of Abu Fana, the oldest of the world, had been attacked by the Bedouins of the area. Located in al-Menya, a small village in Upper Egypt, the monastery has a piece of land, a few acres in total that has been turned into fields of crops planted and taken care of by the monks. Built in the 4th century (A.D.), the monastery, it is told, had gone under attack numerous times, with this recent attack being exceedingly worse.
Due to security purposes, the monks had previously applied for permission to build a fence around the walls of the monastery. Declined however, Governor of al-Menya, Egypt, activated an order to demolish and destroy the monastery’s ancient monk rooms, rooms that are given to monks in isolation to live out their spiritual calling. It was granted to them five complete days to put the order into action, although it was known by the governor of the village that it is impossible to replace such an important building.
By January 15, 2008, a man by the name of Sameer Mohammad Hussein attacked the monastery and destroyed six of the ancient rooms meanwhile attacking the monks with gunfire to instill fear and threaten their entire existence. Father Makary was shot in the right hand.
The Monastery of Abu Fana continued undergoing outside attack, and after applying for permission to build a fence around the walls for the second time, the monastery held a protest demonstrating their frustration over their declined requests and unmet needs. On May 31, 2008, the permission was given and the fence was underway to be built. By 5:48 P.M, the monks were forced the face the attack of 60 Bedouins all targeting them with gunfire. Setting the monastery’s fields on fire along with a tractor and two churches belonging to the monastery, the attack continued for three hours. Calling the governor for help, the monks of were turned down with no one answering their call.
By the end of the attack, four people were kidnapped in total: three monks, Father Andrawos, Father Maximos, and Father Youanas, and an outside guest. Kidnapped for a twelve hours, the four experienced terrorist acts of torture ranging from being burned in various parts, to being beaten by large stones and spat at. Moreover, the four kidnapped were whipped with rubber hoses and long sticks as they were tied down to a tree. Cross necklaces were ripped off their necks and each was ordered to spit on the cross and testify to the Islamic faith. In refusing, rocks were thrown at them and the Bedouin women spat on them. After calling the hospital for the ambulance to rush over and help those injured none responded, and the injured were forced to be transported over to the hospital by moving trucks specializing in moving animals.
Governor of al-Menya, after the releasing of the four kidnapped, was questioned and commented to Masr al-Youm by saying: “the wounds on the monks are nothing but wounds. They are only bruises. They do not show any sort of evidence to point out motives of murder. The dispute that occurred between the Bedouins and the monks of the monastery is only a dispute over a piece of land and the attack was a two way combat”.
Masr al-Youm further reports that alongside the four kidnapped Copts, one Muslim had died at the scene; although, there is no body that is found as of yet, it is suggested that there had been weapons within the walls of the monastery despite the fact that there is a law prohibiting this.
The monks of the monastery responded by denying this claim and stress that the land, in the end, is theirs for the taking as it is legally granted to them.