Coptic Martyrs Blood Still Crying Out For Justice Nine Years Later (5) The Massacre
On January 7th, the Coptic Church in Egypt celebrates Christmas. Out of
respect to the memory of those who lost their lives and those who lost their
dear ones in that barbaric attack, I decided to stop "El-Kosheh" reports
until after the holidays.
situation in that small town located on the banks of the Nile, in Upper
Egypt.
The town went to sleep on the night of the second day of the new Millennium
with a mixture of fear and worry. Everyone knew that something is bound to
happen. The night was peaceful and quiet, with an uncanny calm atmosphere,
similar to the calm before the storm.
The Egyptian Human Rights Organization reported that Mr. Aziz Kozman (30
years old at that time) said, "On the evening of Saturday 1/1/2000, the town
lived in a strange kind of tranquilness, and in spite of no orders being
given by the authorities, everyone stayed at home.
The town seemed divided in two parts, with the main street Port-Said, as the
dividing line between Copts and Muslims".
For the record, a member of the Egyptian Parliament, Mr. Hassan Tawfik,
arrived that Saturday along with several Imams, in an effort to hold a
reconciliation meeting, but both parties refused.
Sunday January 2nd, being the same as every Sunday, Copts were going to
Church to attend Holy Mass. The law enforcement agents who were present in
town, tried to prevent them, but the Copts were insistent, so they were
allowed to go to Church.
After the Holy Mass has ended, and while Copts on their way home, they heard
bullets being fired in the vicinity of the Church.
In order to give an accurate picture of this complicated situation, one has
to go back and mention what took place in the streets of that town
simultaneous to the Copts going to Church.
While Coptic families were in the Church praying, Mr. Gamal Mekawy, City
Vice President and Mr. Mohammed Yossef, town mayor, along with others high
officials and Muslim residents arrived to the scene. They wanted to erect
again the makeshift wooden kiosks, built illegally in front of the Copts'
shops, along El-Kosheh's main street, and which were pulled down by the
Copts previously.
A few Copts were present, they protested against this action. Meanwhile,
orders were given to decrease the number of law enforcement agents (Copts
were not happy about this decision). The police started shooting in the air,
and using tear-gas bombs to scare and oblige the people to disperse away
from the scene and to remain indoors.
This air shooting was the signal to initiate the "massacre", which went on
from around 10:00 o'clock in the morning until 5:00 o'clock in the afternoon
(time to break the Ramadan fast).
The attacks took place in an area known as "Karm El- Grableah", in the west,
at "Nagah Amed Radowan",in the south and out bounds in "El Kiam Park way".
The three locations are areas of "El- Kosheh" where Copts and Muslims houses
meet.
Killing, looting and destruction went on for more than seven hours against
the Copts and their proprieties, while law enforcement agents were enjoying
the massacre.
Priests and frightened Copt pleaded with the police officers to intervene
and help the unarmed Copts, but no one wanted to listen.
Eye witnesses reported that the killers were enjoying what they were doing.
The killings were going on, almost everywhere, inside houses, in the streets
and in the fields.
During those attacks not only were the Egyptian law enforcement agents
acting as spectators, but no one called for ambulances or fire brigades to
come.
Inside the massacre will be next.....
Voice of the Copts
Dott. Arch.Ashraf Ramelah,
Associate AIA
President
www.lavocedeicopti.org
www.voiceofthecopts.org