Morning Star News, January 15, 2019
Police in Upper Egypt evicted Coptic priests and shuttered their church building after an Islamist mob converged on the site over the weekend.
Muslim villagers in Minya Governorate, attacked the church on Friday, Jan. 11, after mosque noon prayers, according to the Bishop General of Minya, Anba Makarios.
The next day, about 1,000 Muslim villagers descended upon the church building, demanding that it be closed.
Police pacified the mob by giving into their demands. They evicted two priests and closed the building, which brought an elated response from the crowd.
“It appears to indicate that extremists now hold the upper hand,” Makarios said in the statement, “and appeasing them is the way out of problems.”This latest closure is especially disappointing in the wake of claims by high-ranking government officials that they support freedom of religion in the country.