Statement from the Protestant Community in Egypt on current tensions
As we live today the results of the January 25th Revolution and what it accomplished on the ground, and with all Egyptians standing behind it [the revolution] regardless of religion or gender, the Protestant Community in Egypt bemoans the events that recently took place in the village of Soul, locality of Atfeeh, Helwan governorate – that led to the injury and death of some of the villagers. Also, the unjustified attack on the Church of the Saints, St. George and St. Mina, in the village, and attempting to burn it and the unprecedented acts of some who fully demolished the church and its peripherals.
We call upon the nation’s elders to quickly find the best solution to ensure that heinous acts, as this one, are not repeated, and also to work on calming the congested atmosphere that is in the village, and to maintain the security and property of all of the villagers, Muslims and Christians. We also call upon all parties, inside and outside the village, to resort to the language of reason and dialogue, and respond to any attempt to undermine the gains of the revolution that united and equated all Egyptians, so as not to turn any personal differences into sectarian strife, undermining the security and safety of the nation.
We also extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, and all of the members of the Council, on their wise decision, commissioning the Armed Forces to rebuild the church in the same location, and at their own expense, to finish construction before Easter. As well as Dr. Essam Sharaf, chairman of the Council of Ministers, for agreeing on the speed of rebuilding the church, as well as the Grand Imam, Sheikh of Al-Azhar for his absolute rejection of this event and his confirmation that an attack on churches was an attack on Islam.
Rev. Andrea Zaki, Ph.D.
Vice President (and Acting President) of the Protestant Community in Egypt