Following Mr. Morsi’s overthrow by the military in 2013, Muslim mobs attacked dozens of churches and Christian properties, accusing the Copts of taking the army’s side. Today, Christians are still at the mercy of a regime that has consistently let them down. The Coptic Church itself preaches patience, discouraging protests in the hope that such docility will protect the community from more violence.
It has not. The anger at that realization was clear when protesters outside the bombed church turned away TV anchors known for their pro-regime views.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights has documented at least 77 cases of sectarian attacks on Copts between 2011 and 2016 in the province of Minya alone. In that state, south of Cairo, Christians are estimated to make up about one-third of the population. Pope Tawadros, the head of the Coptic Church, has said that attacks against Christians have occurred on average about once a month over the past three years.
In May, hundreds of Muslims set fire to homes of Christians in Minya. The unrest began after rumors that a Christian man had had an affair with a Muslim woman.
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