"When the Muslim youths saw the cross in the sky, and the people saw our soul, the animosity in their hearts became evident"

The New York Sun has a three page article (4/19/06):'I Cannot Say Where This Hatred Comes' (link)

A quote from the article says that the violence during the funeral and the burning of The Virgin Mary Church in the Asafra started when a Cross was raised:

One of the elders at the church yesterday said the funeral procession turned into anarchy the moment the mourners bared the cross. "When the Muslim youths saw the cross in the sky, and the people saw our soul, the animosity in their hearts became evident," Talat Megala said.

Also:

The pious Muslim looters broke the electrical switch for the air-conditioner. They burned the anteroom near the main hall reserved for baptism; they burned the father's offices, and they burned the cupboards and shelves that contained the church's library.

The church, which smelled faintly of smoke, was barely fit for worship. But Father Bejimey's flock turned out every night for the evening service between the Coptic Palm and Easter Sundays to recite lines from the Gospel and remember Christ's last week before the crucifixion. A few members of the congregation had bandages on their arms and legs from the clashes two days before.


And these people would be attacked if they tried to repair their church without government approval. But they will still go. They will still praise His name.

May our prayers be with them. May the Cross of Christ always lead them.

As the Coptic people celebrate Holy Week, may they be in our hearts and prayers.