Cairo (AINA) -- Thousands of Christian Copts from all over Egypt rallied on Wednesday within the grounds of St. Mark Cathedral in Cairo during Pope Shenouda's weekly sermon, to protest a recent court ruling ordering the Church to issue re-marriage permits for divorcees, a ruling deemed inconsistent with the doctrine of the Coptic Orthodox Church (AINA 5-30-2010). The Coptic Church does not allow re-marriage except in very limited circumstances of adultery (to the non-guilty partner only) and conversion of one partner to another faith.

(AINA) -- The head of the Coptic Church in Egypt has rejected a court ruling (AINA 5-30-20) that orders the church to allow divorced Copts to remarry in the church. In a press conference held on Tuesday June 8, Pope Shenouda, reading from the statement issued by the Holy Synod's 91 Bishops including himself said "The Coptic Church respects the law, but does not accept rulings which are against the Bible and against its religious freedom which is guaranteed by the Constitution." He went on to say "the recent ruling is not acceptable to our conscience, and we can not implement it."

(AINA) -- An Egyptian court issued a controversial ruling on Saturday, May 29, which deprived the head of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church of the control over matters of divorce and marriage, giving the civil courts the authority to oversee affairs which the Church considers are in its core religious competencies.

(AINA) -- In Egypt an often used defense by Muslims accused of killing Christians is insanity. According to said Coptic activist Maged Bishay, "Islamist investigators, judges and psychiatrists are only too willing to go with this pretext, to allow their fellow Muslims to 'get away with murder' based on the Islamic law 'Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one.'"

(AINA) -- Nearly 2000 Christian Copts staged a sit-in on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 inside the grounds of St. Marks Cathedral in Cairo during the weekly lecture of his HH Pope Shenouda III, protesting against what they termed as the procrastination of the judiciary in the Nag Hammadi Christmas Eve Massacre case, and their fear that it will have the same fate as the previous cases where in the end the Muslim killers were acquitted.

(AINA) -- On March 30 an administrative judicial court in Egypt dismissed a lawsuit filed by Mrs. Camilia Lutfi, mother of the Coptic Christian twins boys Mario and Andrew, against the Interior Minister, and the director of the Civil Status Department for refusing to re-instate the Christian religion on their birth certificates, and invalidate those which were forcefully changed to "Islam" in 2005 by their father Medhat Ramsis Labib, who had converted to Islam.

(AINA) -- Lawyers representing the Christian victims of the Nag Hammadi Christmas Eve massacre announced that they will request a change in the panel of judges at the Supreme State Security Emergency Court in Qena , due to the illegal measures taken by the court and the adjournment without reason of the trial.

AINA) -- Dina el-Gowhary, the 15-year-old Egyptian Muslim-born girl who converted to Christianity, was subjected to an acid attack, the latest in a string of failed attempts by Muslim fanatics against her and

(AINA) -- An Anglican Church pastor and his wife were assaulted by Security agents in Luxor on March 18, 2010, in order to evacuate them by force from their home and demolish Church property. Out of the nearly 3000 sq. meters of buildings attached to the Church, only the 400 sq. meter prayer hall was left standing.

(AINA) -- An Anglican Church pastor and his wife were assaulted by Security agents in Luxor on March 18, 2010, in order to evacuate them by force from their home and demolish Church property. Out of the nearly 3000 sq. meters of buildings attached to the Church, only the 400 sq. meter prayer hall was left standing.

( AINA) -- Following an attack on March 12 by Muslims rioters on 400 Christians, assaulting and trapping them inside a Church for 14 hours in Mersa Matrouh, Egyptian Security authorities arrested 13 Copts, including 4 minors between 13 and 17. A dozen Muslims from over 2000 rioters were also arrested (video of trapped congregation).

Egypt (AINA) -- At 17:00 hours on Friday a Muslim mob attacked a Christian congregation during prayers in the church attached to the services building of the Coptic Church in the Rifeyah area of the

( AINA) -- An Egyptian court in the southern city of Assuit acquitted this week four Muslims accused of killing 61-year-old Farouk Attallah on October 19, 2009. In broad daylight and in full view of witnesses,

(AINA) -- Egyptian State Security has been accused by lawyers, rights activists and victims' families of torturing the Christian youths arrested in the aftermath of the Christmas Eve shootings of Copts on January 6, 2010. The shooting in the southern town of Nag Hammadi resulted in the death of six and the injury of nine Christians (AINA 1-7-2010).

(AINA) -- The drive-by shooting of Copts as they left Christmas Eve mass on January 6 in the southern Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi has shocked and enraged Copts all over the world. International condemnations poured in after the

(AINA) -- The drive-by shooting of Coptic Christians by extremist Muslims after celebrating the Orthodox Christmas Eve midnight Mass in the southern town of Nagaa Hammadi on January 6, causing the killing of 6 and wounding of 9, (AINA 1-7-2010) was condemned by public opinion worldwide.

Egypt (AINA) -- An assassination attempt on the life of Bishop Kirollos in southern Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi was foiled tonight. Eight Copts were killed and 15 wounded as they came out of Church after celebrating the Coptic Christmas Eve midnight mass on Wednesday 6th January at 11.15 PM.

attack the Gospel of St. John, saying: "this Gospel alone takes one on the path of idolatry and polytheism, makes the 'Word' -- Christ -- as a substitute for God."

Egypt has witnessed recently an unprecedented upsurge in sectarian violence directed against the indigenous Christian citizens. Whatever sparked the explosive incidents, whether it was rumor or fact

Cairo (AINA) -- In an effort to cover up the Muslim mob violence against the Copts which broke out last week in the town of Farshoot and neighboring villages (AINA 11-22-2009, 11-23-2009), and in view of the

Upper Egypt (AINA) -- On Monday November 23, 2009 Muslim rioters looted and burned Coptic Christian businesses in the village of Abou Shousha, which lies 25 KM from Farshoot. The terrorized Coptic