ISTANBUL, September 18 (Compass Direct News) - The congregation of a Coptic church that was destroyed by fire last week is divided over whether it was a case of arson.
At 3 p.m. on Sept. 8, a fire broke out in the rear of the Church of Saint Paul and Saint Peter near the main entrance of the building. Located in the town of Shebin al-Kom some 37 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Cairo, the church building along with its icons, relics and most of its furniture was destroyed.
According to local media reports, investigators said the cause of the fire was electrical. A sizable portion of the congregation, however, disputes this.
Gamal Gerges, a local reporter who works for the newspaper Al-Youm al-Sabeh, said police have no proof that the fire was accidental.
"The police say it is an electric fire - the police say it is no criminal act," Gerges said. "The police did not have evidence, but said what they did to avoid strife between the Christians and the Muslims."
The priest of the church has declined to comment publicly on the cause of the fire, other than repeating what investigators have said. He said he is waiting for the official report to determine the cause of the fire.
One member of the congregation, a 25-year-old woman, is not so quiet. The woman, whose name has been withheld for her protection, said that the electrical system in the church was largely unscathed by the fire. She said the damage did not radiate from the church's fuse box.
She said she believes the fire was set intentionally but did not suggest any possible culprits.
Through an interpreter, the Rev. Antonious Wagih told Compass that relations between the Coptic and Muslim communities in the area are amicable. Media reports indicate, however, that prior to the fire local Muslims were harassing priests, and that people who lived around the church dumped dirty water on the congregants from balconies. Other reports state that local women cheered after the church burned down.
Reasons for the discrepancies between Wagih's statements and media reports were unclear. Wagih told Compass that he "did not want to [get] into a struggle or argument with the authorities." He added that he wanted to "avoid any dispute in this area."
Roughly 400 families attend Saint Paul and Saint Peter. The woman who claimed the fire was arson said many congregants shared her view. Other church members were not immediately available, but other media reports also indicated that she was not alone in her opinion.
No one was injured in the fire. At press time there was no monetary estimate of damages.
The Coptic community of Shebin al-Kom used the Church of Saint Paul and Saint Peter for three years after they purchased the building from a group of Roman Catholics with a dwindling congregation.
The Shebin al-Kom fire was one of a spate of incidences reported by Coptic leaders during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.
