Some people began issuing strange statements in an attempt to escape the crisis of Copts right to pray in Upper Egypt. They accused Bishop Makarios of being responsible for the crisis since he defends his children as if he should have encouraged his children to accept persecution and discrimination no matter what happens! In fact, those people should have called instead to apply the law by officials.
50 years ago, there were only few Christian families in small villages. Yet, those small villages now have hundreds of Christians who need to pray. Those have agreed with Muslims to pray in a house or a hall every week and preventing them was the odd action. Now, with the new law of building houses of worship, it is almost impossible for them to get licensed churches as most of the lands are owned by the state.
In Minya only there is 150 villages without churches, and 20 requests have just ignored by the state for 5 years as officials declare that the Executive Regulations is not issued yet. Do they expect the Christians to stop praying till the Executive Regulations is issued or do they have to get the elderly and children on donkeys to travel to the nearest church!
It should be mentioned here that extremists have power over the law when it comes to building churches. in case the license is issued, the officials start convincing the extremists to accept the new building among their many mosques.
On January 6, 2017, president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi donated for the new Cathedral in the new administrative capital, and at the same time police was closing a church in Ismailia and Christians were praying in the open! I believe the president, but it looks like the officials don t!
