In the past five years, I have written two studies and more than 50 articles on Minya, where media denounce dozens of terrorist and sectarian attack soon before they are forgotten. However, these attacks escalated till two terrorist attacks targeted the Christians near St. Samuel monastery and a corrupt police officer killed two unarmed Copts, a father and a son. Muslims and Christians denounced the unprecedented attacks and showed sympathy with them.
Many people describe Minya as governorate of terrorism and extremism, but in fact it is the city of contradictions. It looks very modern from outside, but from inside it looks like Kabul.
Menia is the largest Christian gathering in the Middle East, where about 2 million Chirstians live among extremist sheikhs like Shukri Mustafa who was sentenced to life penalty for assassination of Minister of Awqaf in 1975.
From 1978 to 1981 Minya witnessed outraged terror. Islamic group moved from Assiut to Minya after the assassination of Sadat from 1981 to 1990 where its leaders were extremely violent and imposed the Islamic Sharia by force and forced Christians to pay Jizyah. From 1990, those leaders changed their minds and became less violent,b ut their effect continued among the simple people.
The Muslim Brotherhood played an important role in Minya till the revolution of January 25 when its MP Saad Katatni became the new head of the Parliament. The Islamists received about 80 percent of the votes in the governoarate.
Minya has many tourist attractions, but is almost not located on the tourist map in Egypt. There is no proper hotels and very few theaters and cinemas. However, 30 percent of the institutes run by the Muslim Brotherhood is located in Minya and those institutes spread the culture of extremism and calls the Copts infidels and refuse allowing them to build churches.
The Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafies control Minya and its institutions and the murder of two Copts by a police officer in Minya is just one reflection of such evil control. We respect police officers and their sacrifices and do respect the court of law, but the blood of Emad and David will remain our responsibility.
