Dr. Nadia Henary, a Coptic member of the Egyptian House of Representatives, requested a briefing about preventing Copts from praying on Christmas eve in Faw Bahry village in Qena Governorate.
She said that the nearest church in 10 kilometers away and Copts have been praying in a building for 70 years, and it provided services to the people of the village before it has collapsed. The church leaders applied for replacement and renewal and obtained permits, but during the demolition process extremists attacked the workers and stopped them.
The church applied for legalization according to the law, but the request was refused claiming it hurts the feelings of the Muslims in the village. Later, many people attacked a house of a Coptic man and set it on fire and priests were prevented from entering the village.