Twelve deaths and a hundred wounded is the toll of the assault carried
out by groups of Salafi Muslims against Christian churches in the
district of Imbaba, in the north-west of Cairo, the capital of Egypt.
"A
Catholic church was also attacked, along with some Coptic Orthodoxes "
reported Fr. Luciano Verdoscia, a Catholic missionary of the Comboni
order who has been working in Cairo for several years.
"A group of
Salafis came shooting in the church and killed the father of one of our
postulants, who is in Uganda. The man was hit by several shots to the
chest. "
"The excuse used by Salafis to commit these crimes is the story of
Kamilia, the wife of an Orthodox priest who wanted to divorce her
husband. Since the Orthodox Church is very strict in matters of divorce,
the woman had converted to Islam to escape from her husband. The
Salafis claim that the woman is held prisoner and was brought back to
the Coptic faith against her will, " explained Father Verdoscia.
The
attack on the Church of Imbaba, where the woman is believed to held,
gave rise to the violence on Saturday, May 7.
"Beyond the story of this woman, considerations must be taken to
understand what is happening in Egypt" underlines Fr. Verdoscia.
"The
neighborhood of Imbaba is a poor area and fanaticism flourishes where
poverty and ignorance reign. The Salafis are a group that is not the
majority, but make themselves heard, even with violent actions.
According to some commentators, these groups are controlled by the old
regime, who want to make others believe: ' look what is happening
without us. A strong government is needed to rule with an iron hand '.
"In my opinion - continues the missionary - it is Islam that must
evolve. I hope that moderate Muslims can go beyond certain readings of
Islam. These killings happen because in Islam when a group of people are
expressed as "kuffar (infidels), they can be killed and deprived of all
their property. Interpretations of this type should be reviewed by the same Islamists "said Father Verdoscia.