After the Rabaa al-Adawiya’s massacre in 2013 - when thousands Muslim Brothers lost their lives, attacked and killed by the regular Egyptian army troops- an extremist faction of the Muslim party decided instead to charge with responsibility of the bloody event the biggest minority of Christian in the Middle East, the Coptic Church, assaulted with molotov and fire weapons. The aftermaths that involved the Christian minority lives and estates - 13 millions copts, faithfuls and believers, whose churches, houses and cultural association were torched and burnt, eaten by the flames, especially in the high Egypt regions, in the cities of Fayoum, Assiut and Minya.
After the Rabaa al-Adawiya's massacre in 2013 - when 817 Muslim Brothers lost their lives (according to Human Right Watch’s data) - an extremist faction of the Muslim party, Freedom and Justice, founded by the former president Morsi, decided to charge with responsibility of the bloody event the biggest minority of Christian in the Middle East, the Coptic Church, assaulted with molotov and fire weapons. The muslims where indeed attacked and killed by the regular Egyptian army troops, against which nothing was claimed or declared. The riots broke and the persecution of Christian started, and - publicly accused of being public enemy of Islam- the war was declared.
The aftermaths instead involved the Christian minority lives and estates - 13 millions copts, faithfuls and believers, whose churches, houses and cultural association were looted, torched and burnt, eaten by the flames, especially in the High Egypt regions, in the cities of Fayoum, Assiut and Minya, where nothing but just ruins where left of the religious buildings after the islamist attack. Those cities - shown in the pictures - where the three most damaged and wrecked after the rage days in the Nile Country.
The road to reach them was unsafe and leave the house to walk around was considered hazardous because of the breakneck atmosphere of revenge that harvested souls and blood between the two fighting community. Religious kidnapping and murders were pushed on, prosecuting the minority. In those days, when homes, shops, schools, including and orphanage were totally crashed, the Christian faithfuls were whispering to pray also for those who torched them and their souls, because, by killing them, they lost their God. In those place, far from Cairo city, the Capital, the siege of the buildings with a Christian cross was also part of a bigger, planned in advanced and meticulous plan, never seen so strong, cruel and brutal since the 14th century. The census in the list of burnt or partially destroyed places reached the number of 160. The curfew was declared until the total ceasefire, who never broke until the destitution of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Government.
While in those days the Coptic Pope Tawadros II feared for his life and lived nearly in seclusion, after appearing in the days of the Rabaa’s massacre next to the general and now president Al Sisi, against this campaign of backlash terror of Muslim Brothers, many moderate believers of Allah, not influenced by the anti coptic incitement and sectarian violence, helped and defended buildings and man with human chains, or simply helped to cherish the icons and religious symbols during or after the seizure.
Although this reportage was made two years ago and I have been covering other conflicts since then, after the Coptic slaughter and decapitation in Libia by the hand of ISIS, I involved and decided to submit it to light the Christian issue around the world, seen the current situation of the faithfuls in the Middle East and Africa, where you pay with life the word you give to your God.