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| Africa: North | ||
| Top cleric in desert protest over arrest of Egypt Christians | ||
| 2004-12-17 | ||
The head of Egypt's Coptic Church has holed himself up in a desert monastery to protest the arrest of Christians demonstrating against a reported attempt to forcibly convert a priest's wife to Islam. Pope Shenuda III withdrew 10 days ago to the Anba Bishoy monastery, a fourth century retreat in the Wadi Natrun depression west of Cairo, his office told AFP Thursday.
Other church sources said the cleric had vowed not to resume his normal duties until the authorities released all 37 Copts who were detained during December 8 clashes with security forces in the capital. Worshippers took to the streets outside the cathedral as rumours spread that Wafaa Constantine, wife of a Coptic priest in a town north of Cairo, had been abducted and forced to convert to Islam by her civil service boss with the complicity of police. A state-owned weekly, Al-Musawar, had charged that the 48-year-old woman wanted to convert but had been prevented by her family. But the pope's office said Wafaa Constantine had returned to her church on Tuesday and been accepted back into the congregation. "The patriarch granted her his mercy and assured her that she remained in the church," it said. Egyptian law gives the Coptic Church authority to vet all conversions to Islam to ensure they were not made under duress.
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| Posted by:tipper |
| #8 What insecurity and inadequacy drives this stuff? The question is the answer. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2004-12-17 7:10:14 PM |
| #7 Jeebus! What insecurity and inadequacy drives this stuff? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-17 5:32:55 PM |
| #6 That was the case for some Copt sects as late as the 1980s. As I understand it, Copts don't cut off everything-like they do in other places in Africa-they just cut off the 'fun' part. So with those Copts at least you don't have to cut your wife open to have sex. |
| Posted by: Jules 187 2004-12-17 5:25:09 PM |
| #5 Is that a Copt thing too? I'm MUCH less sympathetic now |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-17 5:19:53 PM |
| #4 Alec, I'll try this: "What is an anger management problem?" No? How about "what is chronic bloodlust on the part of the Muslim"? Whatever the answer, since both Copts and Muslims in Africa seem to like cutting off pieces of women's genitals, we can be sure at least that she will be "trim and clean" for her new 'owner'. |
| Posted by: Jules 187 2004-12-17 5:18:05 PM |
| #3 yeah, this "turn the other cheek" stuff doesn't work you need to read the supressed version. "turn the other cheek" "and keep an eye upon his feet" "then kick 'em the balls" "and make 'em sweet" |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-12-17 5:17:03 PM |
| #2 yeah, this "turn the other cheek" stuff doesn't work |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-17 5:09:43 PM |
| #1 Let's see: Christian cleric perceives possible injustice in the present, protests by self without violence. Muslim cleric perceives possible injustice, present or past, more often than not calls for mass killing/jihad by followers. Anyone notice any differences here? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-12-17 4:50:32 PM |