South Sudanese Christian Pastors Could Face Death

South Sudan is primarily Christian, North Sudan is mostly hardline Muslim with the ruthless dictator Omar al-Bashir leading the country. Bashir wants the whole of Sudan to be Muslim and follow Sharia law, which is unfortunate for the Christians who live there.

As is the norm in Muslim-majority Sharia enforced countries, Christians are terribly persecuted. Muslims who convert to Christianity face the death penalty for apostasy. Now two Christian pastors from the south could lose their lives because of trumped up charges. The two were charged with spying, and their trial commenced this week,

Yat Michael Ruot and Peter Yein Reith, both Presbyterian pastors from the breakaway Christian nation of South Sudan, are being held by Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services on charges of undermining the constitution and espionage. Their supporters say their arrest and pending trial is just the latest effort by the militant Islamist government in Khartoum to stamp out Christianity.

[snip]

The pair also was charged with “inciting organized groups” and “offending Islamic beliefs,” which call for imprisonment.

The trial was set to begin Tuesday, but was postponed to May 31.

Ruot, who is from Juba, the capital city of South Sudan, was arrested Dec. 21 after he delivered a Sunday sermon in Omdurman, a Sudanese city across the Nile from Khartoum. Reith, who, like Ruot, is from the Presbyterian Evangelical Church, was arrested Jan. 11 when he was called in by security services and taken into custody. His supporters believe his arrest was prompted by a letter he wrote to the Office of Religious Affairs in Khartoum inquiring about Ruot.

You might remember this is the same country that sentenced a pregnant Christian woman, Meriam Ibrahim, to death. She was later released, but only after worldwide condemnation.

More here.

Typically, churches have been destroyed in that country, and new ones are not allowed to be built. Muslims in the West are fortunate they do not have to face what Christians are subjected to in Islamic countries.

ISIS Beheaded 4 Iraqi Christian Kids For Refusing to "Follow Islam"

According to a news report from the Times of India, a British pastor claims four Iraqi Christian children were allegedly beheaded after they refused to convert to Islam.

Canon Andrew White, who is known as the 'vicar of Baghdad', told Orthodox Christian Network that the killings happened in a Christian enclave close to Baghdad which has been taken over by ISIS (formerly known as Islamic State).
He spoke of how ISIS has "hounded" the Christians out of Iraq, and how "they killed in huge numbers, they chopped their children in half, they chopped their heads off, and they moved north and it was so terrible what happened".

The rest here.

When will this end.

ISIS Using Mosul, Iraq Churches As Prisons

Mosul, Iraq, used be home to many Christians, as many as 60,000 prior to 2003. However, most have fled since the city was overrun by Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists back in June, and now their churches are being turned into prisons.

Fides News Agency reported on Tuesday that a number of detainees were recently sent to the ancient Chaldean church of the Immaculate Conception in the eastern part of the city. Sources have shared that St. George monastery has also been turned into a place for female detention, raising fears that women might be abused.

"The jihadists of the Caliphate have occupied the churches, including those which are very ancient," said Rebwar Audish Basa, Procurator of the Order of St. Anthony sant'Ormisda of the Chaldeans.

"Among the concerns that plague us there is also that of those who fear that a possible military offensive for the liberation of Mosul could inevitably lead to consider churches as targets to hit, since they have become logistic bases of the jihadists. And of course, the destruction of old churches would be an irreparable damage and loss."

With the mass exodus of Christians from Syria, Iraq- at least those who refuse to convert, pay the jizya tax, or die- there will no longer be native Christians living in that region.

Tragic.

More here.

Pakistani Christian Couple Beaten To Death And Burned For Desecrating Quran

Only in Pakistan would a Christian couple accused of desecrating a Quran be beaten to death and then hurled into a kiln and burned. And the tragic part is- who knows if the couple were actually guilty or not. It could have been any number of things, including the fact that they were Christian, or perhaps they had a falling out with one of their accusers. Accusations of blasphemy are often levied against people who are involved in some alleged dispute, and though Pakistan still has draconian blasphemy laws that will earn you the death sentence, mob justice usually takes care of the accused before the courts can.

The victims were only identified by their first names, Shama and Shehzad, and were a married couple.

Pakistan's brick kiln workers are often subject to harsh practices, with a study by the Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan estimating that 4.5 million are indentured labourers.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has constituted a three-member committee to fast track the investigation of the killings and ordered police to beef up security at Christian neighbourhoods in the province, an official from his media office told AFP.

Minorities are often targets, like Aasia Bibi, a Christian who was convicted of blasphemy, and then sentenced to death in November 2010.  She was accused by a Muslim woman after the two argued.

And 70-year-old schizophrenic Mohammad Asghar, a British/Pakistani man, has also been languishing in jail since 2010 for blasphemy. He was accused, after a dispute with a tenant, of writing that he was the Prophet Mohammad. No-one bothered to take into consideration his mental status. Asghar was then shot in the back by a vigilante prison guard in September, though he survived.

There are some in Pakistan who believe that the blasphemy law needs to go the way of the dinosaurs, but few have the courage to lobby for change because they could wind up dead.  That's what happened to Salmaan Taseer in 2011. The politician and businessman, who was governor of Punjab at the time, was murdered by Mumtaz Qadri, one of his bodyguards, because Taseer was very vocal about his opposition to the blasphemy law. Taseer was also asking for a pardon for Aasia Bibi. He was shot 27 times with a sub-machine gun. And who was considered the hero?  Qadri. He even got a mosque named after him. In a middle-class neighbourhood, to boot.

It's heartening, though, to read the comments on the Dawn article I sourced this from. Most are appalled by what happened to the Christian couple.

And this editorial from March 29, 2014, was reposted on Dawn:

Editorial: Death for blasphemy

The reality of Pakistan today is that mere accusation of this crime, howsoever unsubstantiated, instantly imperils the life of the individual concerned, and that threat persists not only throughout his incarceration, but even after acquittal.

Minorities are particularly impacted by the blasphemy law. Firstly, they are disproportionately targeted as compared to their actual representation in the population.

Secondly, when one of them is accused, the entire community is made to suffer, as illustrated by the mob violence in Joseph Colony, Gojra, etc or in lesser known cases where communities have been intimidated into moving en masse out of the locality. In fact, the desire to grab land or settle personal scores often underlies blasphemy allegations. That is all the more reason the law needs to be revisited.

Good luck with that.  Unfortunately, Pakistan is getting more and more conservative, and I can't imagine reform happening any time soon.

Arab Christian Women Attacked In Denmark By Muslims

It's not just Jews being attacked by Muslim youth in Scandinavian countries. In Copenhagen, Denmark, Arab Christians (particularly women) are being targeted as well.

On this video on YouTube, a Lebanese young woman and Iranian Christian mother discuss what they have been subjected to by local Muslim youth.  Both speak about being called Christian whores and told they should be stoned.

Filipino Beheaded In Libya For Being Non-Muslim

Libyan militiamen kidnapped and then beheaded a Filipino construction worker after his vehicle was "stopped at a checkpoint" and it was discovered that he was not Muslim. He was traveling with a Libyan and Pakistani. Obviously Muslim, they were spared.  Apparently, the kidnappers wanted $160,000 ransom for the man, but according to Charles Jose, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, he was probably already dead when negotiations started.

"... after four days of negotiations, a call was received bringing the tragic news that his headless, decomposing body is at a hospital in Benghazi."

There are around 13,000 Philippine nationals working in Libya, all of whom have been told to evacuate. Post haste.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs strongly reiterates its call to all Filipino nationals in Libya to return home as soon as possible,” it said. Adding that Level 4 or “Mandatory Evacuation” has been raised and that no Filipino national will be allowed to travel to Libya.

“Alert Level 4 has been raised due to the latest security developments in Libya, the increasing violence and lawlessness, the closure of major airports, the heightened security threat to Filipinos, particularly in Benghazi, where a Filipino worker was kidnapped on July 15 and confirmed dead yesterday,” the statement read.

Source: Al Arabiya

And Muslims wonder why we have such a problem with their religion.

ISIS JihadistsTorch 1,800-Year-Old Church In Mosul

Now comes the purge of all things Christian in Mosul, Iraq.  The people have fled after being given an ultimatum- convert, pay taxes or die, and now ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is destroying anything Christian. The jihadists started by torching an 1,800-year-old church, though they'd already destroyed some crosses and statues in the city.

They've also destroyed ancient Sufi shrines and Shiite mosques.

The destruction isn't surprising. Their brand of Islam has been responsible for destroying many ancient, historic sites over the years, in various parts of the world. Islamists in Mali destroyed ancient treasures in Timbuktu. Salafis destroyed the Prophet Abraham mausoleum in Syria. The Taliban destroyed the ancient Buddhas of Bamiyan. If Egyptian Salafist Murgan Salem al-Gohary had his way, the ancient Pyramids and Sphinx would be a goner.

ISIS Forces Out The Last Christians In Mosul, Iraq With Their Jizya Or Convert Demands

After living there for centuries, there are no more Christians in Mosul.  ISIS/ISIL gave them an ultimatum after gaining control of the northern Iraqi city- Convert to Islam, retain Dhimma status and pay the jizya (infidel tax), or death by the sword. They had until yesterday, July 19th to decide. The few remaining families left on the eve of the deadline, most with just the clothes on their back. Apparently, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the appointed Caliph of the Islamic State, announced that those who chose to leave would not be allowed to take any of their possessions. The few who tried, claim they were robbed.

Many fled to Iraqi Kurdistan, others to Hamdaniya, a predominately Christian town southeast of Mosul protected by Kurdish forces. One 60-year-old woman had this to say about leaving:

"We have lived in this city and we have had a civilisation for thousands of years - and suddenly some strangers came and expelled us from our homes."

Another man spoke about being robbed:

"The Islamic State stopped my relatives at a checkpoint when they were fleeing and when they found out they were Christians, they took everything they were carrying, including their mobile phones. They left them only with the clothes they were wearing."

But the Christians aren't the only ones ISIL has targeted, the Sunni radicals have forced Kurdish Yazidis, and Turkmen and Shabak Shi'ites to flee as well. Those they haven't captured or killed.

And that area was once considered the "cradle of civilization."

More on what they have endured.

Sources: Reuters,, HRW,

Christian Woman Meriam Ibrahim Re-Arrested In Sudan After Being Released

Was amazed to read in the paper this morning that Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese Christian woman who was sentenced to death for apostasy, had been released.  World outrage usually relegates victims of barbaric Shariah law to years languishing in jail, like Asia Bibi, the Christian Pakistani woman who was imprisoned in 2010 after being sentenced to death for blasphemy.

It turns out Ibrahim was re-arrested at the Khartoum airport along with the rest of her family.

About 40 security agents detained Mrs Ibrahim - along with her husband, Daniel Wani and two children - at the airport, the sources said.

A top Sudanese official has told the BBC she would be freed "soon".

Abdullahi Alzareg from the ministry of foreign affairs told the BBC's Newshour programme that Mrs Ibrahim had been arrested because she did not have the correct travel documents.

Although she is Sudanese, she was using emergency South Sudanese papers with a US visa, he said.

She would be asked to get a passport and exit visa on her release, he added.

It appears the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) was not happy with the appeal court's decision.


The rest here.

"Execute her" Demands Brother Of Sudanese Christian Convert

It appears the Sudanese woman who has been sentenced to death for apostasy was turned in by her own brother who believes she "should be executed" if she doesn't convert back to Islam.

Al-Samani al-Hadi told CNN that he handed his sister over to the authorities because his family are “Muslim people,” and that she should “repent.”

“It's one of two; if she repents and returns to our Islamic faith and to the embrace of our family then we are her family and she is ours,” he said.

“But if she refuses she should be executed,” he said.

Meriam Yehya Ibrahim was born to an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian mum and a Sudanese Muslim father. After the dad abandoned the family, Meriam was raised as a Christian. She is also married to a southern Sudanese Christian man who happens to be a U.S. citizen.

Proving just how unfair Islam is, Muslim men are allowed to marry women of any faith, on the other hand Muslim woman are only allowed to marry Muslims.

Response from the U.S. State Department: "deeply disturbed."

Christian Sudanese Woman Sentenced To Death For Apostasy

27-year-old Meriam Yehya Ibrahim was raised a Christian, but because her father (who abandoned the family when Meriam was a kid) happens to be Muslim, she is considered a Muslim as well. Meriam, who is 8 months pregnant and married to a Christian, has now been convicted of adultery and apostasy, and was sentenced to death by a Sudanese court. She's to get 100 lashes for good measure, for the adultery.

Ibrahim's lawyer Haram Othman told CNN that her legal team will appeal the verdict within 15 days.

According to the rights group Amnesty International, she was convicted of adultery because her marriage to a Christian man was considered void under Sharia law. She was sentenced to 100 lashes for the second crime.

"The verdict is contrary to commitments Sudan has made in its own Constitution and commitments made under regional and international law; Meriam has been convicted solely on account of her religious convictions and personal status," said Katherine Perks with the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies.

"The fact that a woman could be sentenced to death for her religious choice, and to flogging for being married to a man of an allegedly different religion, is abhorrent and should never be even considered," Manar Idriss, Amnesty International's Sudan researcher, said in a statement.

" 'Adultery' and 'apostasy' are acts which should not be considered crimes at all, let alone meet the international standard of 'most serious crimes' in relation to the death penalty. It is a flagrant breach of international human rights law," the researcher said.

Ibrahim is eight months pregnant and is in custody with her 20-month-old son, according to Amnesty International, which considers her a prisoner of conscience.

This is Islam and Sharia for you.

More here.

Muslims Kill Christians In Iraq On Christmas

So yesterday was Christmas, but not such a merry day for Christians in Muslim-majority countries, however. Especially in Iraq where more than 37 Christians were killed in two different bomb attacks on one of their most holiest of days. And this in spite of high security, barbed wire and blast walls.

There aren't many Christians left in Iraq, they've either left the country or been killed. Of 1.5 million pre-Iraq War, only about half that amount are still there. According to rights activist William Warda every single day around 10 to 20 Christians leave.

“Many Christians ... are fleeing from the country because of this issue, because there is no sign of a bright future.”

Who can blame them. He does have a wee bit of hope: the government declared Christmas a national holiday this year. Not that it prevented the massacres from occurring.

And Christian religious leaders are trying to persuade their flock not to desert the Arab world.

“Immigration is not the solution,” said Monsignor Pios Cacha, a priest at Mar Yousif.

“Leaving the country means wiping out our identity, it means the end of our presence here. And our presence as Christians is a symbol of peace.”

And the Shi'ites (although the majority) are reaching out to the Christian minority, since they too are targets of al-Qaeda terrorists. In fact, Shi'ite politician Ammar Al-Hakim made an appearance at the Mar Yousif's Christmas Eve mass.

Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a Shi’ite party that has sometimes allied with and sometimes opposed Maliki, rose after the sermon and spoke of tolerance, forgiveness and peace, saying Jesus Christ was an example. Then he turned to al-Qaeda.

“They target you like they target us. There are people in this country who believe that anyone who has a different opinion should be killed,” he said as a small army of burly bodyguards in suits fanned out through the church.

“We are partners as targets. We are partners in this challenge. And we will remain partners in confronting extremism, violence and terrorism,” Hakim said.

One car bomb exploded near a church as worshippers were leaving a Christmas Day mass, 27 were killed, 56 or so wounded.  The other bomb exploded near a predominately Christian outdoor market killing 11 and wounding around 14. As is usually the case, those numbers could change.

People used to say that the violence in Iraq was a direct result of foreign 'occupation'- that was when foreign troops were still there- but they've been gone a few years and the violence continues. Big time. So much for that theory.  Extremists just like to fight, and kill, and that's not going to change any time soon.

Egyptian Coptic Christians Forced To Pay "Jizya" Tax

According to the Christian Post, Coptic Christians in the town of Dalga, Egypt, are now being forced to pay the "jizya" tax to the Islamists. For those of you who might not now, that's the Islamic "submission" tax that non-Muslims have to pay if they choose not to convert to Islam. As much as $30.00 a day, for some.

Dalga, a city of 120,000 people in southern Egypt, is home to 20,000 Christians and has been under Islamist control since President Mohammed Morsi was forced to step down by the military at the beginning of the summer. After Morsi's was ousted, Islamist attackers descended upon the city's Christian neighborhoods, torching and plundering and establishing themselves as the city's authority. In response, many Coptic families have fled the city.

Father Yunis Shawqi told reporters from El Dostor Daily News yesterday that though the amount varied, the tax had been leveled against all Christian Copts.

"[The] value of the tribute and method of payment differ from one place to another in the village, so that, some are being expected to pay 200 Egyptian pounds per day, others 500 Egyptian pounds per day," Mr. Shawqi said, according to the translator.

More here.

Video: The Destruction Of Christian Churches and Businesses In Egypt By Muslim Brotherhood Activists

Human Rights Watch documents the destruction and looting of Christian churches, businesses, schools, and even an orphanage by Muslim Brotherhood activists and other Islamists all over Egypt. All of this in retaliation after police and security forces tried to break up the Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins in Cairo.

Two employees on a tourist boat restaurant who were hiding when it was attacked, were found dead. One was a Christian, the other was a Muslim.

No-one came to help before or after the attacks.

Pakistani Muslim Cleric Acquitted In Blasphemy Case

Remember Rimsha Masih, that 14-year-old Pakistani Christian girl with a learning disability who was accused of blasphemy by a local cleric, jailed for three weeks and threatened with death?  And it was later discovered that, according to witnesses, it was actually the cleric, Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti, who had allegedly burned pages from the Quran himself and placed the blame on Masih?   That same cleric, who admittedly has tried to get Christians to move out of his area of town, has been set free. All charges dropped.

His lawyer, Wajid Ali Gilani said:

"The court has dismissed all charges against Khalid Chishti and has acquitted him in this case," Mr Gilani told AFP.

Mr Gilani said the prosecution had failed to prove the charges while all the witnesses had withdrawn their accusations.

Is that surprising? No.

Thankfully the young girl and her family were given safe-haven in Canada.

More Violence In Egypt- Pro-Morsi Supporters Torch Three Churches, Journalists Killed

Violence in the Middle East is never gone for very long. Egypt is back in the throes of it, and pro-Mohammed Morsi supporters are taking it out on the Coptic Christian minorities.

Supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Mursi torched three churches in central Egypt on Wednesday in reprisal attacks as police dispersed demonstrations in Cairo, reports said.

The assailants threw firebombs at Mar Gergiss church in Sohag, a city with a large community of Coptic Christians who comprise up to 10 percent of Egypt’s 84 million people, causing it to burn down, the official MENA news agency said.

Security officials told AFP that another two churches were attacked in el-Menia province, leaving them partially damaged by fire.

Coptic rights group the Maspero Youth Union reported the same information, accusing Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement of “waging a war of retaliation” against the country’s Christians.

Meanwhile, there have been many wounded and killed, on both sides, including 61-year-old Sky News cameraman Mick Deane, and 26-year-old Dubai reporter for XPRESS Habiba Ahmed Abd Elaziz. No-one seems to know who is responsible for their deaths.

More Christians Sentenced To Jail Time In Iran

More Christians have been sentenced to jail time in Iran.

The Revolutionary Court in Shiraz, 571 miles (920 kilometers) south of Tehran, issued prison sentences of 44 months to Mojtaba Seyyed-Alaedin Hossein, Mohammad-Reza Partoei, Vahid Hakkani, and Homayoun Shokouhi for “attending a house church, spreading Christianity, having contact with foreign ministries, propaganda against the regime, and disrupting national security,” according the Mohabat News Agency. They were tried in absentia.

They had been arrested in February 2012, when police raided their house-church meeting. Officials rejected their appeal for release on bail. Hossein and Shokouhi, previously arrested in 2008 on similar accusations and handed five-year suspended sentences, received an additional eight months of imprisonment above last week’s sentence of 44 months. Additionally, Shokouhi’s wife, Fariba Nazemina, and their son, Nima Shokouhi, each received two-year suspended prison sentences.

The four men are being held in Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz, which houses hardened criminals and often lacks heating or health facilities. Officials also routinely deny medical treatment to prisoners, and as a result, Hakkani is in critical condition due to internal bleeding, according to Mohabat. Prison doctors say he is in urgent need of surgery but has little chance of receiving treatment.

Will moderate Hassan Rohani make any changes when he takes over from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? I sincerely doubt it, but I hope I'm wrong.

Christian Women Beaten and Paraded Naked In Pakistan

According to the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), as an act of revenge, Muslim thugs in Pakistan beat up and then proceeded to rip the clothes off of three Christian women. The women were then paraded around in public as a show of power.

Three Christian women – Arshad Bibi, Sajida Bibi and Sauriya Bibi – the daughter-in-laws of Sadiq Masih, a resident of Sereser Chak No 21, Kasur, were brutally beaten and then paraded naked by armed men employed by Muhammad Munir, the son of Abdul Rasheed, a landlord who has the support of the ruling party, the PML-N. The incident occurred on the night of June 3 when the male members of the family were attending to their jobs. The attackers, armed with weapons and batons, were able to enter the house by scaling the boundary wall and unlocking the gate from the inside. At that time, the women were sleeping in the house along with their father-in-law Sadiq Masih, 73, and mother-in-law Rani Bibi, 70.

The mob, lead by Muhammad Munir, Abrahim, Muhammad Rafique and their sons Ahmed, Asif, Abid, Wassem, Waqas and Shabir and three unidentified persons, entered the house. When the attackers invaded the house, they started looking for the sons of Sadiq Masih, checking all the rooms and throwing their belongings about. When they could not find his sons, they started beating the three women.

The reason for the attack:  Sadiq's goats wandered onto the landlord Munir's fields, several times, so he confiscated them. When one of Sadiq's sons, Shaukat,  accompanied by the sister-in-laws, asked for his goats back, Munir beat him up. Shaukat slapped him back, and the rest is history.

Since the landlord is a supporter of the ruling party (PML-N) nothing will happen to the attackers. The family filed a complaint, but the police filed a counter complaint on behalf of the landlord. End of story.

More  here.

Egyptian Coptic Teacher Accused Of Insulting Islam Released On Bail

A Coptic Christian social studies elementary school teacher who was arrested for insulting Islam has been released on bail. 23-year-old Demyana Emad was accused by some of her students and their parents of evangelizing and insulting Mohammed and Islam, something she categorically denies.

Egypt’s top prosecutor ordered on Tuesday the release of a Coptic schoolteacher accused of contempt of Islam on a bail of EGP 20,000, pending investigations.

[snip]

The Upper Egypt Luxor prosecution had ordered her detention for four days pending investigation, and a court renewed her arrest for 15 more days.

This is not an isolated case, according to attorney Naguib Gabriel, of the Egyptian Federation of Human Rights:

“This counts as the 18th incident of arresting Christian teachers on charges of defaming the religion of Islam."

"Copts are fed up with being prosecuted on charges of evangelism and contempt of Islamic religion, especially since there is no article in the penal code that criminalises preaching."

It's okay for Muslims to proselytize, but a no-no for Christians.

Sources: Bikya News, All Africa

Some Christians Can Be Killed- Says Egyptian Politician

Some Egyptian Christians can be killed, so says Mohamed Abu Samra, the secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad Party.

"Those who came out with weapons, their blood is allowed for us [to spill], as a fighter is not considered dhimmi."

Dhimma, for those who might not know, is the Muslim law that provides protection for non-Muslims in Muslim lands as long as they pay the jizya (tax). If you don't, I guess you're on your own.

He laid out the  reasons why it's perfectly justifiable to  kill some Christians, during  an interview with Al-Watan newspaper:

"In the recent funeral, the Christians brought the Qur'an and urinated on it. The Sheikh of Al-Azhar did not deny it. They also came out in demonstrations to destroy Muslim places, chanting 'We'll bring Islam down by any means possible.

"Jihad gagged the new pope, as we told him in a statement 'your seclusion will not terrorize us.' If you want civil war, we will welcome it as you were the ones who started it."

"I believe that Pope Tawadros is more dangerous than Shenouda, because the former considers using force as he is trying to establish a Coptic state. He considers the arrival of the Islamists an opportunity to declare civil war. " "I believe that offering concessions to this person will make him continue on the path, which he charted, but the end will not be as he expects. Egypt is not like Lebanon or Southeast Asia, and national unity is a fact [here]."

"What Tawadros is doing is a far cry from what the Coptic people want."

More here.