A Message of Reconciliation in the Face of Anti-Christian Violence

By Emad Botrous

News

On 31 August, a group of Muslims attacked four Coptic homes in the Village of Demshaw Hashem in Minya, Upper Egypt. According to Bishop Makarios of the Archdiocese of the Minya Governate, the homes were burnt by Muslim extremists in protest against their use as houses of worship, assuming that they would be transformed into church buildings in the near future. Repetitive anti-Christian violence such as this is often triggered by matters related to the establishment of new church buildings, whereby Christians attempt to use their house as a place of worship with the intent to eventually transform the residential home into a church building. To build a church, Egyptian law requires a permit. While in some areas it takes a long time to obtain a permit, in others it is impossible due to social and religious dynamics.

Analysis

There was a strong national outcry against such anti-Christian violence, particularly when practiced not by terrorist groups like ISIS, but by the members of a local community. This particular fact was seen as a cause for alarm by many journalist. While some called for an end to incidents like this, others attempted to explore the motivations behind them. Sameer Markus discusses some possible motivations behind such repeated incidents: poverty and illiteracy as being the seeds for the growth of extremism, poor communication, or the lack thereof, between Muslims and Christians, love stories between young Christian and Muslim people, where one partner cannot marry the other due to religious barriers, the lack of clear legal procedures for the building of churches, and as prelude to an upcoming speech by President Sisi at the United Nations, or as an attempt to provoke the Copts the Coptic Pope visit to them. As we can see, the issue is complex for a variety of reasons, be they religious, social or legal. The situation requires serious collective interventions from all relevant parties.

Theological and Misssiological Reflections

Our call for communal interventions by all parties invites Egyptian Christians, as followers of Jesus Christ, to continue working toward a constructive response on their part to anti-Christian violence. Because this violence has a long history, many suggestions have been offered. During a recent visit to Upper Egypt and through conversations with ABTS graduates, I observed a strong conviction and a sense of calling to change the currently predominant “culture of violence” in their communities through educational centers for younger generations to learn the values and skills of coexistence, tolerance, and acceptance. The implementation of peacebuilding initiatives like IMES’ Khebz w Meleh (“Bread and Salt”) is also encouraged in Upper Egypt. Khebz w Meleh believes that by providing a safe space for young people from various religious backgrounds to discuss their faith together, become friends, and take social action, they can realize their roles as agents of change, specifically as “peacemakers” and “reconcilers,” and accordingly, play positively transformative roles within their respective communities as they work toward attaining the common good. Another way of bringing people together is to establish joint business initiatives and community-based development projects where Muslims and Christians work together in pursuit of a common interest. It was indeed thrilling to see ABTS graduates taking their mandate seriously, to see people reconciled, and communities restored through the body of Christ within their local communities.

It is our biblical mandate as a church community to carry the message of reconciliation: to see communities reconciled not only with God but also with one other (2 Cor. 5:20). As follower of Jesus Christ, we are called to transform the prevailing “cultures of violence” into “cultures of reconciliation.” This requires serious engagement with the deeper issues with which our communities have been suffering for decades.