Posted on 04/04/2009 11:47:43 AM PDT by knighthawk
Villagers attacked the homes of members of the tiny minority Baha'i faith with stones and firebombs in the south of Egypt this week, forcing families to flee for safety, rights groups said on Friday. Police later asked all Baha'is remaining in the mainly Muslim village of Shuraniya to depart, and no Baha'is were left there by the evening of April 1, a group of six Egyptian rights groups said in a joint statement, quoted by Reuters.
Egyptian police have detained seven people on suspicion of vandalism in the case, security sources said. "Because the violence was ongoing, police asked them to leave the village for their own protection," Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, told Reuters.
"We don't think that Baha'is would be safe if they went back right now," he added.
Baha'is number between 500 and 2,000 in Egypt.
The rights groups said the attacks in Shuraniya, in Sohag province about 400 km south of Cairo and home to around five Baha'i families, began on March 28 when villagers gathered outside Baha'i homes chanting: "There is no god but God, and Baha'is are the enemies of God".
Attackers later pelted the homes with stones, breaking windows, before police dispersed the crowd, the rights groups said. Similar attacks took place over the next two days.
Attackers returned on Tuesday and threw firebombs at the Baha'i homes, damaging them, the rights groups added, citing reports by the families. The groups said vandals also damaged property and stole electronics and livestock, and Bahgat said he feared anti-Baha'i violence could spread unless prosecutors took action.
Ping
Our govt gives Eygpt $3 billion a year.
must be because of their support for Israel.
Muslims have a big problem with that (Islam must be supreme), so the Bahai'i get persecuted.
If they support Israel that's another strike.
Aww come on, you didn’t see the sarcasm there?!
I thought in this one case it was obvious
Thanks for posting.
I once met a fellow believer who was imprisoned in Egypt because of her faith, probably 10 - 15 years ago. This is nothing new there.
To be sure Hussein will come out against this.
Please consider my comment as factually true (theology does matter) and FYI.
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