Two Dead after Attack on Church Construction

Photos courtesy of U.S. Copts Association

Two Coptic Christians are reported dead and at least ten others were injured when a group of Muslim youths attempted to stop the construction of a new Coptic church building in the village of el-Udaysaat near the southern Egyptian town of Luxor .  The attack took place in the early morning of January 19 when the youths set fire to building materials.  They claimed the church did not have permission to build.  According to reports from the U.S. Copts Association, police officers who arrived at the scene did little to stop the violence or protect the Christians.  Those who died of injuries were Kamal Shaker and a thirteen-year-old boy, George Shahata.  Shahata is reported to have died as the result of a heart condition that was exacerbated by the attack.

Video footage of the funeral is also available on VOMC's multimedia website, https://www.vomcanada.com/.

Kamal Shaker	George Shahata
Photos courtesy of U.S. Copts Association

Ask God to comfort the families of Kamal and George in their grief. Pray that God will enable the believers to forgive their attackers and that those responsible for the attack will be drawn to Christ as a result.

For more information on persecution facing Christians in Egypt , click here.

(Source: U.S. Copts Association)