When we Egyptians pride ourselves in our compassion and our ability to look past our religious differences, we still manage to find news that negate all our claims. The title doesn’t say “Christian Lady” because it shouldn’t matter. Unfortunately, there is a sectarian reason why this happened. It is sad to hear the news of an elderly Christian lady being stripped and publicly shamed in Minya by an angry mob, but we can’t turn a blind eye when things like this happen.
“what happened in Minya is a shameful, barbaric act that should not go unpunished.”
Actions speak louder than words. And what happened in Minya is a shameful, barbaric act that should not go unpunished. It has been reported that the reason behind this was that word got out that a Christian man was having a relationship with a Muslim woman. Following this news, angry Muslims took to the streets and reportedly vandalized the properties of Christian citizens. They then proceeded to go to the house of the Christian man in question and strip his mother of all her clothes and shame her in public. Subsequently, the police has arrested 7 men who are suspected of being part of this group. The group is reported to have been of 300 people.
“Why must we continue to prove that we are in fact intolerant people who will take the first chance they get to become violent to each other?”
Why must this outrageous act of violence be committed over something as trivial (and private) as a relationship, which wasn’t even confirmed? Why must this woman be forced into this awful experience? Why must we continue to prove that we are in fact intolerant people who will take the first chance they get to become violent to each other?
“When an elderly woman is forcefully stripped, that doesn’t say much about the bravery of the men around her.”
We always boast about the bravery and admirable morals of Upper Egyptians. However, today their bravery and morals have failed them. When an elderly woman is forcefully stripped, that doesn’t say much about the bravery of the men around her. Egypt, today is a day when we should all feel ashamed of what has happened to this lady. We pray that justice would be served and her dignity restored.