Egyptian authorities recently barged onto and seized land belonging to an ancient Coptic Christian monastery that was originally founded in the year 360 AD—that is, more than 250 years before Islam first invaded (and subsequently conquered) Christian Egypt in the seventh century.
On May 30, 2021, authorities arrived with bulldozers and police at the Monastery of Saint Macarius in the deserts of Wadi al-Rayan in Fayum. They demolished a fence of the annex-farm and other structures, including a church that had been erected by the monks living there. Several monks who protested or tried to prevent this state sanctioned destruction were arrested but shortly released.
The reason for this takeover is that the monastery has been unable to pay the exorbitant levies that the government imposed on it a few years ago, in large measure due to the many government enforced COVID-19 restrictions, including on tourism, which would have helped keep the ancient monastery afloat.
Commenting on this, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a human rights organization, said:
Whilst we recognise the right of the government to collect the agreed taxes, we also recognise that this monastery has been on this site for centuries and that the rental levies are a relatively recent expense in its historic existence. We encourage all parties to engage in a process of negotiation to ensure a just settlement in this matter, including a reappraisal of the rent that the monastery is required to pay, which is a considerable financial burden even outside the unusual circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has negatively impacted livelihoods in Egypt and across the world.
It’s worth noting that this is hardly the first time that the Egyptian government harasses the ancient Christian monasteries scattered in the deserts of Egypt—the one in question, St. Macarius, in particular.
In 2015, for instance, the Egyptian government initiated a project to build a road around Fayum. The proposed road would have crossed the territory around and threatened to destroy ancient heritage sites connected to the Monastery of St. Macarius. Although its monks had submitted alternative plans that would allow for a road but also preserve the site’s integrity, authorities rejected them.
In the end, the monks had no choice but to lay their bodies down before the path of the bulldozers, which arrived to the accompaniment of triumphant cries of “Allahu Akbar” from the company drivers and workers (pictures here). Then, the monks were again arrested again, though later released, and the road construction started, against their will.
The man of lawlessness is on a very long leash. There are few places remaining, in the east and west, where Christians are not persecuted to some degree or the other.
We are witnessing what is written in Romans 1v18 onward about the futility of the mind of people who reject God. That increased rejection of God and His moral law is evident in all spheres of society, even by political leaders, in the cultural violence and ‘woke’ thinking so rapidly on the increase.
Please remember that June 29th is The Day of the Martyrs. PRAY 🙏🏻
Thank you Tershia for reminding us.
Does anyone know the amount in levies due to the government ? If at all feasible I would be willing to make a small contribution to help the monks out.
Why other charities and wealthy businessmen bail tge church out ?
Christians do not help their overseas brothers and sisters …
… because they do not bother to inform themselves of what needs to be done.
… and also because for some inexplicable reason they do not think they deserve help when they’re persecuted …
… and – all too often – they refuse to help because the Christians belong to another ‘denomination’ — which is especially disturbing when the ‘denomination’ – such as the Copts – existed before the Roman Catholic Church split Christians into a myriad of factions …
Put another way; if Christians cannot even get together to find a job for the “NAZZZIIII” … who made the mistake of using the wrong pronoun to a Leftist nut-job … why should we expect them to ‘love their neighbor as they love themselves … ‘
*** G-d bless everyone here, and watch over Raymond and his family …
To Danknight: you are so right – which is why I never mention the Christian denomination into which I was born anywhere but only ‘Christian’. I don’t listen to pope or bishop or any priest but only to my own Christian conscience. If I had the power I would bring all those poor persecuted Christians of any denomination to Europe instead of letting them be mistreated in those uncivilised countries. I can’t forgive Theresa May for not offering asylum to Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi not to upset you know who and she went to Canada in the end.
I am speechless over this. How fast the Pharaoh’s forget that it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hand of an angry God. Plagues are coming….
http://www.freedomcry.life