Here again we see the double standard that prevails in all too many countries: Fady Yousef was arrested for allegedly insulting Islam, which he denies doing; if, however, he had insulted any other religion, he would be a free man today. Both Coptic and Greek Orthodox Christians live a precarious existence, always subject to the whim of authorities who may at any time bow to the demands of the mob or take it upon themselves to make the Christians’ lives difficult. The Egyptian government has repeatedly promised to protect the nation’s Christians, but has done little. Please continue to pray that the hearts of governing officials will be turned toward the light and that they would act on behalf of this powerless minority in their country.
“Coptic Christian Arrested for Allegedly Insulting Islam on Facebook in Egypt,” Morning Star News, June 18, 2019:
CAIRO, Egypt (Morning Star News) – A young Coptic Christian man has been arrested near Cairo, Egypt for allegedly insulting Islam after a hacker posted material on his Facebook page, he and family members said.
Fady Yousef, 25, was arrested early in the morning of June 11 in Giza, southwest of Cairo, despite having posted a video explaining that hackers had placed the offending material on his Facebook page, according to the Coptic Bishopric of Maghagha and El Edwa in Minya.
The previous night (June 10), Muslim extremists angry over the offending material attacked his parents’ home in Eshneen el Nasara village, near Maghgaha in Minya Governorate, about 260 kilometers (160 miles) south of Giza, according to a statement from the bishopric.
“On Monday [June 10] some extremists reaching a few hundred from Eshneen el Nasara village and the villages around it attacked the home of Yousef Todary,” the statement from Bishop Anba Aghathon read. “They entered and destroyed the contents of the house, then moved to the house next door where his brother lived and attacked it from the outside. They were shouting against the Christian religion and the Copts of the village.”
Yousef Todary, his wife and daughter were able to escape minutes before the Muslim extremists broke in and destroyed the refrigerator, television set, mattresses, furniture and windows, according to the bishop.
Stating that Muslim extremists alleged the post was insulting to Islam, the bishop defended Fady Yousef, reiterating that he said his Facebook was hacked.
The young Copt posted an apology on the page saying he would never do such a thing, and that people who knew him know this well. His sister, Nermeen Yousef, also posted a clarification, saying her brother apologized not because he did anything wrong, but because people mistakenly believed that he was the author of the post, according to Copts United….
