Coptic Priest Killed In Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood Blamed For Sectarian Violence

Cairo, Egypt – Gunmen shot a Coptic priest in Northern Sinai on Saturday, signaling a possible sectarian attack in the wake of the military overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi.

The priest, Mina Aboud Sharween, was shot early Saturday afternoon during a walk in the Masaeed area in El Arish. The Coptic priest shooting is one of several attacks that security forces believe are being carried out by Islamist insurgents.

Four military checkpoints in the region were also fired upon. On Friday, five police officers were killed in attacks.

Maspero Youth Union has blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for the attacks, claiming that they are attempting to undermine Egypt’s desire for freedom.

“The president’s supporters attacked [the] churches in Luxor, Qena, Minya, Towa, Sharm el-Sheikh and Marsa Matrouh,” a statement from the group said.

“We say to them, tear down all the churches, it is not going to stop us from building Egypt…We will use the stones of our churches to build our homeland.”

Coptic Christians comprise less than 10 percent of Egypt’s population, and often face persecution at the hands of Muslim groups in the country. Morsi’s own Muslim Brotherhood has criticized Coptic Pope Tawadros for giving his blessing to the removal of the president.

He also attended the announcement given by military commander Abdel Fattah al-Sisi which suspended the constitution.

Do you think that the Coptic priest’s murder could signal the start of a new round of sectarian violence in Egypt? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image via: Third Age]