Egyptian president pledges justice in attack on elderly Christian woman

Egypt’s leader publicly promised justice for an elderly Coptic Christian woman recently beaten, stripped naked, and paraded through the streets by a mob of angry Muslims.

As many as 300 Muslims attacked seven Christian homes in El-Karm, Minya Province, on May 20, vandalizing, looting, and burning houses, according to Ahram Online. Other reports claimed Copts retaliated against some Muslim homes as well.

During the violence, some members of the mob dragged 70-year-old Soad Thabet into the street, eventually parading her naked as they shouted, “Allahu Akbar,” according to Christian cleric Anba Makarios.

“They burned the house and went in and dragged me out, threw me in front of the house and ripped my clothes. I was just as my mother gave birth to me, screaming and crying,” Thabet told Reuters. It took Thabet several days to “swallow the humiliation” enough to report the attack.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi condemned the violence. During a public speech in Cairo on May 30, he said all Egyptians are “equal in rights and duties,” regardless of religion, according to Ahram Online.

“When I address my speech to this woman, I don’t say this [Christian] Egyptian because we are all one,” al-Sisi said. He gave the military one month to restore damaged property at no cost to the victims.

Al-Sisi also said whoever committed the crime should be held accountable no matter how many people were responsible.

The mob targeted Thabet because of rumors her married, Christian son had an affair with a Muslim woman. The woman, who also is married, has denied any affair, according to Reuters.

In fear for their lives, Thabet’s son Ashraf and his wife and children fled one day before the attacks, following threats. In a television interview, Makarios said Ashraf’s family notified police of the threats, but “no one did anything and the police took no pre-emptive or security measures in anticipation of the attacks.”

Interfaith affairs are taboo in Egypt and marriage laws favor Islam by prohibiting Christian men from marrying Muslim women unless they convert to Islam. Muslim men are allowed to marry Christian women.

Ahram Online reported the Minya governor initially denied the attack on Thabet and her neighbors, then downplayed it. The incident outraged the Coptic community, many of whom already feel frustrated by injustice and continued violence against them.

“If it were just a burning, we could handle it, but what can we do about what happened to the woman? How can you compensate for this insult?” Thabet’s neighbor and relative Ishak William told Reuters.

Coptic Bishop Angaelos said the community is rejecting “reconciliation meetings” because “they have historically been used as a cosmetic short-term solution, without addressing root causes or preventing the recurrence of similar incidents,” according to Independent Catholic News.

Al Azhar, Cairo’s ancient center of Islamic learning, condemned the attack and reported the leader of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Tawadros II, called on the community to show restraint following the incident.

As of May 25, six people have been arrested and police are looking for 12 more.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.