Christian father and son hospitalised following knife attack

A Christian man and his son were attacked by a 43-year-old Muslim man in the early hours of the morning in the Omranya district of Giza in Giza Governorate, Egypt, on 28 July.

Joseph Israel and his son were attacked by Ahmad Mouhammad outside Mr Israel’s wine shop in Khatam El Morsaleen Street in Omranya. Mr Mouhammad reportedly attacked both with a knife before some of Mr Israel’s Muslim neighbours intervened and beat the assailant badly. Mr Mouhammad, Mr Israel and his son are currently in hospital receiving medical treatment for their injuries.

In a post on Facebook, Coptic journalist Nader Shokry suggested that these attacks are the result of hate speech and sectarian incitement by Islamist preachers such as Sheikh Abdullah Rushdy and Sheikh Mabrook Attia.

In recent weeks, Sheikh Attia has appeared in controversial YouTube videos commenting on the murder of university student Naira Ashraf, 21, who was stabbed to death by a male student after rejecting his repeated advances. Sheikh Attia blamed the victim for not wearing a hijab and criticised how she dressed. He had also encouraged women to cover themselves up to avoid attacks. In another video clip, Sheikh Attia criticised the Sermon on the Mount and mocked the name of Jesus.

According to one of CSW’s sources, a number of lawyers have filed complaints against Sheikh Attia with Egypt’s Prosecutor General, accusing him of contempt of religion and inciting hate. The same source expressed frustration that Article 98 of the Penal Code, which pertains to contempt of religion, is consistently used to prosecute Christians and intellectuals, but is never employed against preachers spreading hate speech.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: “We are relieved that Mr Israel and his son have survived this brutal attack, thanks to the intervention of their Muslim neighbours. However, more must be done to tackle the hate speech that fuels sectarianism and prompts attacks such as these. CSW urges the Egyptian government to continue formulating and enacting policies to counter sectarianism and hate speech, while ensuring that justice is served in this case in order to serve as a deterrent.”