Egypt: Three churches closed down in Minya

ABC News reported on 30 October 2017 that three churches had been closed down in southern Egypt. According to the Minya Coptic Orthodox Diocese the churches were closed down due to fear of attack by radical Muslims. The Governor of Minya denied this, stating that the closures were due to the churches not having a license. He did however admit that there had been attacks against two of the churches in his governorate in recent days. Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, states: "This incident shows how the interplay between mobs led by radical Muslims and the local authorities reinforces the persecution of Christians. Radical Muslims incite local populations to violent actions against Christians and local officials not only fail to provide protection for the Christian community, they then use such acts of violence as excuses for closing churches down on grounds of "˜security" or they claim that the houses of worship in question have no proper licenses. Given the difficulty in securing licenses for churches in Egypt, most are vulnerable for such kinds of harassment and oppression."