The Murder War Against Egypt's Christians

Egypt was not a congenial place for its Christian minority even under Hosni Mubarak. Now conditions are getting worse, writes Peter Goodspeed in Canada's National Post:

Last weekend’s massacre of Coptic Christians in Cairo is just a symptom of a more dangerous disease, as the transition to civilian rule has fallen victim to a creeping counter-revolution led by the military. ...

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, which tracks religious discrimination, reports a steady rise in attacks on Coptic Christians. It noted 52 serious cases in which Christians were killed, their churches burned or church properties attacked in 2008-10. In none of the incidents was anyone brought to justice.

During the Mubarak era, Coptic Christians were discriminated against by being denied access to some public posts, and restrictions were imposed on building or repairing their churches.

The government also refuses to recognize conversions to Christianity, approving only conversions from Christianity to Islam.