Following the fatwa issued by a Muslim Brotherhood mufti, congratulating Copts on the Easter holiday was prohibited.

There have also been a number of recent calls made to prevent the celebration of Sham al-Nessim, an Egyptian national holiday marking the beginning of spring, which is celebrated the day after Eastern Christians Easter, which is also recognized as an official state holiday.

Fliers were distributed in the governorate of Beni Suef, outside of Cairo, which read "Sham el-Nessim is Not Our Holiday," and included a fatwa prohibiting citizens from celebrating the holiday. more >>

During his first interview since the attack against St. Mark's Cathedral, Coptic Patriarch H.H. Pope Tawadros II said that Christians in Egypt are being ignored by the country's government.

"Egypt's Christians feel sidelined, ignored and neglected by Muslim Brotherhood-led authorities, who proffer assurances but have taken little or no action to protect them from violence," Reuters quoted the patriarch as saying.

The patriarch also expressed his dismay at the regime's attack of Egypt's judiciary, calling it a pillar of Egyptian society that should not be altered. He also described the official accounts of the cathedral events as a "pack of lies." more >>

Local reports indicate that an unidentified gunmen kidnapped a Coptic man and his son in the North Sinai border city of Rafah, late Thursday night, as they were returning to their home.

A security source said, "Unidentified gunmen with a SUV kidnapped the Coptic citizen and his son at gunpoint in Rafah," according to Egyptian newspaper Al-Shorouk.

The source added that it is currently unknown where the group has taken the two abductees, but the kidnappers demanded half a million Egyptian pounds in ransom for their release. more >>

The head of the Free Egyptians Party (FEP), Dr. Ahmed Said, has revealed that he has an eyewitness account of the April 7 attack on St. Mark's Cathedral in Cairo.

Said reported that he did not see security forces protect the cathedral, although the interior ministry deployed security forces 10 days prior to the attack and stationed them around the Muslim Brotherhood's Guidance Bureau to protect it during demonstrations.

In an FEP conference held at the Families Club in northern Egypt, Said condemned the policies of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and wondered how long the president would continue to appear before the people and claim that all communities are in his heart. more >>

Former Lebanese Minister Wadie el-Khazen, Head of the Public Maronite Council, rebuked the kidnapping of his brother, Aleppo Archbishop for the Greek Orthodox, Paul Yazigi, and Aleppo Archbishop for the Syriac Orthodox Church, John Ibrahim.

An unknown armed group kidnapped the two archbishops from the Aleppo countryside on Monday afternoon and there are unconfirmed reports that the kidnappers killed the driver of Archbishop Ibrahim.

Khazen described the kidnapping as a stab in the national unity that Syria had protected throughout history as a model for peaceful coexistence between religions. more >>

Dr. Omar el-Sebakhi, head of the Assembly of Human Rights Supporters' (AHRS) and professor at the University of Alexandria's Faculty of Engineering, said that the attacks on Copts have significantly increasing in the recent period.

He referenced the U.S. State Department's annual report on human rights, which discussed discrimination against women and religious minorities in Egypt.

Speaking to MCN, Sebakhi said that discrimination against Copts is illustrated by the repeated attacks on churches, most recently the church in Khosos and St. Mark's Cathedral. more >>