Copts from the village Dafash in al-Minya governorate have accused members of the Muslim Brotherhood of preventing them from building a church dome. Members of the Brotherhood “allegedly” obstructed construction claiming there was no need for it.

Construction of the church began three years ago. At the time, violence broke out among extremists Muslims in objection to its construction. A number of Copts defended themselves, which lead to the death of a young man.

Recently the dispute has intensified. In al-Minya, one of the Copts from the village gave a tip to Police Station Abū Qurqās against a person called Muhammad Hasan. Hasan is accused of seizing land that belongs to Copts. There is now a dispute about whom the land belongs to and about whether a church can be built on this land (Rānīyah Nabīl, al-Sabāh, Mar. 18, p. 3). Read original text in Arabic.