In a report submitted to the Public Prosecutor Tal’at Ibrāhīm, a number of leaders from the Orthodox Church and some Coptic secular figures were accused of forming a terrorist organization known by the name “Black Bloc”. There are allegations that the Church has individual “Black Bloc” scouts in all governorates of Egypt.
Dr. Ahmed Muhammad Mustafá, the former director of Khānkah Hospital, and Muhammad al-Shamās, two recently converted Muslims were hosted on the TV channel “al-Ummah” and made similar allegations. The two men have also confirmed to al-Misrīyūn that the “Black Bloc” is made up of groups that are recruited by scouts from the Church.
Mustafá revealed that among the supporting figures of these groups are Archpriest Antonius Mīlād, Deputy of Suez Diocese, and ‘Awnī ‘Awad and Majdī al’-Dīb, Chaperons at Saint George Church in Suez. He added that Archpriest Shenouda Kamāl of the Virgin Mary Church in al-Zaytūn, Cairo and Father Mattiyās Nasr of Saint Kyrillos and Saint Mark Church in ‘Izbat al-Nakhl were also part of the team that scours the country for new members.
“Black Bloc” members are allegedly receiving training from the former police brigade in a number of monasteries around the country. A number of monasteries have been said to be used to train these groups to use armed weapons to threaten those that have converted to Islam to return to Christianity. According to Mustafá and al-Shamās, these groups work to support the separatist cries to divide Egypt. They are said to participate in the kidnapping of new converts and induce them with money or threaten to hold their children or wives in the monasteries to force them to convert back to Christianity. Thus according to Mustafá and al-Shamās, the “Black Bloc” and members of the Church are actively engaged in carrying out a sectarian strife in Egypt.
Copts abroad are accused of funding the trainings and militias. Additionally, a group call the “Expatriate Coptic Dutch” consists of Copts in various European countries that allegedly oppose and resist any move of Islamic politicians and are deliberately fueling hatred and deepening sectarian problems in Egypt. A number of prominent Copts, both inside and outside Egypt, are accused of abusing their positions in order to spread sectarian violence. For example, Mustafá explains how through his work as a reporter, Nājī Walīm was able to publish a lot of propaganda for the Coptic opposition that was targeted at Islamic leaders.
Al-Shamās mentions other names of Coptic figures who act as lawyers for the Church and provide advice on how to legally protect scouts and members of the “Black Bloc”.
Al-Shamās claims the “Black Bloc” carries out frequent violent actions against peaceful protesters to guarantee the continuation of the January Revolution. This has allegedly been confessed by a number of arrested “Black Bloc” members (Nuhá ‘Uthmān and Muhammad Hamīlī, al-Misrīyūn, Feb. 27, p. 4). Read original text in Arabic.
