A family of three were attacked and seriously wounded by a neighbour in Al-Nasriyah. Despite their injuries, Egyptian authorities labelled the attack “a normal quarrel”.
As Houda and her two sons, Shenouda and Ishaq, sat outside their home one night, a Muslim neighbour approached them.
Ishaq recalled, “He told us to get inside the house, because we were Christians and Christians shouldn’t be out on the street because they are dogs.”
Houda refused his demand.
“The extremist got angry,” said Ishaq. “Then he rushed home, came back with a knife and started hitting and stabbing the family.”
22-year-old Shenouda was badly injured and rushed to hospital. His injuries were so severe that several hospitals refused to admit him.
Once admitted, doctors rushed Shenouda into surgery. Houda and Ishaq both required stitches for their injuries.
Though police arrested the attacker, pressure from the local Muslim community has made further legal action difficult.
A neighbour who saw the attack gave his testimony, but police reported that the incident was “just a normal quarrel”.
A relative of the family said that they are being pressured to drop all charges and let a ‘reconciliation session’ replace formal legal proceedings.
“This extremist must be punished by law because he committed a crime,” the relative said. “Impunity of such acts will only encourage further violence.”
Please pray for the family as they continue to recover from this incident.
Pray For Egypt:
- Pray that the Lord will bring physical and spiritual healing as Shenouda recovers from surgery.
- Pray that God will bring peace and protection to the family as they recover from the attack.
- Pray for harmony within Egypt as Christians face severe persecution for their faith.
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