Monastery of Saint Fana
Encyclopedia
The Monastery of Saint Fana is a Coptic Orthodox monastery
. It is named after Saint Fana
, also known as Saint Bane (c. 354–395), an Egyptian
Christian hermit. The monastery
is sometimes called the Monastery of Abu Fana and is also known as the Monastery of the Cross, due to the presence of many beautifully decorated crosses inside its church.
about 300 km south of Cairo
, northwest of al-Ashmunayn, around 2 km from the village of Qasr Hur
and east of the village of Beni Khaled
.
was most likely built around the burial site of Saint Fana
. His tomb was found during excavations of an international team representing seven European academic institutions and led by Austrian scholar Prof. Dr. Helmut Buschhausen in 1992.
The 12th century historian Abu al-Makarim
mentions the church of Saint Fana
, which was restored by al-Rashid Abu Fadl. Egyptian historian of the 14th–15th century al-Maqrizi wrote about the monastery's fine architecture.
The History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria
mentions the monastery
of Saint Fana
twice, first in relation to the election of Pope Theodosius II
, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, 1294 -1300 and second to the childhood of Patriarch Matthew I, 1378–1408.
In pre-Islamic times the monastery reportedly numbered some 1000 monks. The monastery
's numbers had drastically dwindled before the arrival of Islam in the seventh century. Al-Maqrizi
reports that during his day, the monastery
held only two monks.
The French Jesuit priest Father Michel Marie Jullien (1827–1911) reported that the priest of the neighboring village Qasr Hur
had cleared the church of debris and used the church for the Divine Liturgy.
When German scholar Dr. O.F.A. Meinardus visited the monastery in the 1960s, the place was in ruins with remains stretching over a wide area. Only the historical church survived. Pieces of gray granite were also found, suggesting that the monastery may have been built on the location where an ancient temple once stood. On a small hill stand the ruins of a qasr
, or tower, which ancient monasteries had. Approximately 80 meters from the ruined monastery one finds the cave of Saint Fana
, the location where he reportedly lived. Meinardus does not report on the monastery
being inhabited.
The surviving old monastic building consists of an ancient basilica
, deeply sunk into the sand in the center of a vast mound that, according to the Coptic Encyclopedia, “no doubt” conceals the ruins of the Monastery. The neighboring mounds perhaps conceal isolated cells or hermitages.
after the excavations of the team of Dr. Helmut Buschhausen in 1987–1993. Following these excavations, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture decided in the year 2002 to declare an area of 1 km by 2 km as the archaeological periphery of the monastery. The Department of Antiquities
suspects that this land may hold buried historical remains. see map
After the Department of Antiquities decision, the Coptic Orthodox Church built new cells, a new entrance, a reception and a large cathedral just outside the boundaries of the archaeological periphery see photo –(monastic buildings built from the year 2000 onwards). Prior to 1999, no monks resided permanently in the monastery. Five monks came to the monastery in 1999, and in 2003, Pope Shenouda
, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, consecrated an additional 12 monks, followed later by one more monk. From 2003 onwards there have been repeatedly conflicts over land with neighbors of the monastery. In July 2008 there are a total of 18 monks and 9 novices residing in the monastery, who are assisted by tens of laymen.
of Saint Fana
reported that monks' cells and a church belonging to the monastery
had been attacked by a group of roughly sixty armed Arabs, a name commonly used in Egypt
for Bedouins who have settled in villages bordering the desert The location they show is an outpost of the monastery with monastic cells and a chapel dedicated to Saint Cyril
see photo –(extension of the monastery that was attacked). The attacks resulted in damage to this section of the monastery
and its surrounding property.
A subsequent attack left one Muslim killed, four Christians wounded, and three monks being briefly kidnapped, requiring hospital treatment upon their return. The three kidnapped monks were tortured by the Arabs, who also tried unsuccessfully to force them to spit on crosses and to pronounce the Islamic Shahada
. In addition, the Arabs burned Bibles and church altars inside the monastery. The clashes were followed one day later by a demonstration of around 300 Coptic youth in Mallawi
who blamed the government for "inaction in the face of repeated attacks by Muslims against their community."
13 Muslims and two Christians who were allegedly involved were arrested and brought before the prosecutor-general.
Governor Ahmed Dia el-Din found a number of police reports documenting disputes over land that span several years. Saint Fana
's Monastery
had obtained a portion of their land by employing “urfi” contracts, resulting in the governor's rejection of the monastery's claim to possess valid land titles.
“Urfi” contracts, are agreements between two parties that lack the proper registration with the government, contracts that are drafted without first obtaining the required governmental permits. Monks of the monastery criticized local police, stationed approximately 6 km from the monastery, for arriving at the monastery
several hours after having been informed of the attack. Coptic activists abroad, both during and following the attack, were contacted by monks and laymen in and close to the monastery. They responded by posting angry responses on the Internet and holding several demonstrations in North America and Europe.
Many Copts, both those living in the diocese of Mallawi
, the diocese the Monastery
belongs to, and Coptic activists in the West, alleged that Muslims attempted to force the three kidnapped monks to convert to Islam by declaring the Shahada, the Islamic creed. Many YouTube productions followed, statements were made, press releases were published, all placing the conflict in a sectarian context, rarely making references to conflicting land claims and if this is done, it is often done to explicitly deny that a land conflict played a role.
The responses from monks, Christian workers in the monastery
, and Coptic activists in the West encouraged hundreds of Christians to demonstrate in Mallawi
, a Middle Egyptian town which is the seat of the Bishop of Mallawi
who is also the abbot of the Monastery
of Saint Fana
. Demonstration
s of Christians in Egypt is a relatively new phenomenon
. Christian protesters in Mallawi chanted "With our blood and soul, we will defend the Cross.”.
The attack on the monastery
and the ensuing Copt
ic response in and outside Egypt
was prominently reported in Egypt
. Heated discussions following the attack were published in the Egyptian media for many weeks following the attack.
Coptic
monks and Egyptian Christians close to the Monastery
of Saint Fana
placed the attack in a sectarian context which was echoed on several Copt
ic websites in the West. Coptic leader Pope Shenouda
stated that the assailants did not want the monks to cultivate the desert land they legally possess. "These (assailants – referring to the Muslim Arab neighbors of the Monastery) do not have any one to rule them," Pope Shenouda said in a statement criticizing the Egyptian government for not being able to control the Monastery
's Arab neighbors. Pope Shenouda's statement came very close to calling the conflict “sectarian”. The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church called on the Egyptian President
Muhammad Husni Mubarak to intervene to prevent a repetition of similar assaults. Egyptian media quoted Egypt
ian officials explicitly denying that this conflict was of a sectarian or religious nature. Egyptian journalist Muhammad al-Baz reports in Al-Fajr
that the attack against the Saint Fana
Monastery
was not the first of its kind, and that attacks have been carried out since 2005, but denies that there was a sectarian element to the attacks. Instead, he believes that there were materialistic and financial motives (land ownership) involved. He criticized the monks’ allegations that they were targeted because they are Copts. Al-Baz claims that the monks pretended that the attacks were of a sectarian nature to obtain people’s compassion and prove that they are persecuted. Dr. Amr al-Shubaki stated on 12 June in al-Misri al-Yawm that the absence of a state of law hurts both Muslims and Christians alike, in the same way that other serious problems such as anarchy and unemployment do. Dr. al-Shubaki referred to the widespread use of urfi agreements and the system of Wad al-Yad – a common practice to obtain land. One does not own the land but nevertheless reclaims it and after doing so for several years the land becomes legally owned by the person cultivating the land.
Copt
ic intellectual Dr. Samir Morkos believes this is a land-conflict with religious dimensions that were introduced to strengthen partisan positions. He worries about the effect that this dispute may potentially have on grassroots Muslim-Christian relations.
Many foreign media have reported the attack; "Egyptian Christians, Muslims clash, killing one (Reuters/may 31), "One killed, four injured in Egypt monastery clash," (AFP/31 May). The Los Angeles Times (11 June) placed the attack in the context of other violence directed against Copts. The Washington Post
(7 July) reported that attacks such as this one make the Christian Copts of Egypt
turn inwards, strengthening a ghetto mentality. Christianity Today (23 July) focused on the growing pressure on land and water.
Arab-West Report
( English – Arabic) and the National Council for Human Rights
each sent a delegation to the region to investigate the tensions.
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
. It is named after Saint Fana
Saint Fana
Saint Fana was an Egyptian Christian hermit. A monastery in the diocese of Mallawi, Upper Egypt, is named after him.Saint Fana was born to a Christian family in Memphis...
, also known as Saint Bane (c. 354–395), an Egyptian
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
Christian hermit. The monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
is sometimes called the Monastery of Abu Fana and is also known as the Monastery of the Cross, due to the presence of many beautifully decorated crosses inside its church.
Location
The monastery is situated in the Western Desert, not far from the cultivated land of the Nile valley. The monastery is located in Minya GovernorateMinya Governorate
Minya Governorate is one of the governorates of Upper Egypt. The name originates from the chief city of the governorate, originally known in Sahidic Coptic as Tmoone and in Bohairic as Thmonē , meaning “the residence”, in reference to a monastery formerly in the area...
about 300 km south of Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, northwest of al-Ashmunayn, around 2 km from the village of Qasr Hur
Qasr Hur
Qasr Hur is a village in the governorate of Minya, Egypt, around 300 km south of Cairo, on the edge of the Western or Libyan desert. The village is predominantly Muslim with a small Christian minority. The Coptic Orthodox priest of Qasr Hur has been tending the ruined church of the Monastery of Abu...
and east of the village of Beni Khaled
Beni Khaled
Beni Khaled is a village of Minya Governorate in Egypt....
.
Foundation and history
The monasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
was most likely built around the burial site of Saint Fana
Saint Fana
Saint Fana was an Egyptian Christian hermit. A monastery in the diocese of Mallawi, Upper Egypt, is named after him.Saint Fana was born to a Christian family in Memphis...
. His tomb was found during excavations of an international team representing seven European academic institutions and led by Austrian scholar Prof. Dr. Helmut Buschhausen in 1992.
The 12th century historian Abu al-Makarim
Abu al-Makarim
Al-Mu'taman Abu al-Makarim Sa'd Allah Jirjis ibn Mas'ud was a priest of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt living in the thirteenth century. Abu al-Makarim is best known as the author of a famous work entitled History of Churches and Monasteries...
mentions the church of Saint Fana
Saint Fana
Saint Fana was an Egyptian Christian hermit. A monastery in the diocese of Mallawi, Upper Egypt, is named after him.Saint Fana was born to a Christian family in Memphis...
, which was restored by al-Rashid Abu Fadl. Egyptian historian of the 14th–15th century al-Maqrizi wrote about the monastery's fine architecture.
The History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
mentions the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Saint Fana
Saint Fana
Saint Fana was an Egyptian Christian hermit. A monastery in the diocese of Mallawi, Upper Egypt, is named after him.Saint Fana was born to a Christian family in Memphis...
twice, first in relation to the election of Pope Theodosius II
Pope Theodosius II of Alexandria
Pope Theodosius II of Alexandria was the 45th Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark .Also known as Theodoros I in Coptic history....
, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, 1294 -1300 and second to the childhood of Patriarch Matthew I, 1378–1408.
In pre-Islamic times the monastery reportedly numbered some 1000 monks. The monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
's numbers had drastically dwindled before the arrival of Islam in the seventh century. Al-Maqrizi
Al-Maqrizi
Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn 'Ali ibn 'Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Maqrizi ; Arabic: , was an Egyptian historian more commonly known as al-Maqrizi or Makrizi...
reports that during his day, the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
held only two monks.
The French Jesuit priest Father Michel Marie Jullien (1827–1911) reported that the priest of the neighboring village Qasr Hur
Qasr Hur
Qasr Hur is a village in the governorate of Minya, Egypt, around 300 km south of Cairo, on the edge of the Western or Libyan desert. The village is predominantly Muslim with a small Christian minority. The Coptic Orthodox priest of Qasr Hur has been tending the ruined church of the Monastery of Abu...
had cleared the church of debris and used the church for the Divine Liturgy.
When German scholar Dr. O.F.A. Meinardus visited the monastery in the 1960s, the place was in ruins with remains stretching over a wide area. Only the historical church survived. Pieces of gray granite were also found, suggesting that the monastery may have been built on the location where an ancient temple once stood. On a small hill stand the ruins of a qasr
Qasr
Qasr may refer to:* the Arabic for "castle" , see Ksar* Qasr Libya - a town in Libya* Qasr Ahmed - the port for the Libyan city of Misurata* Qasr Amra - a desert castle in Jordan* Qasr Azraq - a desert castle in Jordan...
, or tower, which ancient monasteries had. Approximately 80 meters from the ruined monastery one finds the cave of Saint Fana
Saint Fana
Saint Fana was an Egyptian Christian hermit. A monastery in the diocese of Mallawi, Upper Egypt, is named after him.Saint Fana was born to a Christian family in Memphis...
, the location where he reportedly lived. Meinardus does not report on the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
being inhabited.
The surviving old monastic building consists of an ancient basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
, deeply sunk into the sand in the center of a vast mound that, according to the Coptic Encyclopedia, “no doubt” conceals the ruins of the Monastery. The neighboring mounds perhaps conceal isolated cells or hermitages.
Modern history
The modern history of the monastery starts with a renewed interest shown by the Coptic Orthodox Church in this monasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
after the excavations of the team of Dr. Helmut Buschhausen in 1987–1993. Following these excavations, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture decided in the year 2002 to declare an area of 1 km by 2 km as the archaeological periphery of the monastery. The Department of Antiquities
Antiquities
Antiquities, nearly always used in the plural in this sense, is a term for objects from Antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures...
suspects that this land may hold buried historical remains. see map
After the Department of Antiquities decision, the Coptic Orthodox Church built new cells, a new entrance, a reception and a large cathedral just outside the boundaries of the archaeological periphery see photo –(monastic buildings built from the year 2000 onwards). Prior to 1999, no monks resided permanently in the monastery. Five monks came to the monastery in 1999, and in 2003, Pope Shenouda
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria is the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria...
, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, consecrated an additional 12 monks, followed later by one more monk. From 2003 onwards there have been repeatedly conflicts over land with neighbors of the monastery. In July 2008 there are a total of 18 monks and 9 novices residing in the monastery, who are assisted by tens of laymen.
Tensions
On 31 May 2008, monks and Christians close to the MonasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Saint Fana
Saint Fana
Saint Fana was an Egyptian Christian hermit. A monastery in the diocese of Mallawi, Upper Egypt, is named after him.Saint Fana was born to a Christian family in Memphis...
reported that monks' cells and a church belonging to the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
had been attacked by a group of roughly sixty armed Arabs, a name commonly used in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
for Bedouins who have settled in villages bordering the desert The location they show is an outpost of the monastery with monastic cells and a chapel dedicated to Saint Cyril
Cyril of Alexandria
Cyril of Alexandria was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. He came to power when the city was at its height of influence and power within the Roman Empire. Cyril wrote extensively and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the later 4th and 5th centuries...
see photo –(extension of the monastery that was attacked). The attacks resulted in damage to this section of the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
and its surrounding property.
A subsequent attack left one Muslim killed, four Christians wounded, and three monks being briefly kidnapped, requiring hospital treatment upon their return. The three kidnapped monks were tortured by the Arabs, who also tried unsuccessfully to force them to spit on crosses and to pronounce the Islamic Shahada
Shahada
The Shahada , means "to know and believe without suspicion, as if witnessed"/testification; it is the name of the Islamic creed. The shahada is the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as God's prophet...
. In addition, the Arabs burned Bibles and church altars inside the monastery. The clashes were followed one day later by a demonstration of around 300 Coptic youth in Mallawi
Mallawi
Mallawi is a town in Egypt, located in the governorate of Minya.- Overview :Situated in a farm area, the town produces textiles and handicrafts.The total area of the city is about...
who blamed the government for "inaction in the face of repeated attacks by Muslims against their community."
13 Muslims and two Christians who were allegedly involved were arrested and brought before the prosecutor-general.
Governor Ahmed Dia el-Din found a number of police reports documenting disputes over land that span several years. Saint Fana
Saint Fana
Saint Fana was an Egyptian Christian hermit. A monastery in the diocese of Mallawi, Upper Egypt, is named after him.Saint Fana was born to a Christian family in Memphis...
's Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
had obtained a portion of their land by employing “urfi” contracts, resulting in the governor's rejection of the monastery's claim to possess valid land titles.
“Urfi” contracts, are agreements between two parties that lack the proper registration with the government, contracts that are drafted without first obtaining the required governmental permits. Monks of the monastery criticized local police, stationed approximately 6 km from the monastery, for arriving at the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
several hours after having been informed of the attack. Coptic activists abroad, both during and following the attack, were contacted by monks and laymen in and close to the monastery. They responded by posting angry responses on the Internet and holding several demonstrations in North America and Europe.
Many Copts, both those living in the diocese of Mallawi
Mallawi
Mallawi is a town in Egypt, located in the governorate of Minya.- Overview :Situated in a farm area, the town produces textiles and handicrafts.The total area of the city is about...
, the diocese the Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
belongs to, and Coptic activists in the West, alleged that Muslims attempted to force the three kidnapped monks to convert to Islam by declaring the Shahada, the Islamic creed. Many YouTube productions followed, statements were made, press releases were published, all placing the conflict in a sectarian context, rarely making references to conflicting land claims and if this is done, it is often done to explicitly deny that a land conflict played a role.
The responses from monks, Christian workers in the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
, and Coptic activists in the West encouraged hundreds of Christians to demonstrate in Mallawi
Mallawi
Mallawi is a town in Egypt, located in the governorate of Minya.- Overview :Situated in a farm area, the town produces textiles and handicrafts.The total area of the city is about...
, a Middle Egyptian town which is the seat of the Bishop of Mallawi
Mallawi
Mallawi is a town in Egypt, located in the governorate of Minya.- Overview :Situated in a farm area, the town produces textiles and handicrafts.The total area of the city is about...
who is also the abbot of the Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Saint Fana
Saint Fana
Saint Fana was an Egyptian Christian hermit. A monastery in the diocese of Mallawi, Upper Egypt, is named after him.Saint Fana was born to a Christian family in Memphis...
. Demonstration
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
s of Christians in Egypt is a relatively new phenomenon
Phenomenon
A phenomenon , plural phenomena, is any observable occurrence. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as 'appearances' or 'experiences'...
. Christian protesters in Mallawi chanted "With our blood and soul, we will defend the Cross.”.
The attack on the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
and the ensuing Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic response in and outside Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
was prominently reported in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Heated discussions following the attack were published in the Egyptian media for many weeks following the attack.
Coptic
Coptic monasticism
Coptic Monasticism is claimed to be the original form of Monasticism as Saint Pachomius the Cenobite, a Copt from Upper Egypt, established the first communal living in the Monastery of Saint Anthonyin the Red sea area. St...
monks and Egyptian Christians close to the Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Saint Fana
Saint Fana
Saint Fana was an Egyptian Christian hermit. A monastery in the diocese of Mallawi, Upper Egypt, is named after him.Saint Fana was born to a Christian family in Memphis...
placed the attack in a sectarian context which was echoed on several Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic websites in the West. Coptic leader Pope Shenouda
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria is the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria...
stated that the assailants did not want the monks to cultivate the desert land they legally possess. "These (assailants – referring to the Muslim Arab neighbors of the Monastery) do not have any one to rule them," Pope Shenouda said in a statement criticizing the Egyptian government for not being able to control the Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
's Arab neighbors. Pope Shenouda's statement came very close to calling the conflict “sectarian”. The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church called on the Egyptian President
President of Egypt
The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt is the head of state of Egypt.Under the Constitution of Egypt, the president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces and head of the executive branch of the Egyptian government....
Muhammad Husni Mubarak to intervene to prevent a repetition of similar assaults. Egyptian media quoted Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian officials explicitly denying that this conflict was of a sectarian or religious nature. Egyptian journalist Muhammad al-Baz reports in Al-Fajr
El Fagr
El Fagr is an Egyptian independent newsweekly, based in Cairo. It launched in June 2005. Its editor is Adel Hammouda.In its 21st edition, dated October 17, 2005, El Fagr was the first newspaper worldwide to republish on its front page and page 17, a total of six cartoons portraying the Islamic...
that the attack against the Saint Fana
Saint Fana
Saint Fana was an Egyptian Christian hermit. A monastery in the diocese of Mallawi, Upper Egypt, is named after him.Saint Fana was born to a Christian family in Memphis...
Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
was not the first of its kind, and that attacks have been carried out since 2005, but denies that there was a sectarian element to the attacks. Instead, he believes that there were materialistic and financial motives (land ownership) involved. He criticized the monks’ allegations that they were targeted because they are Copts. Al-Baz claims that the monks pretended that the attacks were of a sectarian nature to obtain people’s compassion and prove that they are persecuted. Dr. Amr al-Shubaki stated on 12 June in al-Misri al-Yawm that the absence of a state of law hurts both Muslims and Christians alike, in the same way that other serious problems such as anarchy and unemployment do. Dr. al-Shubaki referred to the widespread use of urfi agreements and the system of Wad al-Yad – a common practice to obtain land. One does not own the land but nevertheless reclaims it and after doing so for several years the land becomes legally owned by the person cultivating the land.
Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic intellectual Dr. Samir Morkos believes this is a land-conflict with religious dimensions that were introduced to strengthen partisan positions. He worries about the effect that this dispute may potentially have on grassroots Muslim-Christian relations.
Many foreign media have reported the attack; "Egyptian Christians, Muslims clash, killing one (Reuters/may 31), "One killed, four injured in Egypt monastery clash," (AFP/31 May). The Los Angeles Times (11 June) placed the attack in the context of other violence directed against Copts. The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
(7 July) reported that attacks such as this one make the Christian Copts of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
turn inwards, strengthening a ghetto mentality. Christianity Today (23 July) focused on the growing pressure on land and water.
Arab-West Report
Arab-West Report
Arab-West Report is an independent electronic magazine founded by Drs. Cornelis Hulsman and Eng. Sawsan Gabra Ayoub Khalil in 1997, originally titled the Religious News Service from the Arab World...
( English – Arabic) and the National Council for Human Rights
National Council for Human Rights
National Council for Human Rights is an Egyptian human rights organization established in 2003 with a mission of promoting and maintaining human rights in Egypt. The President of the NCHR is former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who has held the position since the organization's...
each sent a delegation to the region to investigate the tensions.
See also
- Saint FanaSaint FanaSaint Fana was an Egyptian Christian hermit. A monastery in the diocese of Mallawi, Upper Egypt, is named after him.Saint Fana was born to a Christian family in Memphis...
- History of the Patriarchs of AlexandriaHistory of the Patriarchs of AlexandriaThe History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria is a major historical work of the Coptic Church. It is written in Arabic, but draws extensively on Greek and Coptic sources....
- Coptic Orthodox Church
- Al-MaqriziAl-MaqriziTaqi al-Din Ahmad ibn 'Ali ibn 'Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Maqrizi ; Arabic: , was an Egyptian historian more commonly known as al-Maqrizi or Makrizi...
- Theodosius II