The Copts in Delga still suffer persecution from the Islamists despite the presence of the army and police. Witnesses report that "The Muslim Brotherhood goes door to door to the homes of Christians right in front of the police and demands silence. If they say anything, they will die."
According to Anba Aghabious, a pastor from Delga, the Muslim Brotherhood blames the Christians for bringing the military to the city: "Our daily life is still characterized by terror".
Another witness says that "the Islamists are forcing people to sign that they have not suffered any attacks from the extremists. If they won't sign, the Muslim Brotherhood will destroy their homes as soon as the army leaves the city."
On August 14, Islamists took advantage of the chaos that followed the breakup of the pro-Morsi demonstration in Cairo to take Delga and impose Sharia law on all residents. The Muslim Brotherhood burned at least 62 homes and forced the majority of the city's residents to flee the governorate of Minya. Many of them now live on the streets or have found shelter with Christian and Muslim families.
On September 20, police announced that the mastermind behind the terrorist acts against Christians in Minya and Delga is a man named Abdel Maged, leader of the group al-Jamaa Islamya, who fled to Upper Egypt on July 2 after Mohamed Mursi was deposed.
Source: AsiaNews
