Muslim Brotherhood Statement on the Attacks on Town of Delga by Military Junta

Today, the military junta has launched a full scale attack on the town of Delga in Minya, south of Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood strongly condemn attacks on places of worship, including attacks on Egyptian Copts and churches as well as indiscriminate attacks on the innocent civilians in Delga by the military junta, which it claims to protect Christians from “Islamist Militants”. This is part of the Military Junta’s propaganda to push for sectarian strife and justify their atrocities against the innocent people of Delga for their fierce opposition of he military coup.

Security forces never had the interest of protecting any Egyptian after the 25th January Revolution and the 3rd July Coup. Vicar Ayube Yusuf of the Mary Gerges Church in Al Minya on Friday, 16th August told the Egyptian ‘On TV’ station that "Since 3rd July when the coup was announced the thugs had carried out a number of attacks on churches and plundered a historical monastery which dates back more than 1,500 years." Vicar Ayube Yusuf confirmed that the local imams had issued several calls on worshippers to protect the Christian churches in the province. He pointed out that his community had made several appeals to the police and army to protect their churches from the thugs, all without any success.

Eye witnesses on the ground in the town of Delga have said that army and police have fired live bullets and tear gas on protesters directly, and attacked Ebad Al Rahman mosque, using it as a prison to hold more than 200 innocent civilians. Army also stormed houses of innocent residents and made no attempt of protecting Coptic Christians. Therefore, the Muslim Brotherhood holds the military junta responsible for this attack on civilians’ rights of assembly and freedoms, and express our solidarity with our Christian Brothers and Sisters and we demand the authorities to fulfil their duty to protect all citizens and places of worship.