Torture in Abu Fana monastery!!!

Please pray for the monks at Abu Fana monastery in El Menia, Egypt.
Two days ago some people attacked the monastery. They destroyed the buildings there, inlcuding a church. The kidnapped three monks and tortured them during 12 hours. They SMASHED one of the monks' legs into pieces and also his arm. They shot at the monks and people present at the monastery. They humiliated the monks by hanging them on a tree and hitting with a whip. They also tried to force them to spit on the cross and to leave christianity. The police didn't show up until 3 hours later when all the damage had been done already, although the police station was only 2 km away !!!

Afterwards the monks had to be carried to hospital since not one ambulance showed up, the hospital refused to admit them and look after them. The had to be moved to another hospital in Cairo where they would treat them. In the meantime the monks lay on the floor bleeding from their many wounds caused by firearms and from the braking of their bones.

Until now, none of the people who did this were captured, although it is known who did it.

I wanted to share with you this: the monk who got beaten up the worst and had his bones smashed said he was happy that he got to suffer for the name of the Lord. "Blessed are you when they persecute you for My sake"...

We can learn so much from these monks, who although being innocent and unarmed, were attacked by barbarians whom I'm not sure can be called humans anymore. These monks are strong in the faith and rejoicing and thanking God. Hopefully we can learn from them, that in our weakness, His strength is shown and that all the problems and suffering we might face here on earth are but a twinkling of an eye compared to the eternal life God has prepared for His sons and daughters.

Please remember our brothers and sisters in Egypt who suffer under persecution.
We know that our lives are in the hands of the Lord.
God Bless
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Comments

  • Hi,
    I just heard this story yesterday from a coptic guy here in France. I cannot believe this.
    Do you have any news clippings/links for this??

    WHy isnt this in any of the newspapers?
  • I'm very saddened to hear something like this, but as godislove260 said, we should learn from them and take whatever God hands to us. and take it with thanksgiving and joy. God save his people Egypt.

    God Bless and Pray for me and my weakness
  • If you know Arabic QT you can go on www.copts-united.com
    there you will find it in writing and you will find videos showing the monks who were tortured.

    God Bless
  • We are having a prayers meeting tonight each one at his home at 10 pm. If you would like to join us and pray That God may strength those monks and heal them, it will be a blessing.
    Don't forget to tell your friends.

    May God protect His Church & People
  • That's a beautiful initiative Sainta Maria. Because the Lord hears the screams of His sons and daughters and He sees their suffering.

    May God bless you all and may he help all those who are in need..
  • It looks like another age of persecution and martyrdom will start....
  • [quote author=coptic pharaoh link=topic=6685.msg89336#msg89336 date=1212526917]
    It looks like another age of persecution and martyrdom will start....


    Then Welcome To Persuction & Martyrdom, It is a huge blessing to die on the name of Christ
  • [quote author=SaintaMaria05 link=topic=6685.msg89339#msg89339 date=1212527132]
    [quote author=coptic pharaoh link=topic=6685.msg89336#msg89336 date=1212526917]
    It looks like another age of persecution and martyrdom will start....


    Then Welcome To Persuction & Martyrdom, It is a huge blessing to die on the name of Christ


    I wish i could die for Jesus.. i am pretty sure we all do.... it is just the"TORTURE" part that is the hardest part for everyone of us...... 
  • I agree coptic pharaoh. We sometimes say in our arrogance: I would stand up for my beliefs and die for Christ ! But we don't even do the 'easy' commandments... and we think we are strong enough to face pain and suffering for Him? we sometimes really fool ourselves... 

    All we can do is ask the Lord to give us the strength and courage to be true Christians, meaning also against the way of the world...
    And if the situation should ever come.. that He would make us worthy of suffering in His name for His glory to be shown as He gave this great blessing to those monks.
    Because of what happened to those monks in Egypt, we are growing in faith and strength.
    How humble is God that He allows some of His work to be done by His children...

    Pray for me, please
    God Bless
  • You know I was really sad hearing about it in the beginning but now as I look at it I see the wisdom of God. they might have tried to persecute those poor people or any laymen, but instead they choose whom they hink are weak but rich in Christ so we can witness an example of strong Faith and love to their savior. [quote author=godislove260 link=topic=6685.msg89328#msg89328 date=1212522128]
    I wanted to share with you this: the monk who got beaten up the worst and had his bones smashed said he was happy that he got to suffer for the name of the Lord. "Blessed are you when they persecute you for My sake"...


    May God strengthen our faith and give enable us to endure every suffering for His Holy Name.
    Plz pray for me
  • I was wondering on your opinions on this: You may know that in Egypt they have reconciliation meetings (basically the two sides: the coptic victims and the muslim cleric) sit side by side and give eachother hands and pictures are taken and then everything is fine. It's of course just the way of the government to ignore the problems of unequeal treatment of copts and of the persecution they face. Now many monks refuse to have such a reconciliation meeting until they have their rights back and justice is done.

    Yet many people have comments on this: they say if you're truly christinas you have to reconcile and forgive... But I wonder: shouldn't we stand up for our rights and defend justice, aren't we called upon to be the light of the world??? (defend our rights in a non violent and legal way of course..)

    I would like to hear your opinions on this thanks in advance
    God Bless
    Please pray for me, a sinner
  • Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
    James 1:11-13

    Blessed are you when men hate you,
    And when they exclude you,
    And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
    For the Son of Man’s sake.
          23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
    For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
    For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

    As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
    James 5:10-12

    If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
    1 Peter 4:13-15
  • New King James Version

    Acts 16
    Paul Refuses to Depart Secretly
     
    35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.”
    36 So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”
    37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”
    38 And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. 39 Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

    Jesus Himself defended Himself once when the high priest slapped Him.. Does anyone want to comment?


  • I think maybe a synthese of what needwisdom and coptic pharaoh said is:
    We should always persevere and keep strong in the faith, even when we face persecution, but as Jesus told the man who slapped Him why do you slap me? and as Paus demanded they be released publicly, we should also point out when people are doing things wrong and demand that justice is done.

    Plz anyone give your opinion
    Please pray for my weakness
    God Bless
  • This is scandolous, and truly saddens my heart to hear it... it is the 19th time for the monastery to be attacked, and the Governer of El-Minya put it down as "a dispute over the land" rather than a religion/sectarian attack by Islam against Christians. And the torture, and the forcing and making the monks deny Christ by spitting on the Cross... that makes me sooo sick and furious... just thinking about it makes me want to do something violent... but after some pondering, I realise that God never gives his children tribulations that they cannot overcome... God is strengthening us, like impure gold tried in the furnace to become pure gold of Christ. Those monks are truly saints, those extremists and the Egyptian government are truly demons, but God is glorified in his saints, and our Coptic church is ancient and strong, having faced centuries of persecution, from the Roman Empire and Islam and one strong message was carried to us: "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Though those saintly monks were beaten, humiliated and suffered, and had blood flowing from their wounds and tears from their eyes, in Paradis they will wear pure white robes, they will shine like the sun, they will sit on thrones, and will eternally be in happiness and joy and glory. God is just, and don't think that those criminals, and all extremists throughout the ages will escape. Sure, the Egyptian government will attempt to cover it up... but "Rejoice, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people" (Deuteronomy 32:43). Either on earth or in eternity they will be punished, for God is Just. What remains for us is to pray for our saintly fathers who are enduring such torment for the sake of Christ, pray for those wicked fools who did such a heinous crime so that they repent and understand their beastiality, and pray for everybody in the world and to ask God that he may grant us the strength and support needed for us to be made worthy of suffering for his Holy Name.

    pray for me

    joe
  • Simply beautiful post Joseph, I think you worded what many of us want to say, thankd for posting.

    God Bless
    Please pray for me
  • The thanks is to God and to you godislove260, for starting this topic, and allowing people to see through the ignorance of the crimes committed, so that God is glorified in front of people through his saints and Church

    pray for me

    joe
  • Full coverage news from Watani Newspaper with a comforting message from God & Saint Mary at the end of the article.
    Plz Pray for me
    http://www.wataninet.com/article_en.asp?ArticleID=19044
  • Is there something I dont understand??????
    Why do they do these things they dont have anything else to do? >:(
  • [quote author=Loca4Christ link=topic=6685.msg89852#msg89852 date=1212981639]
    Is there something I dont understand??????
    Why do they do these things they dont have anything else to do? >:(



    what do you mean??
  • I mean why did they torture the monks what did the monks do to them. They destroyed everything.  :'(

    Cant they go to their mosque and go pray or whatever they do all day.

    If they wanted the land of the monastery they could have asked for it a better way. Also there is a lot of other ground in Egypt to take >:(
  • I personally don't think the point is about the land. They just use it as an excuse to torture the monks. The Idea that any persons know about monks that they only seek peace and can't cause harm also they are very good Christians. So if the torture them, monks will not fight back "at least this is what they think" and if they torture them enough to deny their faith then they Just opened a big door for many to be tortured and have a weak example to do like. May God Have mercy upon us!!!!


    Plz Pray for me
  • [quote author=SaintaMaria05 link=topic=6685.msg89856#msg89856 date=1212982831]
    I personally don't think the point is about the land. They just use it as an excuse to torture the monks. The Idea that any persons know about monks that they only seek peace and can't cause harm also they are very good Christians. So if the torture them, monks will not fight back "at least this is what they think" and if they torture them enough to deny their faith then they Just opened a big door for many to be tortured and have a weak example to do like. May God Have mercy upon us!!!!


    Plz Pray for me




    God be with them and Bless them and strengthen us and them.........And everyone else in this world.............Rabena ye7deehom we ye7deena kaman
  • How was that guy killed thou???  in the news article, it said there was one of the attackers that got killed.... who killed him?? probably not monks... so who is it???
  • [quote author=coptic pharaoh link=topic=6685.msg89858#msg89858 date=1212983951]
    How was that guy killed thou???   in the news article, it said there was one of the attackers that got killed.... who killed him?? probably not monks... so who is it???


    Unfortunately I don’t know how he was killed, but monks would not do so plus they were unarmed. However, this is the card that they are playing with right know. They are saying that we can’t take our right fully since there is someone killed from the other side!!! Go figure who to blame for this!! Lord have mercy.

    Plz pray for me
  • The man who got killed is just as Santamaria05 described, he was shot by the extremists during their attack (thats how dumb they are - killed their own man), and thought they would pin the blame on the monastery who:

    a) Have no firearms, so how can they inflict bullet wounds?
    b) Have left the world to worship God, don't harm anybody or anything.
    c) Just happens to be the 19th time they've attacked it.

    pray for them and for me

    joe
  • This is so sad.

    What do we do???

    What does a Christian do? Turn the cheek? Do we turn the cheek?

    Its infuriating. This story has saddened everyone here in France. Especially this monastery being so old and historic, it dates back to the 500/600 AD. Its a living museum.

    The government in Egypt is unjust. They are useless. They are biased towards muslims. I know the Church is happy to forgive, and the monks too, but i don't know if God wants us to be so weak in front of these people.

    Its very hurtful. If they were robbers, then fine. But just attacking a bunch of monks in the middle of the desert is really low.
  • Really low? I think thats an understatement. And the thing is, much much worse has happened over the years... and never a substantial thing has been done to prevent it. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, but mindless, ignorant corruption and bias of this kind are a disgrace to humanity

    pray for me

    joe
  • [quote author=josephgabriel link=topic=6685.msg89889#msg89889 date=1213014125]
    Really low? I think thats an understatement. And the thing is, much much worse has happened over the years... and never a substantial thing has been done to prevent it. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, but mindless, ignorant corruption and bias of this kind are a disgrace to humanity

    pray for me

    joe


    How do we get our rights? Why do they hate us?? We are living in peace by ourselves???
    What's wrong with them??
  • How do we get our rights: with great difficulty. For centuries Christians have been treated as second class citizens... that trend is difficult to break.

    Why do they hate us: Islam always has taught that Christians are like pigs (in the qur'an) and that they are infidels - im sure you've heard the whole spiel they have on that.

    Whats wrong with them: its because we live in peace by ourselves that the devil is furious and uses one of his tools, Islam, to get to the children of God... why should we go tp heaven while he burns in hell - he has nothing to lose, and everything to gain by attacking us.

    pray for me

    joe
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