Jama'at al Islamiya in Asyut denounce attacks on churches

The Jama’at al-Islamiya in Asyut, southern Egypt, has condemned the latest attacks on Christian churches in the country.The state-run Al Ahram newspaper reported the group’s statement, which appears to be an attempt to avert a repetition of events from 2011.

On 1 January 2011, the Al-Qiddissin Church.in Alexandria was bombed resulting in the deaths of 23 worshippers as they left a New Year’s service. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, the Egyptian authorities hastily implicated Islamists and accused them of carrying out the attack.

Evidence subsequently emerged which indicated that Hosni Mubarak’s security forces, some of whom have been recently reinstated by General Abdul Fattah Al Sisi, were actually responsible for the attack. Jamaat al – Islamiya’s quick condemnation of the latest attacks suggests that they may have had access to intelligence leaks warning of a repeat of the 2011 atrocities against Christians.