Video: Egyptian Shaykh Incites Muslims to Burn Down Churches

[youtube OYHmmUegvqQ]

This video shows Shaykh Ashraf Yusuf Hassan in the middle of a mob of Muslims, calling on them to burn down churches in the Cairo district of Imbaba. The original Arabic-language video was posted on YouTube on 9 May, just two days after the church was burned down. Twelve were killed and 52 wounded in just the latest round of violence against Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority. Apparently 48 Muslims and Christians have been arrested in connection with this incident, yet reportedly the man in this video continues to go free. The subtitled video is above, and the transcript follows (thanks to Nonie Darwish for sending this in and helping out with the translation):

We heard there was a sister being held hostage in a church, as usually happens. The churches have now become gangs, a mafia, unfortunately, (taking hostage) any woman who converts to Islam. The terrorist church is headed by the filthy dog Shenouda. These words need to be broadcast. Take note of this terrorism. We went to solve the problem. We went and took with us a group of shaykhs, to enter inside the church in order to solve the problem, but not a single priest or anyone else moved (to let us in). I told one of them: We came to solve the problem. He told me: No–if you want to solve the problem, we will start a fire. That’s how it was. This one threw on that, and the other threw back. They had fire and guns. We are always saying that the churches are full of guns. The Muslim throws bottles and stones, while the Christians have fire. Listen, all of you Muslims. All of the Christians have guns, and we are ignorant (of this). We, as Muslims, are stupid. Listen to me–all the firing is coming from the Christian dogs, from the side of the church. The poor Muslim is going with a rock. We would not be men, if we did not burn down the churches in Embaba.

originally posted on Translating Jihad