Egyptian Priest Faced with Death Fatwa

Religion Today Summaries - Aug. 20, 2009

Egyptian Priest Faced with Death Fatwa

Christian Today reports that a Coptic priest now faces a death fatwa after he applied for a license to turn part of his home into a "prayer hall" for Christian funeral and marriage ceremonies. Father Estefanos said Muslim elders of Ezbet Dawood Youssef in Minia Governate also banned him from his home there for a month. Estefanos says he was forced to hold such services in the streets for years, as such Christian buildings must receive special licenses. "I went to the state security to get the necessary licenses for using this space in my family home, but they told me I need first to obtain the 'permission' of the village Muslims, as they want no problems in the village," he said. Muslim elders in his village and neighboring ones then stirred up trouble and warned him to change his mind. "[T]here is no 'blood money' for killing a Christian," Father Estephanos said