Egypt: Judge attempts to destroy church
By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – In the city of Rashid, Egypt, a retired Muslim judge is attempting to destroy a church.
According to Barnabas Aid, Judge Mohamed Mostafa Tirana claimed that his family had purchased the church’s property back in 1990 because it was on their ancestral land. Yet Tirana didn’t register his alleged purchase until 18 years later.
However, the lawyer representing the congregation said the building has been registered as a church since 1948 with both the town’s real estate authority and its property tax office.
The real motive for taking over the church was to destroy its building and then build shopping malls on the property, said church leader Luka Asaad Awad.
The issue of ownership finally came to a head after the church was re-opened in 2008.
On Sept. 19 at dawn, the judge and his sons hired bulldozers and some men to demolish the church, said Mina Adel, a member of the congregation. The dozers destroyed the fence around the church while thugs attacked the church watchman.
In October 2012, Tirana again attempted to destroy the church, but local police have refused to take any action against him because of his prominent legal position, said Awad.