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UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (Nairobi)
March 15, 2013
Security of Christian Communities 'Precarious' in Libya - Archbishop
Tripoli
Various Christian communities in Libya, as well as some Muslim groups,
have been feeling increasingly under pressure from hardline Islamist
groups since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011.
"The level of security remains precarious for all foreigners,
especially for Christians, because of the presence of some
fundamentalist Islamic groups," Giovanni Martinelli, the Roman
Catholic archbishop of Tripoli, told IRIN.
"It is a new phenomenon that emerged during elections last July," he said.
Nearly all Libyans are Sunni Muslims; members of other religious
groups tend to be foreign residents, though Christianity has
maintained a presence since Roman times.
"I think the [recent] arrests of Egyptian Christians do certainly seem
to highlight a mounting issue," said Joe Stork, deputy director of
Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division.
"There are different things going on and underlying this are two
problems; firstly a problem of lawlessness and the absence of a
well-functioning law-enforcement or justice system, and secondly I
think there's a real order problem with the militias."
The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) issued a statement last week
saying it deeply concerned by recent incidents, including violence
against a Coptic Christian church and other religious buildings, as
well as attacks on the media.
"The universal values of tolerance, moderation, and respect for
differences are deeply rooted in Libyan society's religious and
cultural heritage," said Special Representative of the UN
Secretary-General Tarek Mitri.
"These values should be the foundation upon which the new Libya is built."
During Gaddafi's 41-year rule the government's surveillance network
kept a tight lid on religious extremism and thousands of radical
Muslims were imprisoned, but many helped overthrow Gaddafi, forming
armed militia groups across the country.
Since the end of the fighting, some Salafists, who favour a literalist
interpretation of Islam, have carried out hundreds of attacks on the
mosques, tombs and shrines of other sects of Islam, particularly
Sufis.
In the centre of the Libyan capital Tripoli the Sha'ab ad-Dahman
mosque was demolished in August along with around 50 Sufi graves,
including the tombs of Libyan Muslim scholar Abdullah al-Sha'ab.
Social media footage shows Libyan security forces present during the
destructions without intervening. The Libyan Herald news site reported
that three journalists from the Al-Assema television station were
detained by security forces as they tried to cover the destruction.
The Libyan interim interior minister Fawzi Abdelaei resigned after the
incident and the President of Libyan National Congress Mohamed
Magarief said "The people responsible for those attacks are
unfortunately aligned The SSC was created at the end of the civil war
in October 2011 by the National Transitional Council as a way to
provide more centralized security in the capital Tripoli.
Most Libyan experts and media blame the coordinated destructions of
mosques and shrines on the Libyan Salafi network Ansar al-Sharia.
In Salafi perspective, the destructions are necessary in order "to
avoid idolatry", prevent "religious corruption" and prohibit the
spread of other religious deviations such as "black magic".
Insecurity is one of the key concerns of the new government, which is
still in the process of setting up a modern police force and national
army.
The last few weeks have seen a number of attacks on Christian
communities including an incident in Tripoli when an armed man entered
San Francesco Catholic Church in Dahara and opened fire on the priest.
"He wanted to kill him as he opened fire with an AK-47 some 2-3 metres
away," said Archbishop Martinelli, explaining that the incident is
under investigation.
The church gates have now been reinforced, but churchgoers are not
feeling very reassured. "I continue to hold tightly the cross on my
chest. But I'm afraid," said Sonia (she only gave one name), who
originally comes from Aleppo in Syria but has lived in Libya for 35
years. "I am Armenian, one of the few dozen Armenians left in the
country since the beginning of the revolution in Libya. We are very
concerned about security."
Eastern parts of the country appear to be the worst affected by
threats against, and attacks on, Christians.
On 3 March, extremist group Ansar Al Sahri'a (allegedly involved in
the attack on the US consulate on 11 September 2012) surrounded the
Benghazi European School (BES), and accused the teachers of promoting
pornography: Sex education materials given to the students were deemed
unacceptable.
On 28 February a gunman attacked a Coptic Orthodox church in Benghazi,
assaulting two priests, though they were not injured.
Around the same time, 50-100 Copts in the city (Egyptian workers in
Libya) were detained on charges of "spreading Christianity". According
to the authorities, they were in possession of bibles, Christian books
and sacred images.
On 17 February (two-year anniversary of the revolution) four
Christians - a Swedish-American, an Egyptian, a South African and a
South Korean - were arrested by a "Preventive Security" unit on
charges of proselytizing and distributing religious literature. The
four missionaries are awaiting trial and could face the death penalty.
Salafist militias have a strong presence in the city, and Ansar Al
Shari'a enjoys widespread support in the region, according to the
spokesperson of Local Council in Benghazi, Osama Al Sherif.
The first attack on the Christian community in Libya since the
revolution was in September 2012 in the western province of Misrata
when four men broke into the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Giorgio
Dafniya, burning three icons and Greek and Cypriot flags.
Three months later, on 29 December, grenades were thrown at the same
church, killing two Egyptian Copts. The attack was carried out by an
Egyptian fundamentalist group allegedly enraged by a controversial
film about the Prophet.
Modus vivendi?
There are no official figures on religious communities in Libya. Of
the estimated 1.5 million foreigners, about 100,000 are Christians,
according to local Christian authorities - mainly Copts and Roman
Catholics, with some Greek Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants.
According to Bishop Timotheus Adla Bishara, head of the Orthodox
Church in Tripoli, those Copts who fled during the nine months of
fighting in 2011 have returned.
"We Copts live peacefully in Libya. After the attack on the Coptic
church near Misrata, the local council and the government have given
us full support and are committed to guaranteeing greater security to
our community," Bishop Adla Bishara told IRIN, adding: "The Copts are
safer in Libya than in Egypt nowadays and the authorities are
investigating the latest threats."
Immediately after the end of February assault on Coptic orthodox
priests in Benghazi, the Libyan foreign ministry condemned the
aggression by what it called "irresponsible armed men", and said the
action went against the teachings of Islam and basic rights.
"During the Gaddafi era, the authorities did not issue any restriction
on religious minorities as there was a tacit agreement on the ban on
proselytizing," said Roman Catholic Reverend Vasihar Baskaran in a
sermon following the arrest of four Catholics in Benghazi.
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations.]
March 15, 2013
Security of Christian Communities 'Precarious' in Libya - Archbishop
Tripoli
Various Christian communities in Libya, as well as some Muslim groups,
have been feeling increasingly under pressure from hardline Islamist
groups since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011.
"The level of security remains precarious for all foreigners,
especially for Christians, because of the presence of some
fundamentalist Islamic groups," Giovanni Martinelli, the Roman
Catholic archbishop of Tripoli, told IRIN.
"It is a new phenomenon that emerged during elections last July," he said.
Nearly all Libyans are Sunni Muslims; members of other religious
groups tend to be foreign residents, though Christianity has
maintained a presence since Roman times.
"I think the [recent] arrests of Egyptian Christians do certainly seem
to highlight a mounting issue," said Joe Stork, deputy director of
Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division.
"There are different things going on and underlying this are two
problems; firstly a problem of lawlessness and the absence of a
well-functioning law-enforcement or justice system, and secondly I
think there's a real order problem with the militias."
The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) issued a statement last week
saying it deeply concerned by recent incidents, including violence
against a Coptic Christian church and other religious buildings, as
well as attacks on the media.
"The universal values of tolerance, moderation, and respect for
differences are deeply rooted in Libyan society's religious and
cultural heritage," said Special Representative of the UN
Secretary-General Tarek Mitri.
"These values should be the foundation upon which the new Libya is built."
During Gaddafi's 41-year rule the government's surveillance network
kept a tight lid on religious extremism and thousands of radical
Muslims were imprisoned, but many helped overthrow Gaddafi, forming
armed militia groups across the country.
Since the end of the fighting, some Salafists, who favour a literalist
interpretation of Islam, have carried out hundreds of attacks on the
mosques, tombs and shrines of other sects of Islam, particularly
Sufis.
In the centre of the Libyan capital Tripoli the Sha'ab ad-Dahman
mosque was demolished in August along with around 50 Sufi graves,
including the tombs of Libyan Muslim scholar Abdullah al-Sha'ab.
Social media footage shows Libyan security forces present during the
destructions without intervening. The Libyan Herald news site reported
that three journalists from the Al-Assema television station were
detained by security forces as they tried to cover the destruction.
The Libyan interim interior minister Fawzi Abdelaei resigned after the
incident and the President of Libyan National Congress Mohamed
Magarief said "The people responsible for those attacks are
unfortunately aligned The SSC was created at the end of the civil war
in October 2011 by the National Transitional Council as a way to
provide more centralized security in the capital Tripoli.
Most Libyan experts and media blame the coordinated destructions of
mosques and shrines on the Libyan Salafi network Ansar al-Sharia.
In Salafi perspective, the destructions are necessary in order "to
avoid idolatry", prevent "religious corruption" and prohibit the
spread of other religious deviations such as "black magic".
Insecurity is one of the key concerns of the new government, which is
still in the process of setting up a modern police force and national
army.
The last few weeks have seen a number of attacks on Christian
communities including an incident in Tripoli when an armed man entered
San Francesco Catholic Church in Dahara and opened fire on the priest.
"He wanted to kill him as he opened fire with an AK-47 some 2-3 metres
away," said Archbishop Martinelli, explaining that the incident is
under investigation.
The church gates have now been reinforced, but churchgoers are not
feeling very reassured. "I continue to hold tightly the cross on my
chest. But I'm afraid," said Sonia (she only gave one name), who
originally comes from Aleppo in Syria but has lived in Libya for 35
years. "I am Armenian, one of the few dozen Armenians left in the
country since the beginning of the revolution in Libya. We are very
concerned about security."
Eastern parts of the country appear to be the worst affected by
threats against, and attacks on, Christians.
On 3 March, extremist group Ansar Al Sahri'a (allegedly involved in
the attack on the US consulate on 11 September 2012) surrounded the
Benghazi European School (BES), and accused the teachers of promoting
pornography: Sex education materials given to the students were deemed
unacceptable.
On 28 February a gunman attacked a Coptic Orthodox church in Benghazi,
assaulting two priests, though they were not injured.
Around the same time, 50-100 Copts in the city (Egyptian workers in
Libya) were detained on charges of "spreading Christianity". According
to the authorities, they were in possession of bibles, Christian books
and sacred images.
On 17 February (two-year anniversary of the revolution) four
Christians - a Swedish-American, an Egyptian, a South African and a
South Korean - were arrested by a "Preventive Security" unit on
charges of proselytizing and distributing religious literature. The
four missionaries are awaiting trial and could face the death penalty.
Salafist militias have a strong presence in the city, and Ansar Al
Shari'a enjoys widespread support in the region, according to the
spokesperson of Local Council in Benghazi, Osama Al Sherif.
The first attack on the Christian community in Libya since the
revolution was in September 2012 in the western province of Misrata
when four men broke into the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Giorgio
Dafniya, burning three icons and Greek and Cypriot flags.
Three months later, on 29 December, grenades were thrown at the same
church, killing two Egyptian Copts. The attack was carried out by an
Egyptian fundamentalist group allegedly enraged by a controversial
film about the Prophet.
Modus vivendi?
There are no official figures on religious communities in Libya. Of
the estimated 1.5 million foreigners, about 100,000 are Christians,
according to local Christian authorities - mainly Copts and Roman
Catholics, with some Greek Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants.
According to Bishop Timotheus Adla Bishara, head of the Orthodox
Church in Tripoli, those Copts who fled during the nine months of
fighting in 2011 have returned.
"We Copts live peacefully in Libya. After the attack on the Coptic
church near Misrata, the local council and the government have given
us full support and are committed to guaranteeing greater security to
our community," Bishop Adla Bishara told IRIN, adding: "The Copts are
safer in Libya than in Egypt nowadays and the authorities are
investigating the latest threats."
Immediately after the end of February assault on Coptic orthodox
priests in Benghazi, the Libyan foreign ministry condemned the
aggression by what it called "irresponsible armed men", and said the
action went against the teachings of Islam and basic rights.
"During the Gaddafi era, the authorities did not issue any restriction
on religious minorities as there was a tacit agreement on the ban on
proselytizing," said Roman Catholic Reverend Vasihar Baskaran in a
sermon following the arrest of four Catholics in Benghazi.
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations.]