DETROIT — Egyptian Christians living in the U.S. said Monday that they are horrified by violence that has erupted against Copts back home.
Coptic Christians in Michigan, California and elsewhere heeded the call of Pope Shenouda III to participate in a three-day period of mourning starting today for the victims of Egypt’s worst sectarian violence since the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February. The death toll Monday rose to 26, and most were Copts.
“We’re not looking for any revenge; we’re looking for peace in Cairo and Egypt and everywhere in the world,” said the Rev. Maximus Habib of St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church and the St. Mary & St. Philopater Church in the Detroit suburb of Troy.
The U.S. expatriate community of Copts numbers about 300,000. The largest concentrations include communities in New York and northern New Jersey, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Cleveland. The Associated Press
