Former synagogue set ablaze in Benghazi

 Smoke billows from the church

 The jihad against the Christians of Libya continues, with the news in the Libya Herald that a former synagogue, now a Coptic church in Benghazi, has been gutted  by fire. 'First the Saturday people' - there are no Jews in Libya anymore - 'then the Sunday people' is the expression that springs to mind. With thanks: Andrew:

Benghazi’s Coptic Church was set on fire by arsonists today, Thursday. The building, a former synagogue near the City Hall, is said to have been gutted.

No one was hurt in the attack. The  attackers whose identity is unknown are said to have told members of the church to get out of the building. The priest was taken to the residence of Egyptian consul for safety.
It is reported in Cairo that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry has condemned the attack and said it would pursue the matter with the Libyan government.

It is the second attack in a fortnight on the church. On Thursday, 28 February, assailants assaulted and the priest and an assistant. In that instance, the attackers were said to be hardline Islamists. The incident, which was subsequently condemned by the government, followed the arrest of a number of Copts in Benghazi accused of proselytizing. The allegations turned out to be unfounded and were dropped although the Egyptians were then deported; it was reported that they were in Libya illegally.

Reports in Benghazi say today’s attack was in revenge for Monday’s assault at the Libyan embassy in Cairo when dozens of Copts threw stones, tore down the embassy’s nameplate and burned the Libyan flag. The demonstration followed allegations that an Egyptian Christian who died in jail in Tripoli the previous day had been tortured to death.

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