More news from the religion of peace:

I hope the leaders of the Western nations pay attention to what happens in Muslim countries to Christian minorities. If immigration to the West is not stopped now, it will come to us as well.

Raid on Christian Copts Exposes Egypt's Secular Paradox

ODAYSSAT, Egypt -- Christians called the flat-top mud and brick building in this little farming community a guest house. But inside, big crucifixes adorned an altar chamber separated from two dozen rows of pews by a wooden screen. A baptismal font was hidden in a side room. Pictures of a resurrected Jesus, saints and patriarchs gazed from the walls.

For 35 years, the congregation and priests labeled the place a guest house to avoid restrictions on church construction in Egypt. But on Jan. 17, a police official, tipped off that the Christians were trying to have the building officially recognized, stopped by to inspect.

"This is not a guest house," he said with surprise. "It's a church."

According to residents and officials who described the incident, the monks, priests and worshipers answered, in effect: That's right. What of it?

The next day, a mob of Muslim rioters invaded the neighborhood, set fires to palm trees and stables and tried to burn down the building. Only a frantic defense by the Christians and heavy smoke from the flaming trees kept the mob at bay. Police officers who had already surrounded the building stood idly by. One Christian man was killed by a blow to the head with a hoe.

More at AINA

Eight wounded in sectarian clashes south of Cairo

Eight Egyptians were wounded Monday when clashes broke out between Muslims and Coptic Christians south of Cairo, police said.

The violence erupted in the village of Al-Ayat, some 15 miles south of Cairo, following Muslim anger over the construction by the local Christian minority of a centre for their community, a police official told AFP.

The district's Islamists reportedly accused the Christians of seeking to turn the centre into a church. The clashes left five Muslims and three Christians wounded, but none were believed to be in serious condition.

More at Copts.com

Catholic church burned after desecration rumor

LAHORE, Pakistan (UCAN) – An attack on two churches and other church property in southern Pakistan has drawn condemnation and a demand for justice.

PAKISTANI CHURCH BURNS – St. Savior Church burns in Sukkur, Pakistan, Feb. 19. Hundreds of angry Muslims set fire to this church and a Catholic church in Pakistan during a protest over the rumored burning of pages of the Quran. Police said a Muslim man who converted from Christianity burned the pages of the Quran. (CNS photo/Reuters)

A mob on Feb. 19 attacked and destroyed Hyderabad Catholic Diocese's St. Mary Church and St. Savior Church of the Church of Pakistan in Sukkur, 780 kilometers (about 485 miles) southwest of Islamabad. The mob also attacked two Christian schools. The attack came following a rumor that Irfan Ahmed, a man believed to be a Christian, had burned pages of the Qur'an.

More at Catholic Online