# Muslim Brotherhood gets a Pass (Burning Christian Churches)-Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 15, 2013, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302 "2013-08-15T12:18:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/1 "2013-08-15T12:18:27Z")
I read that the Muslims of Egypt have a problem with their Christian compatriots-over five major Coptic churches have been burned down in the past three years. also, hundreds of Copts have been murdered. Why does the media not report this? I realize that Muslims face unjustified prejudice, but surely such violence against Christians is unjustified? Why doesn’t the UNCOHR say anything about this? ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/2 "2013-08-15T12:54:33Z")
What do you mean by “gets a pass?” I’ve heard two separate stories on the news about this just today. You obviously know about it. What is this some different definition of the media _ **not** _ reporting on something? ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/3 "2013-08-15T13:49:30Z")
They’re not. That was easy. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/4 "2013-08-15T13:53:28Z")
Perhaps the OP means that while the stories have been reported, they haven’t been particularly emphasized. Perhaps the OP envisions that if the gravamen of the stories were reversed – that is, in a Christian-controlled country, if Islamic worship centers were burned in the last year, the media would report this fact with more attention, ire, or ink devoted to the reporting. I have no idea, of course, and can’t speak for the OP. But that would be my best guess of what he means. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/5 "2013-08-15T13:58:21Z")
My understanding of Egyptian culture (from friends living/visiting there and personal experience with a few nationals) suggests this sort of behavior will get the MB _the opposite_ of “a pass” by the majority of Egyptians regardless of their personal beliefs. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/6 "2013-08-15T14:26:30Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Perhaps the OP means that while the stories have been reported, they haven’t been particularly emphasized. Perhaps the OP envisions that if the gravamen of the stories were reversed – that is, in a Christian-controlled country, if Islamic worship centers were burned in the last year, the media would report this fact with more attention, ire, or ink devoted to the reporting. > > I have no idea, of course, and can’t speak for the OP. But that would be my best guess of what he means. This is a new, and still developing story. I’d say it’s getting the amount of coverage any such story would get at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/7 "2013-08-15T14:32:02Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > This is a new, and still developing story. I’d say it’s getting the amount of coverage any such story would get at this point. You may well be correct – I just stopped in to try to turn a train wreck of absolutism into something at least worth discussing. I have no clue about any of the details. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/8 "2013-08-15T15:09:33Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I read that the Muslims of Egypt have a problem with their Christian compatriots-over five major Coptic churches have been burned down in the past three years. Presumably as each of these _five events_ have occurred over _three years_, they have been reported. (Now if five major churches were burned down in one night and that was ignored by the media, you might have a case.) ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/9 "2013-08-15T15:10:06Z")
The military attacks the Muslim Brotherhood. In “reprisal” (as Agence France Presse puts it) the Islamists torch Coptic Christian Churches. I guess they should be excused - after all, there are very few synagogues left to burn in Egypt. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/10 "2013-08-15T16:59:48Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I read that the Muslims of Egypt… > > Why does the media not report this? So if the media isn’t reporting it. how did you read about it? ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/11 "2013-08-16T02:12:51Z")
[CNN is reporting](http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/15/world/meast/egypt-church-attacks/index.html?hpt=hp_t1) a spate of Christian churches being stormed, torched last night. > [@](#): > > Bishop Angaelos, the Cairo-born head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, said he was told by colleagues in Egypt that 52 churches were attacked in a 24-hour span that started Wednesday, as well as numerous Christians’ homes and businesses. Attacks on 52 churches in 24 hours deserves press attention. [CNN.com](http://CNN.com) has the story on its front page. The reporting out of Egypt is still developing and perhaps other networks will focus on this aspect. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/12 "2013-08-16T02:29:12Z")
Credit where credit is due — they’re only reporting it because **ralph** asked questions. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/13 "2013-08-16T13:10:20Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I read that the Muslims of Egypt have a problem with their Christian compatriots-over five major Coptic churches have been burned down in the past three years. also, hundreds of Copts have been murdered. Why does the media not report this? > I realize that Muslims face unjustified prejudice, but surely such violence against Christians is unjustified? Why doesn’t the UNCOHR say anything about this? Where to start? “The Muslims of Egypt” don’t have a problem with Christians, some Muslims in Egypt have committed hateful crimes against Christians. BUT, other Muslims in Egypt have risked their lives to protect Egyptian Christians: [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeterson/2013/08/muslims-protecting-christians-in-egypt-during-mass.html](http://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeterson/2013/08/muslims-protecting-christians-in-egypt-during-mass.html) So my question is, why didn’t you know this, if this is a topic important to you? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/14 "2013-08-16T13:42:19Z")
There have been claims that there has been an epidemic of burning of black churches in the U.S. There have been claims that there has been no such thing, just a few random incidents. Has this been resolved? It hasn’t? If we can’t resolve whether there has been any such thing in the U.S., how can we resolve whether there has been such in Egypt? ralph124c, don’t you have anything to say about what’s been said? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/15 "2013-08-16T16:49:39Z")
[Here’s an article](http://egyptianstreets.com/2013/08/16/coptic-churches-burn-amid-violence-in-egypt/) that some Egyptian friends posted on Facebook about churches being burned. Another friend is a journalist in Luxor and after he got back from covering a protest two days ago, he was telling me that the crowd was cheering and chanting about killing Christians and Jews. You’ve got pro-Morsi protesters on the news declaring that this is a war on Islam (which is perhaps the most ludicrous thing in the entire world, given the demographics of Egypt) and this is the result of that. It’s terrible, but sadly not unexpected. All that said, I have seen a definite pro-“Pro-Morsi” slant in the western media’s portrayal of this, which is really, really strange to me. If I had to guess, that’s likely why you aren’t seeing as much reporting on this, but it still makes absolutely no sense to me. I understand the western perspective of being inherently distrustful of military regimes and, ya know, governments in general, but how anyone can look at what’s happening in Egypt and sympathize with the Brotherhood at this point is just beyond me. While the MB originally had what was perhaps a position of moral righteousness with regard to the protection of legitimate democracy, they can’t ever come back from everything they’ve done in the last month. I’ve got friends on both sides, so it’s interesting to see how polar opposite they see things from one another. One pro-Morsi friend has had a really bizarre evolution over the last month-- he started fairly reasonable, explaining that this is about democracy and he’ll fight for that, despite not having a particularly favorable opinion of the MB. Now, he’s ranting and raving that this is all a huge plot by the military-- that the MB and pro-Morsi folks haven’t committed even a single act of violence. He claims that the protesters are entirely peaceful. When I bring up . . . you know, everything that’s happened on film, he claims that the military is planting people into the crowds to do that and it’s not the _real_ protesters. While I may have started with at least a little sympathy for the pro-Morsi folks claims to democratic legitimacy, that’s long gone after watching this situation closely. Horrifying. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/16 "2013-08-16T19:35:02Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I read that the Muslims of Egypt have a problem with their Christian compatriots-over five major Coptic churches have been burned down in the past three years. also, hundreds of Copts have been murdered. Why does the media not report this? > I realize that Muslims face unjustified prejudice, but surely such violence against Christians is unjustified? Why doesn’t the UNCOHR say anything about this? All Muslims are given the right to attack a certain number of Christians without retaliation by Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/17 "2013-08-16T23:05:40Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > All Muslims are given the right to attack a certain number of Christians without retaliation by Jesus. Yeah, right. That’s one of the stupidest statements I’ve seen on this board in quite a while. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/18 "2013-08-16T23:19:35Z")
I think he means “gets a pass” in the traditional right-wing Christian fundamentalist sense of “haven’t been wiped off the planet by the combined techno-industrial might of all the God-fearing Western democracies in a crusade led by the United States of Freedom”! > [@Baker](#): > > Yeah, right. That’s one of the stupidest statements I’ve seen on this board in quite a while. “Hi! We’re YogSosoth’s friends Sarcasm and Irony. I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasuring of meeting you yet!” ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/19 "2013-08-16T23:56:18Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Yeah, right. That’s one of the stupidest statements I’ve seen on this board in quite a while. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302/20 "2013-08-17T01:06:57Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > All Muslims are given the right to attack a certain number of Christians without retaliation by Jesus. Book of Retribution, Chapter 3, verses 14-15. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-pass-burning-christian-churches-why/666302.md?page=2)