Al Jazeera America Guest Blames Egyptian Military for Bombing Churches

On Al Jazeera America’s The Stream, a community activist from Florida whose brother was killed as a result of the violence in Egypt last week claimed that the Egyptian military and security forces are bombing Christian churches and blaming it on the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been accused of firebombing the churches.

The show integrates social media such as Twitter, Skype, and Google Hangouts into its broadcast and the guests were asked to respond to a comment sent by Fatmar Antar, who wrote: 

I’m so sad to see the supporters of the brotherhood and Morsi are attacking Churches and Christians. The violence against Christians in Egypt by Morsi supporters indicates they are armed and not just peaceful demonstrators

Ahmed Bedier, the activist from Florida, said while it was “horrible” that churches were being bombed, “not a single Christian” has been killed as a result of what he claimed were just 40 bombings (reports haveindicated at least 60 churches have been targeted by the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters).

Wael Escander, a blogger and online journalist in Egypt who joined the program via Google Hangout, said that five were killed and noted that the “houses of Christians” have been marked weeks before the attacks. 

Bedier got defensive, saying the security forces “allowed” those bombings to happen to gain the “sympathies of the west” and “blame it on the Muslim Brotherhood.” 

Escander, the Egyptian journalist, said that even when Mohammed Morsi was in power, the Muslim Brotherhood stated they were for the destruction of the churches. Bedier then shook his head in disagreement, defending the Muslim Brotherhood.