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Watch video: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/maspero-a-massacre-of-christians-in-egypt/

 

60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon reported on the Coptic Christians of Egypt, who have been the target of brutal attacks by Muslim mobs and even the Egyptian military.

 

Simon interviewed Hossam Bahgat, a human rights activist, who witnessed what Simon refers to as the "most notorious attack" against the Copts. The attack occurred on October 9, 2011 outside the Maspero building in Cairo, which houses Egyptian state television and radio.

 

According to Bahgat, what started out as a peaceful protest against the destruction of a church in the south of Egypt, turned into a bloodbath.

 

"As soon as they arrived, they came under gunfire and then what we saw on TV were army vehicles chasing protesters and running them over," Bahgat tells Simon. "By the end of the day, we realized that 27 had been killed in the course of less than one hour."

 

Bahgat visited the morgue after the killings were over and calls it "the worst day of my life," as well as a major turning point for Coptic Christians of Egypt.

 

"Copts for the first time realized that the military, the army, is not going to protect them," Bahgat said. "In fact, the army is going to first kill them, and then tell the world that it was Christians that attacked the army. So it was a turning point in terms of the unconditional support that most Christians had expressed to the army since they replaced Mubarak."

 

To learn more about Coptic Christians in Egypt, watch the full 60 Minutes story here.

 

Editor's Note: This segment was originally published Dec. 15, 2013

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  • Andrew
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    Nothing changes even now cause government from terrorists and terrorists fro government they have the same culture if they fighting each other is that cause who control Egypt but they all the same from day I was born I see Muslim perants how they teach them kids to heat and hurt us as Christians my friend in the school was steal me and try He spits on the cross in my hands and if I against what he do he will hurt me and no one can protect me and not he the only one who hurt me and not only me they try to hurt they try to hurt my friends who are Christians like me I was so scared in this age I was young and I wasn’t know why he do this I was know nothing that there is people heat us and why they heat us after I grew I read my hestory and I know everything about Arabic occupation to my land if they born they teach them heat when they young what supposed to be the army or government that they Arabic too as a young man there is darkness future for me how can I make family if I don’t feel peace to myself how I can get kids if I can’t even protect myself we can’t work anywhere and even when we work we have to take care from any word we say or any step we take it I feel we are coptic in Egypt we life big prison and our Crime that are Christians to them them I mean all Arabic people and army and government

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