On Sunday, May 24, in the village of Kafr Darwish, just south of Cairo, a Muslim mob attacked Coptic Christian homes, including by hurling stones and Molotov explosives at them. More than 10 homes were torched and damaged.

This latest bout of Muslim persecution of Christians was prompted by a familiar narrative: one of the Coptic villagers, Ayman Youssef, was accused of posting cartoons offensive to Muhammad on his Facebook account.

Youssef is illiterate and says he lost his mobile phone a few days before the alleged Facebook posting.

Village elders and security representatives held a “conciliation session” and decreed that Youssef’s entire family—including 80-year-old father and 75-year-old mother—must leave the village in order for angry Muslims to calm down. The Christian family was even told by the village mayor Ahmed Maher that police “cannot guarantee their safety if they remained in the village.”