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A Coptic Christian church was recently burned to the ground\u2014not in Egypt, where the torching of Coptic churches is not an uncommon occurrence, but in Canada, also known as \u201cthe church-burning centre of the Western world<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the early morning hours of July 19, St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Surrey, which served 500 families and provided food for the homeless, was set aflame and completely destroyed. Only one charred wall remains standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the report<\/a>, \u201cThe cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Surrey RCMP [police] said it is being treated as \u2018suspicious.\u2019 The St. George Coptic Orthodox Church was also the target of an attempted arson just last Wednesday, although authorities do not know if the two incidents are connected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What, exactly, do Canadian mounted police find \u201csuspicious\u201d? The church was clearly targeted for arson, as evidenced by the fact that it was targeted for arson a few days earlier, and at the very same time (between 2:30-4:00 a.m.). On July 14, surveillance video captured a woman lighting a fire, one that failed to catch, at the church door. That the \u201cauthorities do not know if the two incidents are connected\u201d seems like wishful thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is deserving of the term \u201csuspicious\u201d is that, days after the church reported the first failed arson attempt to police\u2014which should have led to better awareness and security for the church\u2014another successful<\/em> arson attempt took place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After expressing its \u201cimmense sadness and pain\u201d at the loss of the church, a statement from the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Mississauga called on Premier John Horgan and the authorities to expedite the investigation, correctly observing that \u201cThe timing of this fire \u2026 raises many questions about what the authorities did to protect our church, especially considering the attempt on the same church this past Wednesday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related:<\/strong> Vandals Burn Churches TO THE GROUND in Canada Amid \u2018Truth and Reconciliation Report<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, congregant Nancy Khalil, whose family helped build the now destroyed sanctuary, as well as dozens of \u201cpriceless\u201d hand-painted icons, also expressed disappointment that \u201cneither provincial nor federal leaders had yet spoken out about the fire.\u201d \u201cIt hurts,\u201d she said, \u201cto see no word from the government. I\u2019m very, very much hoping for at least a statement from the premier to condemn what is happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She shouldn\u2019t hold her breath. Canada\u2019s leaders couldn\u2019t care less<\/a> about yet another church burning to the ground. Before this Coptic church was burned, at least 50 other churches<\/a>, mostly Catholic, a few Anglican, were also vandalized or torched in Canada. Here\u2019s how Canada\u2019s leading voices responded:<\/p>\n\n\n\n