The Assyrian International News Agency reports that a priest has been sentenced to six months in prison for violating the local law prescribing what the height of the church could be.

The court also ordered the removal of the “excess height” so a bunch of workers went out to lop off the top of the church but hardly needed to because a crowd of Muslims soon assembled and burned the church to the ground.

Now, nobody’s allowed around the church.

“Since then no work has been done to it. We are not allowed to pray there or come near it by order of the authorities,” said father Salib el-Deek of the Coptic diocese of Edfu. He said that they had proof that the church applied several times to the police to remove the excess, which it had started before the torching of the church, but were not granted permission. The police records were refused to be admitted as evidence by the court.

The church lawyer also presented documents showing that Rev. Makarios is not the one who is responsible for the removal of the excess height, but the architect and the building contractor, but the court refused to take this into consideration and Father Makarious was convicted.

Reverend Salib also said that Reverend Makarios is not allowed to go inside the village by the village Muslims, and the government has done nothing about this.

Of course, this had nothing to do with the height of the church. In fact, late last year Jihad Watch reported that a “reconciliation meeting” took place for the Christians and Muslims to sit down. What came of that meeting? The Church was forced to agree to strip the church of crosses and bells.

“For the sake of peace we agreed to their demands,” said Father Makarios Boulos, at the time.

And now adherents of the religion of peace has burned the church to the ground and have sentenced the priest to jail.

My goodness, churches being hollowed out and the government persecuting priests? Sheesh. You’d think it was America.