Egyptian police have charged a Coptic mother with murdering her newborn baby, though she claims her baby was killed by intruders.

Azza Gamal, 27, told World Watch Monitor that she was home alone with her three children, including baby daughter Mohrael, on the evening of September 7when she opened the door to three masked men wearing galabiyas (full-length gowns) and a woman in a black abya (a robe-like dress) and niqab (a face-veil covering all but the eyes). The took the baby from her, beat her while shouting 'kafirs' (infidels') and fled with the newborn.

Azza's husband, Nour Bakhit Khalil, says he ran home from his sister's when he heard his wife screaming. 'I immediately went to the police station to report the kidnapping of my daughter,' he told World Watch Monitor. 'They asked me to fetch my wife and our ID cards and then to come back to file a report. None of them went back with me to investigate the matter or search for my daughter.'

The news soon came that Mohrael had been found with her throat cut, dumped just 10 metres from their home.

At first, the police seemed supportive. However, four days later, on September 11, the couple's home was raided by police.

According to Nour, his wife was slapped by police officers and arrested. 'They alleged that my wife suffers from psychological problems because of her desire to have a male rather than a female child, as she [already] has two girls. Allegedly she [also] killed Mohrael because I dislike having girls and wanted a boy instead of this girl.'

Nour claims that this could not be further from the truth. 'My wife is a very good woman. She is a religious person who has a strong relationship with God and could not do something like killing her daughter,' he said. 'Azza stayed up every night to take care of her, playing with and nursing her. How then could she kill her?

'As for me, I wasn't angry because my wife had a girl. On the contrary I love the girls and I was very happy when my wife gave birth to Mohrael. Saint Mary was a girl. Boys and girls are gifts from God and none can object [to] this gift.'

While the Gamals say they have no enemies in the village, the priest of their church, Philemon Abdallah Mashreqi, told World Watch Monitor that this is not the first time Coptic Christians there have been targeted.

'They are being targeted and there isn't any protection from the police,' he said.

Copts in the village have experienced burglaries and kidnappings, but claim to receive little support from the police. For instance, a Christian man, Awny Mousa, was kidnapped last month. Acccording to Mashreqi, 'his kidnappers contacted his family demanding ransom for his return. His family then headed to the police station, asking the police to help them, but the police didn't do anything for them and they had to pay the required amount to see the release of Awny'.

'The police's indifference, inaction and complicity gives an opportunity for these criminals to continue with their aggressive acts against us. As long as no legal action is taken, these attacks will not end but increase over time. We see that we have no rights here and that the law does not apply'.