SOURCE: The Associated Press
10/10/2011
CAIRO — Egypt’s Coptic church blasted authorities Monday for allowing repeated attacks on Christians with impunity as the death toll from a night of rioting rose to 26, most of them Christians who were trying to stage a peaceful protest in Cairo over an attack on a church.
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| Pope Shenouda III |
“Strangers got in the middle of our sons and committed mistakes to be blamed on our sons,” the Coptic church said in a statement. It lamented “problems that occur repeatedly and go unpunished.”
The clashes Sunday night raged over a large section of downtown Cairo and drew in Christians, Muslims and security forces. They began when about 1,000 Christian protesters tried to stage a peaceful sit-in outside the state television building along the Nile in downtown Cairo. The protesters said they were attacked by “thugs” with sticks and the violence then spiraled out of control after a speeding military vehicle jumped up onto a sidewalk and rammed into some of the Christians.
There is no precise breakdown of how many Christians and Muslims were among the victims, but the 26 are believed to be mostly Christian. Officials said at least three soldiers were among the dead. Nearly 500 people were injured. Egypt’s official news agency said dozens have been arrested.
Much smaller skirmishes broke out again Monday outside the Coptic hospital where many of the Christian victims were taken the night before. Several hundred Christians pelted police with rocks outside while the screams of grieving women rang out from inside the hospital. Some of the hundreds of men gathered outside held wooden crosses and empty coffins were lined up outside the hospital.
There were no word on casualties from the new clashes.
Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s 85 million people, blame the ruling military council that took power after the uprising for being too lenient on those behind a spate of anti-Christian attacks since Mubarak’s ouster. The chaotic power transition has left a security vacuum, and the Coptic Christian minority is particularly worried about a show of force by ultraconservative Islamists, known as Salafis.
In recent weeks, riots have broken out at two churches in southern Egypt, prompted by Muslim crowds angry over church construction. One riot broke out near the city of Aswan, even after church officials agreed to a demand by ultraconservative Muslims known as Salafis that a cross and bells be removed from the building. Aswan’s governor, Gen. Mustafa Kamel al-Sayyed, further raised tensions by suggesting to the media that the church construction was illegal.
Christian protesters are demanding the ouster of the governor, reconstruction of the church, compensation for people whose houses were set on fire and prosecution of those behind the riots and attacks on the church.
The European Union strongly condemned the violence.
“It is about time that the Egyptian leadership understands the importance of religious plurality and tolerance,” German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said. “It’s very important that the Egyptian authorities reaffirm freedom of worship in Egypt,” added British Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf warned in a televised address that the riots were another setback on the country’s already fraught transition to civilian rule after three decades of Mubarak’s authoritarian government.
“These events have taken us back several steps,” Sharaf said. He blamed foreign meddling for the troubles, claiming it was part of a “dirty conspiracy.” Similar explanations for the troubles in Egypt are often heard from the military rulers who took power from Mubarak, perhaps at attempt to deflect accusations that they are bungling the management of the country.
“Instead of moving forward to build a modern state on democratic principles, we are back to seeking stability and searching for hidden hands — domestic and foreign — that meddle with the country’s security and safety,” Sharaf said.
Sunday’s violence will likely prompt the military to further tighten its grip on power.
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Who Are the Copts? SOURCE: Al Arabiya News
Egypt’s Copts, at the center of clashes which left 24 people dead on Sunday in Cairo, are the largest Christian minority community in the Middle East, and one of the oldest.
The Copts are generally estimated at between six and 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 80 million. The Coptic Church itself claims it has 10 million followers.
The Copts are generally estimated at between six and 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 80 million. The Coptic Church itself claims it has 10 million followers.
Most Copts adhere to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, headed by Pope Shenuda III, while the others are divided between the Coptic Catholic and various Coptic Protestant churches.
The Catholic Copts, who form part of the Church’s eastern rites, are headed by patriarch Antonios Naguib, who was consecrated cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI last November 20.
Vatican records show some 165,000 Catholic Copts lived in Egypt in 2010.
The Copts go back to the dawn of Christianity, at a time when Egypt was integrated into the Roman, then Byzantine empires, after the disappearance of the dynasty of the Pharaoh Ptolemy, who was of Greek origin.
The word “Copt” has the same roots as the term “Egyptian” in ancient Greek.
Their decline started with the Arab invasions of the seventh century and the progressive Islamisation of the country, which today is largely Sunni Muslim.
Copts are present across the whole country, with a strongest concentration in Middle Egypt. All social categories are represented, from the lowest Cairo dustman to major patrician families.
Weakly represented in government, Copts complain that they are sidelined from numerous posts in the justice system, the universities and the police.
They also complain about very restrictive legislation on building churches, whereas the regime for building mosques is very liberal.
On January 1, 2011 the unclaimed bombing of a Coptic church killed 23 people and wounded 79, mainly Christians, in Egypt’s second city of Alexandria.
An upsurge in puritanical Islam has increased their feeling of marginalization, especially since the fall of president Hosni Mubarak on February 11, which has led to a degradation of the security climate and heightened visibility for Islamists.
On March 8, 13 people were killed in bloody clashes between Muslims and Copts in Cairo’s working class neighborhood of Moqattam, where around 1,000 Christians gathered to protest over the torching of a church south of the capital.
In May, clashes between Muslims and Copts left 15 dead and more than 200 injured in the popular Cairo neighborhood of Imbaba where two churches were attacked.
The Catholic Copts, who form part of the Church’s eastern rites, are headed by patriarch Antonios Naguib, who was consecrated cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI last November 20.
Vatican records show some 165,000 Catholic Copts lived in Egypt in 2010.
The Copts go back to the dawn of Christianity, at a time when Egypt was integrated into the Roman, then Byzantine empires, after the disappearance of the dynasty of the Pharaoh Ptolemy, who was of Greek origin.
The word “Copt” has the same roots as the term “Egyptian” in ancient Greek.
Their decline started with the Arab invasions of the seventh century and the progressive Islamisation of the country, which today is largely Sunni Muslim.
Copts are present across the whole country, with a strongest concentration in Middle Egypt. All social categories are represented, from the lowest Cairo dustman to major patrician families.
Weakly represented in government, Copts complain that they are sidelined from numerous posts in the justice system, the universities and the police.
They also complain about very restrictive legislation on building churches, whereas the regime for building mosques is very liberal.
On January 1, 2011 the unclaimed bombing of a Coptic church killed 23 people and wounded 79, mainly Christians, in Egypt’s second city of Alexandria.
An upsurge in puritanical Islam has increased their feeling of marginalization, especially since the fall of president Hosni Mubarak on February 11, which has led to a degradation of the security climate and heightened visibility for Islamists.
On March 8, 13 people were killed in bloody clashes between Muslims and Copts in Cairo’s working class neighborhood of Moqattam, where around 1,000 Christians gathered to protest over the torching of a church south of the capital.
In May, clashes between Muslims and Copts left 15 dead and more than 200 injured in the popular Cairo neighborhood of Imbaba where two churches were attacked.
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