EGYPT: Thousands march in Tahrir Square, Coptic Christians continue sit-in
Thousands of protesters marched in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday to stress the unity between Egypt’s Muslims and Christian Copts following sectarian clashes that ended with a dozen dead and more than 200 injured last week.
The march, which coincided with a rally in the square in solidarity with Palestinians, began with a Christian Mass followed by Friday prayers.
Cleric Mazhar Shahin, who delivered the Friday prayer speech, said Islam and Christianity do not teach hatred or incitement of violence.
“Such strife is intended by a group of people who are neither Muslims nor Christians,” Shahin said as he warned Egyptians not to let extremists divide them.
Both Muslim and Coptic Christian protesters joined the demonstration, chanting, “Muslims and Copts are one hand” and carrying banners that said, “Egypt is for all Egyptians.”
“We need to have constitutional guarantees securing equal citizenship rights and respecting all religions without discrimination between Muslims and Copts,” Adel Mahmoud, who is Muslim, told Babylon and Beyond.
Mahmoud said he wants to see those responsible for sectarian violence on both sides punished under Egyptian law.
Also in Cairo on Friday, several thousand Coptic Christians continued a sit-in that started Sunday, calling for the immediate capture, trial and conviction of religious extremists responsible for last week’s violence.
On Wednesday, Egyptian leaders promised to draft laws to deter religious violence and authorities announced that more than 200 suspects had been detained in connection with last week’s sectarian clashes.
However, some Coptic Christians were still in disbelief Friday.
“I don’t trust news like this. I doubt if anyone will be brought to justice. It’s the same as many previous clashes where no one was held accountable for sectarian violence,” said a Coptic protester who asked not to be identified.
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-- Amro Hassan in Cairo
Photo: Protesters in Tahrir Square on Friday. Credit: Khaled Desouky /Getty Images
THIS IS NOT SECTARIAN VIOLENCE AS PER EGYPT'S BIAS MEDIA REPORTS, BUT UNPROVOKED “ONE – WAY” ATTACKS BY EXTREMISTS ON EGYPT’S CHRISTIANS.
1 January 2011 - New Year's eve - Alexandria Coptic Orthodox Church Bombing - 21 Christians killed and at least 79 injured.
11 January 2011 A muslim extremist policeman in a train in Samalout station in Minya province opened fire on 6 christian passengers - 1 Christian killed and at least 5 injured.
5 March 2011 A church was demolished by muslim extremists in Sole, Egypt & christian villages attacked & looted - 6 Christians killed and scores of civilians injured.
9 March 2011 - Egyptian army massacred Copts protesting for equality - 13 Copts and 150 injured.. Muslim etremists threw fire balls at the monastry from the top of the hills & torched 8 christian homes, 20 coptic garbage recycling factories & 30 garbage collection vehicles.
20 March 20 2011- A group of Muslim extremists attacked Ayman Anwar Mitri, a 45 year old Christian Coptic man in the Upper Egyptian town of Qena, cutting off his ear. The muslim extremists claimed they were applying Sharia law because Mr. Mitri allegedly he had an affair with a muslim woman. They also made a 10cm cut at the back of his neck, cut his other ear, his face and his arm. Mr. Mitri said they wanted to throw him off the fifth floor. The muslim extremists called the police and told them “We have applied the law of Allah, now come and apply your law,” according to Mr. Mitri in an interview for the Egyptian Human Rights Organization.
On April 18 violence broke out in the southern Egyptian town of Abu Qurqas El Balad, in Minya Governorate, 260 KM south of Cairo. One Christian Copt was killed, an old woman was thrown out of her second floor balcony and ten Copts were hospitalized. Coptic homes, shops, businesses, fields and livestock were plundered and torched.
On May 7, 2011, Over 12 christians were killed and more than 200 injured in attacks on Churches in Imbaba, Cairo, by muslim extremists.
30 Coptic women have been abducted since Jan 25 Revolution 2011 and never returned to their families....
NOW SERIOUSLY, WESTERN MEDIA......IS, THIS NOT “ONE – WAY” ATTACKS BY EXTREMISTS ON EGYPT’S CHRISTIANS. WELL, IT OBVIOUSLY IS NOT SECTARIAN VIOLENCE, IS IT???
“BEWARE EVERYONE”, THE SUPREME MOTIVE OF THE POLITICAL MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD IS TO SEIZE POWER OF EGYPT AND TURN IT TO A RELIGIOUS STATE WITH SHARIA LAW IN FORCE.
VERY SIMPLY, THESE ATTACKS ON EGYPT’S CHRISTIANS HAVE NOW BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL MATTER, BECAUSE THE EGYPTIAN AUTHORITIES HAVE NEVER PROTECTED OR PUNISHED MUSLIM EXTREMISTS FOR THEIR CRIMES. UNJUSTLY, AMERICA AND ISRAEL ARE ALWAYS BLAMED FOR THE CRIMES COMMITTED BY EXTREMISTS IN EGYPT…
THE OLD REGIME OF MUBARAK, WHO HAVE CREATED AND BREEDED 30 YEARS OF RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM IN EGYPT ARE STILL IN POWER!!!
EGYPT’S MUSLIM’S MUST UNITE WITH CHRISTIANS AS ONE HAND (“SHOULDER TO SHOULDER”) IN PROTECTING EGYPT FROM FURTHER DESTRUCTION OF EGYPT BY EXTREMISTS!!! ACTION WILL SURELY SPEAK MORE THAN WORDS……..
Posted by: Unity | May 18, 2011 at 07:51 PM
Copts are struggling for their civil rights; like African Americans before them.
This is a not a fight between Muslims and Christians.
Keep it this way.
Egyptians should be ruled by any religion, but people of all religions should have equal rights in front of the laws.
Posted by: Salah Sedarous | May 14, 2011 at 07:01 PM
square in solidarity with Palestinians
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So it was an anti-Israel march. What else is new?
Posted by: lindy | May 14, 2011 at 05:59 AM