Egypt’s Copts issue warning

Egypt’s Coptic Christians, in the bloodiest run-up to their January the seventh Christmas in years, are raising the pressure on the authorities to protect them.

Hundreds clashed with police in Alexandria, where a bomb killed 21 and maimed scores at a church on New Year’s Day, and at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo, the base of Orthodox Pope Shenouda. The protestors wanted security, and answers.

“We want justice for those martyred, all those people murdered. What did they do? Just celebrating a new year, praying in a house of god. What was their sin?” was a typical comment.

The attack has led to a closing of ecclesiastical ranks in Egypt, with a joint press conference condemning it by Shenouda and Egypt’s top Muslim cleric Ahmed el-Tayeb. He called for all Egyptians regardless of faith to “take each other’s hands”, saying the attack targeted “all Egyptians”.

Official statements blaming Iraqi-based al-Qaeda elements have been tempered by police discoveries that explosives were locally-made. Flights into Egypt, and cashpoint activity are also being examined looking for evidence of foreign involvement. Seven people remain in custody, all owners of cars parked around the church in Alexandria.

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