GIZA, Egypt — Egypt’s Christians were worried about their
safety on Monday as they marked the first Christmas under Islamist rule, with
Coptic Pope Tawadros II urging worshipers “not to be afraid” and some
complaining that their lives had gone from bad to worse in the nearly two years
since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak.
At St. Mary’s Church in the dense and religiously mixed
neighborhood of Imbaba, where sectarian clashes have flared before, midnight
Mass on Christmas Eve started early because of safety concerns. The church,
which was torched by an Islamist mob in 2011, was protected Sunday by a larger
police presence than in past years, a si! gnal to some that the Islamist
government wanted to avoid trouble after political clashes flared last month on
Egypt’s streets.
Many Christians, who make up roughly 10 percent of
Egypt’s 85 million people, have joined with liberals in complaining that the
country’s new constitution<
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/egypt-ratifies-islamist-backed-constitution/2012/12/25/06625aa4-4ec0-11e2-950a-7863a013264b_story.html>,
ratified last month, sets the stage for a broader implementation of Islamic
law. Although Copts had complained of marginalization and discrimination under
Mubarak, many accuse President Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood allies
of hijacking the country and seeking to exclude Christians entirely.
But some Christians said Egypt’s tumultuous transition
also has rendered a long-silent community more politicized. With parliamentary
elections expected in a few months, they say they are ! going to keep pushing
for their rights to counter the Islamist! s’ ris e.
The confrontation last month between Islamists and
Egypt’s fractured liberal opposition over the character of the new constitution
drew scores of Christian protesters.
It wasn’t the first time that the Copts had demonstrated
against Egypt’s emerging status quo. Hundreds of protesters camped in downtown
Cairo after a wave of sectarian clashes<
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15235212>
in 2011, but now many say they have felt emboldened by the vastness of the
emerging opposition.
“The Muslim Brotherhood may have forced the constitution
on the people, but they will not be able to force Egypt to stay silent,” said
Mena Girgis, a 22-year-old university student and activist. “I don’t think they
can come close to the Christians at the moment. They’re worried about their
reputation to the world — that it will be even shakier than it was before.”
Morsi and Mohammed Badie, the leader of ! the Muslim
Brotherhood, issued separate statements Sunday to wish Egyptian Christians a
merry holiday. Many Eastern Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe, the Middle
East and North Africa celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7.
In his Mass, Tawadros appealed for unity but also told
congregants, “Even if humans feel lots of fear, remember, God will take care of
you. This is a collective message because fear is contagious. . . . This is a
message of reassurance.”
Egypt’s military claimed on its Facebook page Monday that
its troops had foiled an attempted church bombing<
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/egyptian-military-says-it-foiled-car-bombing-near-church-and-military-camp-close-to-gaza/2013/01/07/014e9ebc-58b9-11e2-b8b2-0d18a64c8dfa_story.html>
near the country’s border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday night. But it was not
clear from local media reports whether a car found laden with guns and ammu!
nition in the restive border town of Rafah had meant to target! an unus ed
church or whether it may have been directed at a military base, both located
nearby.
At St. Mary’s, where memories of mob violence are still
fresh, Christmas Eve Mass ended early “to ensure that people get home safely,”
said Youssef al-Qumos, a pathologist and churchgoer.
The most violent sectarian clashes of the past two years
occurred during the period of military rule after Mubarak’s ouster — and, in
one instance, at the hands of the armed forces. But for many, Islamist rule
spells far deeper conflicts on the horizon.
Rising Islamism has spurred tense exchanges and sporadic
violence in mixed communities across Egypt in recent months. “Even those who
have nothing to do with anything are growing beards now,” said Magdy, a
Christian bureaucrat in the village of Sanhour in rural Fayoum province.
The residents of Sanhour have been luckier than those of
some other towns south of Cairo, Magdy added, because they have yet to see an
attack ! on Christians. But he declined to give his last name for fear of
reprisal. “Any word spoken by a Christian is judged,” he said. “It’s calm here.
But it’s the future that we worry about.”
Last week, fundamentalist Islamists known as Salafists
re-published old fatwas warning Muslims against fraternizing with Christians on
their holiday. A shadowy Salafist group in the city of Suez vowed to shut down
any New Year celebrations. And rumors of a grass-roots Salafist morality force
that is planning to mob churches and force conversions have put many Christians
on edge.
“They repeated that on a lot of satellite channels, and
we don’t know if it’s true or false,” Nahed Adly, a dentist in Cairo who
attended Mass at St. Mary’s, said of the rumors.
“My reading is that they’re waiting till the election,
till they get everything. And when they’re done taking over all the seats of
power, then they can focus on us,” she said.
Ingy Hassieb and Sharaf al-Hourani in Cairo contributed
to this report.
January 7th, 2013
04:00 PM ET
By Shahira Amin, Special to CNN
(CNN)– It's Orthodox Christmas, but the mood in Cairo's
working-class Shobra district this year is somber. There aren't many colorful
festivities and decorations that traditionally mar! k Easter n Christmas
celebrations in this predominantly Christian neighborhood, and Shobra's Coptic
Christian residents say they are in no mood to celebrate.
Growing concerns about the rights of Egypt's Copts, who
make up an estimated 12% of the population, have dampened the mood of
Christians, overshadowing this year's celebrations.
"Many of my friends and relatives have left the
country," said 27-year-old Beshoy Ragheb. "I would leave, too, if I
had a place to go."
Threats by Muslim extremists against Coptic Christians in
the past year have forced scores of Christian families to flee their homes in
Dahshur and the Egyptian border town of Rafah. Meanwhile, extremist attacks on
Christian churches and brutal attacks by security and military forces on
Christian protesters demanding the protection of their churches in October 2011
remain vivid in the memories of many of Egypt's Christians.
Military sources, meanwhile, said Monday that Egyptian
security forces had thwarted a militant attack on a church in Rafah the
previous nig! ht. The would-be assailants fled after a military patrol spott!
ed their unlicensed vehicles parked outside the town's Orthodox Christian
church, which militants torched weeks after the January 2011 uprising. Soldiers
found weapons in one of the vehicles and presume the escaped militants were
planning to use them in their attack.
Egypt's Christians are also concerned about the country's
newly drafted constitution, which was written by an Islamist-dominated
assembly. Liberal opposition political forces say the charter, which passed
last month after being put to a popular vote, undermines religious freedoms and
does not guarantee equal rights for Copts, despite an article in the
constitution that says Muslims, Christians and Jews have a right to practice
their religions freely. Church members on the constituent assembly, which was
elected by parliamen! t to draft the constitution, walked out weeks before the
completion of the draft document, citing concerns about articles they said
"contradict the principles of citizenship."
In a recent interview with the Turkish news agency
Anadolu, the newly elected Orthodox Christian patriarch, Pope Tawadros II, said
that while Christians accept Article 2 of the constitution, which says the
principles of Islamic Sharia law are the main source of legislation, they are
worried about an article that spells out what those principles are in Islamic
terms. "This new provision makes the constitution unrepresentative of the
whole society," he said.
Despite the C! opts' in creasing fears, it's not all doom
and gloom for Egypt's Christians. A new law on houses of worship is under
discussion in the Shura Council - the upper house of parliament, which recently
has taken over legislation until the new People's Assembly, or lower house, is
elected next month. Once passed, the new legislation will allow Christians to
build and renovate their churches as stipulated by the constitution, a far cry
from the days of toppled President Hosni Mubarak, when building and restoring
churches required a presidential decree.
Moreover, in a recent meeting with Coptic clerics,
President Mohamed Morsy promised to approve a unified law on personal affairs
of non-Muslims. The law, which was drafted by the late Pope Shenouda III and is
now under study, would allow Egyptian! Christians to refer to their own
religious edicts in matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance, and
would allow them to choose their religious clerics.
Copts however, complain of continued discrimination.
"Copts were grossly underrepresented in parliament and in government under
Mubarak. They continue to be discriminated against under Islamist President
Mohamed Morsy, despite promises that he would be the president for all
Egyptians," Coptic lawyer Nabil Ghabriel said.
The Islamist-dominated Cabinet has just one Christian woman
- Nadia Zachary, who was appointed as ministe! r of state for scientific
research - and Copts continue to hav! e little more than a token presence in
the government. Moreover, Samir Morcos, the sole Coptic presidential aide,
resigned in November to protest the sweeping powers that Morsy gave himself in
a controversial constitutional declaration. Morcos said he was not consulted
about the widely criticized declaration.
Pope Tawadros has urged political parties to place Copts,
women and youth revolutionaries at the top of their electoral lists in upcoming
elections in a bid to give them adequate representation in parliament. He has
also proposed allocating specific constituencies for Christians - a suggestion
that Islamists are likely to reject.
Addressing the Christian faithful at the traditional
Christmas Eve Mass on Sunday, Tawadros asked the congregation "to pray for
Egypt." But he denied that Egyptian Copts are facing a crisis, reminding
Christians that sectarian incidents had sporadically occurred in the country
during the three decades of Mubarak's rule.
While the pope sounded an optimistic note, saying he
anticipates a better future for Egypt, many Christians attending the prayers
said they did not share his optimism. "The fact that President Morsy did
not attend the Mass himself, but sent a government official to represent him,
is a sign that little will change," Hani Tadros, 43, said as he left the
cathedral in Abbasiya after attending the prayers.
