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The demonstrations were sparked by the alleged abduction and forced conversion to Islam of the wife of a Coptic priest. Protestors, gathering at a Coptic cathedral in the Cairo district of Abbasiya demanded the return of the woman in question, Wefaa Constantine, to church authorities.
Demonstrators also protested against what many Christians perceive as an unofficial discrimination policy.
Protestors staged round-the-clock sit-ins at the cathedral until the confrontation reached its climax Dec. 9 when church authorities instructed demonstrators to disperse after receiving assurances that Constantine had been handed over to a church council. By then, some 55 people had been injured, while 34 Christian demonstrators were arrested for allegedly attacking police during the disturbances.
The Cairo protest does not appear to have been an isolated incident. It coincided with independent claims by church authorities in the Upper Egyptian province of Assiut - a historic flashpoint of sectarian discord - that the ruling National Democratic Party’s local representative had pressured Copts (Coptic Christians) in his jurisdiction to convert to Islam. The party representative, quoted in the government-run al-Ahram weekly , said the claims were “completely fabricated…”
Sensational headlines peppered the pages of the opposition press. The independent weekly al-Esboua asked, “Who will ignite the fitna ?”, using the Arabic word - charged with dread - for “sectarian warfare”. The left-wing Tagammua Party mouthpiece al-Ahali proclaimed, “The spectre of sectarianism threatens Egypt.”
State media downplayed the issue, although political talk shows on government-run television channels featured prominent figures from al-Azhar University - the seat of Sunni Islam - reiterating Islam’s tradition of non-violent proselytising and the importance of interfaith dialogue.
Christian-Muslim relations have generally been peaceful, but there have been periodic outbreaks of violence, especially in Upper Egypt, where the subject remains an extremely sensitive one.
Sectarian violence erupted most recently in 2000 in the village of al-Kusheh where according to official accounts 20 people were killed during armed clashes between the two sides, although local accounts suggest a higher death toll. In an indication of the sensitivity of the incident, al-Kusheh was subsequently renamed Dar al-Salaam, or “City of Peace”.
But many Upper Egyptian Copts complain that official discrimination against Christians remains rife, often at the local level. They point to the under-representation of Copts in the government, army and police.
“For every 100 local officers, maybe one of them is Christian,” said a Copt from the Assiut province. He said local bureaucracy also obstructs the building of churches as opposed to mosques. “This makes us angry,” he said.
Most Muslim observers say sectarian tension is often exaggerated for political purposes, with an eye to potential foreign intervention. “Outside forces are always trying to inflate the issue,” said Mahmoud, resident of Assiut.
aina.org/news/2004121510059.htm
Demonstrators also protested against what many Christians perceive as an unofficial discrimination policy.
Protestors staged round-the-clock sit-ins at the cathedral until the confrontation reached its climax Dec. 9 when church authorities instructed demonstrators to disperse after receiving assurances that Constantine had been handed over to a church council. By then, some 55 people had been injured, while 34 Christian demonstrators were arrested for allegedly attacking police during the disturbances.
The Cairo protest does not appear to have been an isolated incident. It coincided with independent claims by church authorities in the Upper Egyptian province of Assiut - a historic flashpoint of sectarian discord - that the ruling National Democratic Party’s local representative had pressured Copts (Coptic Christians) in his jurisdiction to convert to Islam. The party representative, quoted in the government-run al-Ahram weekly , said the claims were “completely fabricated…”
Sensational headlines peppered the pages of the opposition press. The independent weekly al-Esboua asked, “Who will ignite the fitna ?”, using the Arabic word - charged with dread - for “sectarian warfare”. The left-wing Tagammua Party mouthpiece al-Ahali proclaimed, “The spectre of sectarianism threatens Egypt.”
State media downplayed the issue, although political talk shows on government-run television channels featured prominent figures from al-Azhar University - the seat of Sunni Islam - reiterating Islam’s tradition of non-violent proselytising and the importance of interfaith dialogue.
Christian-Muslim relations have generally been peaceful, but there have been periodic outbreaks of violence, especially in Upper Egypt, where the subject remains an extremely sensitive one.
Sectarian violence erupted most recently in 2000 in the village of al-Kusheh where according to official accounts 20 people were killed during armed clashes between the two sides, although local accounts suggest a higher death toll. In an indication of the sensitivity of the incident, al-Kusheh was subsequently renamed Dar al-Salaam, or “City of Peace”.
But many Upper Egyptian Copts complain that official discrimination against Christians remains rife, often at the local level. They point to the under-representation of Copts in the government, army and police.
“For every 100 local officers, maybe one of them is Christian,” said a Copt from the Assiut province. He said local bureaucracy also obstructs the building of churches as opposed to mosques. “This makes us angry,” he said.
Most Muslim observers say sectarian tension is often exaggerated for political purposes, with an eye to potential foreign intervention. “Outside forces are always trying to inflate the issue,” said Mahmoud, resident of Assiut.
aina.org/news/2004121510059.htm
