Church in the World

Muslims riot at Coptic church

Middle East

THREE PEOPLE were killed and at least 60 wounded in clashes between Egyptian police and Muslims protesting outside a Coptic church in Alexandria.

More than 5,000 Muslims rioted outside St George?s Church last Friday, demanding an apology from the Coptic Pope Shenouda III for the release of a DVD considered offensive to Islam. The DVD consisted of a recording of a play, I Once Was Blind But Now I See, which tells the story of a young Copt who is drawn to Islamist militants who then try to kill him. Coptic Christian leaders have said the play depicts the dangers of extremism, not of Islam.

Last Sunday, a court spokesman said more than 100 people had been arrested for their involvement in the riots, but Christians fear the riots could spark off further acts of discrimination against their minority communities. The play was first performed at the church two years ago but the timing of the DVD?s release, days before legislative elections, has been cited as an excuse for the riots.

Many Christians saw in the event an organised attempt to unleash anger against their community in a constituency where there is a substantial Coptic electorate. The city is home to one of only two Copts out of 444 candidates standing for President Hosni Mubarak?s National Democratic Party.

Pope Shenouda III, head of Egypt?s Coptic Church, warned against ?any attempt to exploit the incident during the November elections?.

?Copts feel excluded from political life and this sentiment is heightened when the NDP selects only two to run in the elections, meaning they represent 0.4 per cent,? Coptic writer Samir Murqos claimed.

Small incidents involving Copts ? such as a Christian?s washing dripping on his Muslim neighbour?s balcony sparking a wave of riots in the 1970s ? have often erupted into full-fledged communal unrest, highlighting the unease of the Christian community in an increasingly Islamised Egypt.

Pope Shenouda III was joined by the country?s Grand Mufti in condemning last week?s violence. The Coptic leader issued a joint statement with Mouhammad Sahid El Tantawi, expressing ?sadness and suffering? at what happened.

Many analysts have accused the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic fundamentalist organisation, of fomenting the latest violence with the intention of disrupting the coming elections in Egypt.

The Coptic community comprises 10 per cent of Egypt?s mainly Muslim population of 72 million. Christians regularly complain of being discriminated against when applying for jobs, and often have difficulty in obtaining permits for the construction of churches.
Michael Hirst