Middle East: ‘Arab Spring’ or ‘Christian Winter’?
Article from the Anglican Communion's Network for Inter Faith Concerns (NIFCON) December 2012
The events of the ‘Arab Spring’ in North Africa and the Middle East have received a large amount of media coverage. One unforeseen results of these events has been an increase in levels of insecurity for Christians living in many of these states. This article examines the situation of Christians in Egypt and some international responses.
Egypt
The attack on a Coptic Church in Maspero on 9th October 2011, when according to official sources 23 Christians and 3 soldiers were killed, was a severe shock to many who believed that the mutual support shown between Muslims and Christians during the protests at the beginning of the year marked a lasting change. Reuters reporter Tamim Elyan, in ‘Egypt's Christians vent fury at army after clash’, explains that the military had been sent to break up a Coptic demonstration, which was in response to the partial demolition of a church in Aswan the previous month.
Christians, and some Muslim activists, said the army had used excessive force. Protesters pelted military police with stones, petrol bombs and set light to army and other vehicles in the worst violence since Hosni Mubarak was ousted on Feb 11. The military-backed government says it does not discriminate and has promised to address Christian concerns. But for many Christians, Sunday's bloodshed was proof that the army council led by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi was ignoring the demands of a community which makes up about 10 percent of Egypt's 80 million people. Christian activists said the army used armored vehicles to disperse protesters at Maspero, an area around the state television building, after other tactics failed. … Christians say Prime Minister Essam Sharaf promised months ago to push through a law giving equal treatment for [construction of] all places of worship, but say the pledge has been neglected. "The real problem is not mainly the Salafists or fundamentalist Islamists as we know they are there and we know they are attacking Copts and churches all the time," said Youssef Sidhom, editor of Orthodox Coptic newspaper al-Watani. "The problem is the severe reluctance of the cabinet and the authorities to enforce the rule of law and protect the Copts. The main demand of demonstrators (on Sunday) was that the authorities should arrest the criminals," he said.
