The most violent night Cairo has experienced since the overthrow of Hussein Mubarak left dozens killed and injured. The casualties were both civilians and military personnel leading the interim prime minister, Essam Sharaf, to call for calm and peace to quell the seeds of division.
The clashes began when the march of Coptic Christians were joining to meet the main protest outside the state television headquarters. Outside the headquarters, thousands had already been protesting for hours demanding state accountability for a Christian church that was burned down last week in Aswan province, as well as a revision to the licensing procedure to build churches.
Since the events, there has been a wide range of confounding explanations as to what caused the violence. State television depicted a different scene showing pictures of soldiers attacked while protecting the march in Cairo. The interim government further externalized the sources for division, warning that outside forces were at play; a claim that legitimizes the militarized quelling of the Christian protests.
Many other civilians, Muslims included, have vehemently protested the military backlash to the Coptic Christian protests. The successful Arab Spring uprisings have been largely based in peaceful transfers of power between despot and a transitional government. The security apparatuses still left in place in Egypt have raised some concerns.
With a history dating 19 centuries, Coptic Christians were once a majority and now make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s 25 million people. During the 18 days of protests in Tahir square, signs of reconciliation were made when Coptic Christians were seen forming human barriers, protecting praying Muslims from Mubarak’s soldiers.
The vacuum of power left in the wake of Mubarak has been an opportunity for more Islamist conservative affiliations such as the Salafis to rise to prominence. Since the protests, there have been several instances of church burnings related to disputes over Christian-Muslim adultery. Coptic Christians have hoped for an increased protection of rights since the ousting of Mubarak. However the lack of a new constitution as well as the existence of extreme groups wanting to deny non-Muslims rights in Egypt have made it hard for a complete sea change.
Late Monday night, thousands mourned the losses in a Coptic Christian church in central Cairo. These latest events have undoubtedly left many Egyptians in a place of soul-searching and reflection – not only in deciding to whether or not to resuscitate the revolution but also which path Egypt should be headed.
Since the events, there has been a wide range of confounding explanations as to what caused the violence. State television depicted a different scene showing pictures of soldiers attacked while protecting the march in Cairo. The interim government further externalized the sources for division, warning that outside forces were at play; a claim that legitimizes the militarized quelling of the Christian protests.
Many other civilians, Muslims included, have vehemently protested the military backlash to the Coptic Christian protests. The successful Arab Spring uprisings have been largely based in peaceful transfers of power between despot and a transitional government. The security apparatuses still left in place in Egypt have raised some concerns.
With a history dating 19 centuries, Coptic Christians were once a majority and now make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s 25 million people. During the 18 days of protests in Tahir square, signs of reconciliation were made when Coptic Christians were seen forming human barriers, protecting praying Muslims from Mubarak’s soldiers.
The vacuum of power left in the wake of Mubarak has been an opportunity for more Islamist conservative affiliations such as the Salafis to rise to prominence. Since the protests, there have been several instances of church burnings related to disputes over Christian-Muslim adultery. Coptic Christians have hoped for an increased protection of rights since the ousting of Mubarak. However the lack of a new constitution as well as the existence of extreme groups wanting to deny non-Muslims rights in Egypt have made it hard for a complete sea change.
Late Monday night, thousands mourned the losses in a Coptic Christian church in central Cairo. These latest events have undoubtedly left many Egyptians in a place of soul-searching and reflection – not only in deciding to whether or not to resuscitate the revolution but also which path Egypt should be headed.
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