Religious Clashes in Alexandria December 7, 2000
An E-mail received by Voice of the Nile:
From: Religiousfreedom@cs.com
Subject: Clashes in Alexandria
Dear All:
Today, the AFP reported on new clashes between
Muslims and Christians in Alexandria, Egypt. The report cited an incident, on
Monday, in the eastern suburb of Khorshid in Alexandria. Following prayers at a
local mosque, Muslims attacked Christians in a nearby Coptic church because they
objected the ongoing repairs being made to that church. Police ordered the
church to halt all construction work immediately. At least 8 people have been
injured in the clashes, which did not involve guns, according to the report.
Note: Similar incidents have been reported in the past in various parts of Egypt
particularly in the south. The issue at hand is not necessarily this particular
attack, instead, it is the government of Egypt's long-standing policy of
restricting Christians, but not Muslims, in building or repairing their houses
of worship. Such erroneous restrictions contribute to the marginalization of
Copts and sometimes leading to violent attacks such as this latest incident. The
GOE needs to take decisive measures to replace the1856 Hamayoni law with new
guidelines which apply to both churches and mosques. All Christian leaders we
talked with in Egypt have pointed out this issue as their primary concern.
Sincerely,
Joseph Assad
Middle East Research Director
Center for Religious Freedom, Freedom House
1319 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
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