You are here: Home > Opinion > Editor's Pick

Egypt's bloody clashes renew fears of sectarian strife

: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, April 8, 2013

Adjust font size:

Egyptian Christian Copts mourn the death of Pope Shenuda III in a massive funeral ceremony in Egypt, Cairo, March 17, 2011. Head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church Pope Shenuda III died on Saturday at the age of 89, state TV reported. [Xinhua]

The recent bloody clashes between Muslims and Coptic Christians in Egypt raised fears of the renewal of sectarian strife which would threaten national unity much needed for the country's democratic and economic transition.

On Sunday, clashes erupted during a Christian funeral outside the main church in the Egyptian capital, leaving one person killed and some 84 injured. The crowds of Copts were holding a mass funeral of four Christians who had recently been killed in a sectarian brawl.

On Friday, a group of Christian children allegedly drew crosses on a wall of an Islamic institute in Khosoos town in Qalyubiya near Cairo, leading to tragic overnight confrontations that killed four Copts and a Muslim and injured several.

Observers believe that the key solution to preventing further sectarian strife is the strict application of law and deterrent punishment for those who attempt to undermine national unity.

Kamal Zakher, founder and coordinator of the Coptic Secular Current, told Xinhua that strict application of law was the only solution to the sectarian issue in Egypt, "all other attempts to contain the situation will just shift the problem, not resolve it. "

Copts constitute to around 10 percent of Egypt's 91 million people, with sectarian tension going up and down for three decades.

"In the past, aggression against Copts was attributed to extremist groups, but now ordinary Muslims do it," the Coptic author told Xinhua, referring the responsibility of recent deadly clashes to all involved parties, particularly the Islamist- oriented government and president.

Zakher warned the issue might escalate to further bloodshed, noting that mere probing into the case will just be treatment for the "symptoms," rather than addressing the root cause.

Nabil Luqa Bibawy, intellectual and former parliamentarian, attributed the strife to "foreign hands" that targeted the country 's stability and national unity.

"Strict law must be applied and wise people of both sides must sit together to resolve the issue," Bibawy told Xinhua, adding that sectarian tension must be resolved through "love."

Saeed Sadeq, political sociology professor at the American University in Cairo, said that sectarian strife in Egypt was connected to a number of issues, including the difficulty of building new churches and hate speeches promoted by the media on both sides.

"There is no real punishment for hate speech in Egypt," Sadeq said.

The solution lies in applying the law with "deterrent punishment," and restructuring education and media to combat hate speech, the professor told Xinhua.

Through education restructure, future generations should learn how to accept and coexist with others, he noted.

Sadeq warned that "sectarianism is one of the tools of Arab ruling regimes to maintain power." The issue of minorities was the number one reason for civil wars in the Arab world, "as in Syria, Sudan and Lebanon."

Reassuringly, Egypt's Al-Azhar, the highest, most prestigious Islamic institution, and the Coptic Church representing the country's Christian minority, voiced their mutual respect and support for resolving the issue.

Al-Azhar sent a delegation to the church to offer condolences and called on all Muslims and Christians to stick to national unity and avoid provocation "for the sake of Egypt's security and people."

Islamist President Mohamed Morsi made a phone call to Bishop Tawadros II, head of Egypt's Orthodox Church, reassuring him that he was closely following up the issue, stressing "any aggression against Copts is an aggression against the president himself."