As a Christian and an Egyptian, I was heartbroken by the New Year’s Eve terrorist attack on the Coptic Church of Alexandria that killed 21 of my countrymen. Whether this heinous act was carried out by Egyptians or by terrorist groups from outside the country, the intention was surely the same: to sow discord between Muslims and Christians in a country long known for its religious tolerance.
The attack seems to fall within a larger pattern of violence against Christians elsewhere in the Middle East. Indeed, extremist groups that target Christians in Iraq explicitly stated their intention to bring their war against Christians to Egypt.
But while the recent attack led to an outpouring of anger among Copts, Egypt””unlike other countries in the region””has been remarkably immune to the scourge of sectarianism.
The only thing I would say is Egypt isn’t necessarily known for its religious tolerance. There is a very large Coptic community in my town and they are all from Egypt. They all were granted assylum in the USA because of religious persecution.
Coptic leaders living in Egypt often decry the activism of Copts living outside of Egypt, saying it makes things worse for them. It’s a very uneasy situation. Complaining about the restrictions and troubles inflames Muslim radicals, but not complaining results in few improvements.
It’s also true, as his article points out, that Mr. Boutros-Ghali comes from a prominent and well-educated family long active in government circles. The situation of poorer Copts in villages or for that matter in Trash City below the hills in Cairo is quite different.