As the Egyptian people were preparing for the celebration of the 3rd anniversary of the 25 January 2011 Revolution, and rejoicing after the passing of the new Constitution, the Islamists (Muslim Brotherhood and other groups) threatened that they would demonstrate, yet again, in protest of the removal of former President Mursi.
This morning Egypt woke up hearing the news of several bombs in Cairo; 12 people were killed and dozens injured. It is clear that the terrorist groups are now targeting the police and the army. The day before, six police were shot dead by a group of terrorists at a check-point in Upper Egypt. The Egyptian Security is doing its best to bring security within the streets of Egypt, yet, as you know, terrorist attacks are very difficult to predict and not easy to avoid. The question that needs to be answered is: why have these terrorist attacks happened throughout Egypt only after the removal of former President Mursi? What is the link?
Many Egyptians believe that during the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood, many extremist groups flourished. Many members of these extremists were pardoned by Mursi and released from prisons. They immediately became involved in the political life in Egypt. Under the current interim government, there is no space for such extremist groups.
These terrorist attacks stirred both anger and determination within the Egyptian people. After the attacks, people gathered from everywhere at the site of the bombing to shout against those groups who committed these criminal and savage acts, and also against the Muslim Brotherhood who supported these groups. Many have expressed their determination to support the police and the army in their war against terrorism.
All churches in Egypt condemned these attacks, including the Anglican Church, and encouraged the Egyptian people to fight terrorism and do their best to build the country.
My hope and prayer is that the international community would stand in solidarity with the current Egyptian Government in its fight against terrorism. I know that most countries have condemned these bombings, but condemnation needs to be accompanied by more practical actions.
Please continue to pray for our beloved country Egypt.
–The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis is Bishop of Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa and President Bishop of the Episcopal / Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East
I hope that many of us heed this call to urgent, persistent prayer for our endangered brothers and sisters in Egypt, and for that troubled country as a whole. The fate of Egypt hangs in the balance, and not least, the fate of the Christian church there.
Unfortunately, I fully expect that the struggle against radical Islamic terrorism in Egypt will be a long and bloody one. And the fact that all the churches have joined in the rising tide of condemnation of the Muslim Brotherhood will make them even more vulnerable to attack. They are a soft and easy target. Lord, have mercy.
David Handy+
I hear from friends in Egypt who are not in the Anglican Church in addition to these updates from the Diocese. One of the encouraging things is how universally both Christian and Muslim friends rejected the Brotherhood government and approve of the new military-backed government. They know it’s not perfect, but they, including the Muslims we know, rejected Islamism. Praise God for that.
They are also universal in their anger at Western media (CNN, NY Times, BBC, I’m looking at you) whom they perceive to have been, and still to be, pro-Brotherhood. I TOLD them when I was there that they ought not to believe what they see on CNN International. They didn’t believe me, but now they are beginning to.
Its very tough on the people of Egypt and we pray for their safety, especially our Christian brethren.
But its also a losing strategy for the Islamists. Their failure to condemn this terrorism will greatly reduce public support. Pray that the eyes of all people in Egypt, Christian and Muslim, will be opened to the true nature of President Morsi’s faction and its associates so that the country is turned irrevocably against them.
And give thanks for the Egyptian military who seem to have handled a difficult situation well. They turned against Mubarak when he suffered a decisive loss of public support. They permitted the Brotherhood to contest elections and then allowed them enough leeway in government for the people of Egypt to see that they had been given a fair go, and that they were solely responsible for their moves to bypass constitutional protections. When public opinion then turned strongly against the Brotherhood, the military moved with restrained force to topple them.
Now we should pray that the miltiary will be able to fulfil their primary role of protecting the people of Egypt as the Islamists try to accomplish through terrorism what they could not do through the ballot box.