The Free World has an obligation to protect Egypt’s Christians & the Middle East minorities
Elias Bejjani/December 11/16
The least ethical and human obligation that any peace loving person would do today, is to strongly condemn the barbaric, savage and fundamentalist assault that targeted in Egypt the Coptic Cathedral at Cairo’s Abbassyia district.
Sadly, the vicious attack killed 25 innocent parishioners and injured forty others.
The coward assailants attacked the Christian civil and peaceful parishioners while they were praying.
This vicious assault reaches the realm of a series of similar previous and ongoing fanatic attacks against Egyptian Christians and their churches.
It is worth mentioning that the Egyptian Christian human rights’ status is extremely traumatizing and worrisome as well as their physical safety.
The same humiliating and persecutory status is inflicted on all minorities in the majority of the Middle East countries in general and in particular in Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Algeria, Libya.
The persecution against Christians and other minorities in these counties is an official and formal practice legitimized by biased laws and regulations.
At the same time, this phenomenon of anti-human rights practices is widely encouraged, nurtured and cultivated through education of hatred, fundamentalism, rejection of the other and ignorance.
What is unfortunate, pitiful and sad is that the governments of many middle east countries adopt such practices while the free world keeps a blind eye or in the best scenario limits its condemnation to mere rhetoric levels.
The horrible and barbaric crime of today is strongly denounced.
We, call on the free world countries, the United Nations, the Vatican and on all the Human Rights organizations to be loud in their public stances of condemnation and to develop a world wide plan and strategy to protect the Middle East Christians as well as all other minorities.
Our deepest sympathies are extended to the families and friends of those killed today, and all wishes for a speedy recovery to all the injured.
May the souls of all those innocent victims that were killed today rest in peace.
*Elias Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
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Background
At least 25 killed in explosion near Cairo’s Coptic Cathedral: Health minister
Ahram Online , Sunday 11 Dec 2016
At least 25 people were killed and 49 injured after an explosion near the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo’s Abbassyia district early Sunday morning, Minister of Health Ahmed Emad told CBC Extra satellite channel. The Coptic Church’s official spokesperson Rev Paul Halim told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that the explosion took place in the small church of St Peter and St Paul (El-Botroseya), attached to the Coptic Cathedral.
Security forces are screening the area and have blocked the main roads surrounding the cathedral. Hundreds of Muslim and Coptic protesters gathered at the cathedral, chanting against the attack on the church in a show of both anger and unity.
A number of protesters attempted to remove the cordons around the cathedral, which led to minor skirmishes with security forces. Hospitals where the injured are being treated, including Dar El-Shefaa and Ain Shams University Hospital, have called for blood donations, while calls on social media for people to donate have gone viral.
A security source told the Middle East News Agency (MENA) that the explosion was caused by a 12 kilogramme TNT bomb. Member of the Coptic Papal residence Samuel Metias told MENA that the explosion occurred in the ladies section of the St Peter and St Paul church. The St Mark Cathedral was left undamaged.
Al-Azhar, the world’s oldest seat of Sunni Islamic learning, condemned the “terrorist attack that occurred this morning in the Saint Mark Cathedral in Abbasiya, which led to killings and injuries.”In a statement, Al-Azhar underlined that targeting houses of worship and the killing of the innocents are criminal acts that violate Islamic principles.
Al-Azhar expressed full solidarity with the Egyptian Church and Egyptian Copts in the face of “terrorism.”The statement also expressed condolences to Egypt’s Coptic Pope Tawadros II, to the families of the victims, and to all the Egyptian people, wishing a speedy recovery of the injured. A church source told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that Pope Tawadros II has terminated his visit to Greece, and is on his way back to Cairo “to directly go to the location of the explosion.”
This is the third explosion this week. On Friday, an explosion killed six policemen and injured three others in Giza’s Haram district and another occurred in Kafr El-Sheikh international road, killing one civilian and injuring three policemen. There have been several minor attacks on churches following the dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adawyia sit-in protesting the overthrow of Islamist former president Mohamed Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood. The worst attack against Copts in Egypt was in 2011 when 23 people were killed in an explosion at the Two Saints Church in Alexandria.
Sisi declares three days of mourning after cathedral explosion
Ahram Online , Sunday 11 Dec 2016
Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Sunday that the country will observe three days of mourning following a morning explosion that killed at least 25 people and injured more than 31 at Cairo’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral. “Terrorism targets the country’s and Copts and Muslims… Egypt will only be made stronger and more united in such circumstances,” the president said in a statement. The president vowed to hold accountable the assailants and put on trial all who have “incited, facilitated or participated” in the terrorist attack.
The president described the Sunday church attack – as well as the Friday blast in Giza that left six policemen dead – as part of “a war against the great Egyptian people.” Egypt’s Al-Azhar, the world’s oldest seat of Sunni Islamic learning, also condemned the attack. The Anglican Church in Egypt also denounced the attack, saying that “such an attack would not stop people from standing united in the face of terrorism.” The British ambassador in Egypt John Casson said he was “appalled by [the] attack on Coptic Cathedral.”The United Arab Emirates foreign minister Abdallah Bin Zayed, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault and the US Embassy in Egypt also condemned the attack. Egypt has been battling a North Sinai-based Islamist insurgency since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. While militant attacks – mostly limited to army and police targets – have mainly been focused in North Sinai, some attacks have reached other parts of the country, including the capital. Egypt’s Christians have been the target of several terrorist attacks in recent years. Several minor attacks targeting churches followed the dispersal of the pro-Morsi Rabaa El-Adaweya sit-in in 2013. The largest attack targeting Christians in recent years took place in 2011, when 23 people were killed in an explosion at the Two Saints Church in Alexandria.