Not A Happy New Year For Egyptian Christians [Updated]

It’s amazing how savage and mindless acts like the bombings of places of worship are. We’re hearing all kinds of words of sympathy and sincere outrage from Egyptian Muslims and even religious leaders. But outrage, no matter how sincere, is not enough.

The government is blaming foreign elements for the bombing, but it is the Mubarak government itself that is responsible for increasing the tension between Muslims and Christians in that country. The government had shamefully tried to get support from the islamists ahead of an election by playing tough with basic Christian rights like building churches. This helped foster an environment of deep mutual distrust which has made the bombing possible.

Egypt needs a long term reconciliation plan that involves convincing the Muslim majority that the Christian minority is an equal partner in the nation. A government that doesn’t play to the basest instincts of its constituents would be a good start.

Update:

Great piece by Hani Shukrallah in Al-Ahram [via As’ad] :

I accuse the millions of supposedly moderate Muslims among us; those who’ve been growing more and more bigoted, inclusive and narrow minded with every passing year. I accuse those among us who would rise up in fury over a decision to halt construction of a Muslim Center near ground zero in New York, but applaud the Egyptian police when they halt the construction of a staircase in a Coptic church in the Omranya district of Greater Cairo. I’ve been around, and I have heard you speak, in the office, or in the club, or in dinner banquets: “The Copts must be taught a lesson,” “the Copts are growing more arrogant,” “the Copts are holding secret conversions of Muslims”, and in the same breath, “the Copts are preventing Christian women from converting to Islam, kidnapping them, and locking them up in monasteries