Saturday, January 08, 2011

Muslims Protect Christians in Egypt

After the bombing of a Coptic Christian Church in Egypt, the last thing the terrorists expected were the events of Christmas Eve (Coptic Christmas - Thursday night).  Many people in the Muslim community came together to protect Coptic churches around the country and act as "human shileds" against any possible attacks.  Even the sons of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak showed up to help out.

From Ahram Online:
“We either live together, or we die together,” was the sloganeering genius of Mohamed El-Sawy, a Muslim arts tycoon whose cultural center distributed flyers at churches in Cairo Thursday night, and who has been credited with first floating the “human shield” idea.
“This is not about us and them,” said Dalia Mustafa, a student who attended mass at Virgin Mary Church on Maraashly. “We are one. This was an attack on Egypt as a whole, and I am standing with the Copts because the only way things will change in this country is if we come together.”

In the days following the brutal attack on Saints Church in Alexandria, which left 21 dead on New Year’ eve, solidarity between Muslims and Copts has seen an unprecedented peak. Millions of Egyptians changed their Facebook profile pictures to the image of a cross within a crescent – the symbol of an “Egypt for All”. Around the city, banners went up calling for unity, and depicting mosques and churches, crosses and crescents, together as one.

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