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Faith, Fear and Feuding By Scott MacCleod, Time Magazine 18 January 1999 In the peasant towns of southern Egypt, the climate is scorching, the streets are dusty and the people, farmers in the sugarcane fields, are poor. Adding to the difficulties these days is unease between Muslims, who make up more than 90% of the country's population, and Coptic villagers, heirs to a 2,000-year tradition of Christianity in Egypt. Sectarian tensions flared last August when authorities investigating a murder case began rounding up as many as 1,200 Copts in the town of Koshesh. Policemen allegedly beat and tortured detainees while denouncing them as "infidels". The Koshesh affair ignited a fresh debate over Egypt's reputation for religious toleration: its more than 6 million Copts, descendants of the ancient Christians who predominated until the Muslim conquest in the 7th century, feel increasingly threatened amid growing Islamic fundamentalism. President Hosni Mubarak denies that Copts are persecuted and government spokesman Nabil Osman says that Muslims and Copts "have lived side by side throughout the ages in amity." While some officials suggest that the Koshesh uproar is an Israeli or American plot, Coptic leaders say that the incident has heightened their concerns about political rights and safety, as well as government indifference to their plight. The affair started when two Christians were found dead near the sprawling town of 40,000. Evidence pointed to a feud involving a Muslim clan, but local Coptic leaders say investigators seemed intent on proving that the murders were committed by members of a Christian family avenging the rape of a daughter. For a month, human rights activists say, the police dragged tin groups of Copts in an attempt to coerce testimony supporting their conclusions. In October, Britain's Sunday Telegraph fueled an international uproar over the case by alleging that police abuse had included "horrific crucifixion rituals" and the rape of Coptic girls. Politically influential Christian fundamentalist groups in the U.S. picked up on the paper's claims and demanded action against Mubarak's government. Egyptian officials said the allegations were exaggerated, and human rights groups agreed. Joseph Assad, research director of Freedom House in Washington, called the more extreme allegations "dangerous and counterproductive" because they distracted attention from genuine grievances. Although Mubarak appointed six Coptic delegates to Egypt's 454-member parliament, Coptic leaders complain that religious bias has effectively barred Copts from most high-level posts. Copts also complain of discriminatory government regulations such as the Hamayouni edict, an 1856 Ottoman decree, still enforced, that requires presidential approval for any work on a Christian house of worship. The spread of Islamic fundamentalism has only increased concern. According to a U.S. State Department report on human rights, Muslim extremists have killed an estimated 31 Copts in the past two years. The underlying problem may be more a government disregard for human rights than religious persecution. Among those detained in the Koshesh affair was Hafez Abu Seada, a Muslim, whose Egyptian Organization for Human Rights was accused in the pro-government press of receiving foreign funds to publish a report on the Koshesh brutality. E.O.H.R. officials believe his case is part of a government bid to impose restraints on rights groups. In a report last May, E.O.H.R. charged that police "torture and ill-treatment have become systematic and widely practiced." Some Coptic leaders feel that their community's plight would be eased if the government moved to abolish discriminatory practices. "Throughout history, Copts have believed that their survival depended upon coexistence," says Milad Hanna, a prominent Coptic writer. But today young Copts rally around church life rather than mixing with Muslim peers. Despite their difficulties, the Copts live in a country with fewer sectarian tensions than Lebanon, which endured a long civil war, and far more tolerance than Saudi Arabia, where Christians are forbidden to hold services. In Egypt, as the Coptic Christmas coincided with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Christian and Muslim leaders and ordinary citizens alike shared their festivities. Copts point with pride to the Church of St. Samaan the Tanner in Cairo, built just a decade ago - a vast outdoor amphitheater overlooking the citadel constructed in the 11th century by the Muslim warrior Saladin. Some 5,000 people crammed the church for a pre-Christmas service. "When we enter this church, we feel that God has been waiting here for us." says Cairo salesman Hany Roshdy, 27. "We have been practicing our faith since the time of the pharaohs." Such perseverance suggests that even if they are not thriving, Egypt's Christians are surviving. [With reporting by Amany Radwan/Cairo] |
The Case Agianst Israel's Enemies by Alan Dershowitz 
Coming from England and particularly from the BBC, MUST BE SEEN VIDEO! ANOTHER MUST SEE VIDEO |