By Micah Halpern
I've Been Thinking:
Last night was deadly for Christians in Egypt. Nineteen Christians were killed and well over a hundred hospitalized from injuries caused by plain clothes and riot police.
It began when Christians gathered and marched to sit in at the
National TV building in Cairo. They were protesting the terrible burning and riots against churches in Aswan, located in southern Egypt. The riots started even though local Christian leaders agreed to take down the crosses and bells from the church, Christian symbol that had incensed Muslims in the area.
What began as a peaceful protest turned violent when locals threw rocks and shot pellets at the Christian marchers. Cars were torched and people were arrested. The night ended with a curfew instituted for all of Cairo.
Christians compose about 10% of the Egyptian population -- 8 million out of 80 million people.
Nerves are very raw right now in Egypt. At this point any little incident can set off a large explosion.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=halpern%2C+micah
To reprint my essays contact sales (at) www.featurewell.com
It looks like Egyptian state TV was complicit in the matter by inciting people to go and fight with the Army. Yet it also seems that not a few Muslim Egyptians joined the Coptic Christians in their frustrations toward Army rule. In any case, if Christians cannot live in peace in Egypt and be respected as a minority, then certainly Egypt will descend into newer lows.
ReplyDelete