Saturday October 22, after three people were killed when thousands of angry Muslims tried to storm a Coptic church, news reports said.
The troubles reportedly began outside St. George’s Coptic Church in Alexandria on Friday, October 21, during a demonstration against a play once performed there which Muslims said was insulting to Islam.
Arabic television and online news channel AlJazeera said police were beating several of the estimated 5,000 protesters with sticks while firing tear gas when a riot broke out, which ended with three people dead and 53 arrested.
The criticized play "I Once Was Blind But Now I See," is a tale of a Copt who is almost killed by Islamist militants. Church leaders say the play, which was first performed at the church in 2003, is not against Islam, but criticizes the dangers of religious extremism.
"THE TERRORIST" MOVIE
It was based on a 1990s movie called "The Terrorist", starring Egyptian comedian Adel Imam. The film dealt with the subject of militant Islamists who were waging an insurgency against the government at the time, several news reports said.
A recording of it had reportedly recently been posted on the Internet by what church leaders described as "extremists". As a tense calm returned Saturday, October 22, Christians remained indoors in Alexandria for fear of new violent protests outside the St. George’s Coptic Church, a local priest told reporters.
Reuters news agency quoted Yohanna Naseef of St. Mark’s Catholic Orthodox Church in Alexandria as saying an annual meal attended by Christians and Muslims at his church had been cancelled after Friday’s protest.
SECOND DEMONSTRATION
It was the second mass demonstration in a week over the play and came just days after a nun
was reportedly stabbed by a young man protesting a DVD of the play. "The Christians have been at home since yesterday, they are afraid," priest Naseef reportedly told Reuters.
He refused however to apologize for the play as demanded by protesters. "Christianity rejects insulting any religions," he said. "Christians love their Muslim brothers."
St. Mark’s Church had cancelled its annual Iftaar meal on Saturday because of the protests, he said.
Iftaar is the Arabic name for breakfast eaten by Muslims at sundown during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.
CHRISTIAN MINORITY
Christians, comprise up to 10 percent of Egypt’s mainly Muslim population of 72 million people, according to estimates. Human rights groups have often warned of growing tensions between the different communities, including reports of kidnappings by Islamic militants of Coptic girls and attacks against church and Christian facilities.
In 1999, 22 people were reportedly killed in sectarian strife in the southern village of Kosheh.
Egypt’s government, which has been criticized for not doing enough to protect religious minorities, condemned the outbreak of anti-Christian violence in Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city.
The Interior Ministry described the protesters as "fanatic elements" who "escalated a negative reaction to a play," AlJazeera reported. (With BosNewsLife Research, BosNewsLife News Center and reports from Egypt).
