Recently in Coptic Christians Category

Not surprisingly, authorities are not holding the army accountable, but are instead leveling retaliatory charges against two Coptic priests for "incitement." Egypt's post-revolutionary government is beating Orwell at his own game; one will recall that this was the first large-scale public act of brutality of its kind by the army against its people. The Maspero massacre of Christians was the prototype case for the behavior that has followed against other protesters, and what the army got away with there, it has continued against the rest of the population.

But first, they came for the Christians, and no one cared. "Two Coptic Priests Charged With 'Incitement' in Maspero Massacre," by Mary Abdelmassih for the Assyrian International News Agency, February 11:

(AINA) -- Two Coptic priests appeared yesterday before an investigations judge in connection with the events of the Maspero Massacre, in which 28 Copts were killed and 329 injured after being shot and run over by and military Armored Personnel Carriers (AINA 10-10-2011). Father Mattias Nasr of St. Mary's Church in Ezbet el-Nakhl in Greater Cairo and Father Filopateer Gameel of St. Mary's Church in Giza, both founding members of the Maspero Coptic Youth Union, which organized the October 9 demonstration, were accused of causing the death of military soldier Mohamed Ali Shetta, possession of weapons, use of force against the military, attempting to storm the Maspero TV building and incitement to violence.

As evidence, the investigating judge produced video footage collected from radical Islamic websites. "Between the footage there were parts in which a shaikh called on me to convert to Islam," said Father Filopateer.

Commenting on the investigations Father Matthias Nasr said: "I wonder about the conditions prevailing in Egypt now, whereby victims are being investigated, while the real perpetrators are ruling the country and continuing with their crimes against the Egyptian people and peaceful demonstrators everywhere."

According to Father Nasr, the investigations carried out by the military police follow the same lines as those of the Mubarak regime, where the victims become the accused. "We all saw who ran over the demonstrators and who shot at them, all Egyptians saw that on videos and photos. These investigations will not intimidate us or make us retreat from demanding our rights."

Outspoken Coptic Priest Filopateer Gameel said he was not worried about the accusations levied against him and Father Mattias, because they are untrue and can easily be defended, but "the tragedy is the victims of the Maspero Massacre and Two Saints Church in Alexandria will not receive justice, and the assailants will not be punished."

Catch 22:

Father Gameel accused Brigadier Hamdi Badeen, head of the military police, as well as generals Damati, Assar and Mohamad Emara, of being responsible for the Maspero massacre, and submitted evidence against them and asked for an investigation, but the judge told him that being high ranking military officials, they can only appear before a military prosecutor and not a civilian one. "I told the judge as long as the military are ruling the country, none of them will be brought to justice."

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights has called for a change to the articles in the Military Judiciary Law to lift the protection of military officers who commit crimes against civilians and to allow the general prosecution to question them.

Father Filopateer said the case of the Maspero Massacre will most likely end with charging the three who drove their personnel carriers with unintentional manslaughter and each would probably be detained only for one week in his unit.

The ruling military council has denied all along that military forces used live ammunition against the Maspero protesters, or that personnel intentionally used armored vehicles to run over civilians.

Fathers Mattias and Filopateer were summoned in October 2011 by the military prosecution but they refused to deal with the military investigations, and demanded a civilian judge on grounds that the military "is a direct opponent in this case." The investigation was mandated by the Minister of justice.

Prior to appearing before the investigating judge, they were informed that they are prevented from leaving the country, together with Coptic attorney Dr. Naguib Gabriel, head of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organization, who is due to appear before prosecutors on February 11 for investigation in connection with the Maspero Massacre. Gabriel views this as a political decision "to damage Coptic symbols, and to use them as scapegoats for a crime in which some top military officials are accused of being complicit."

On particularly prominent display here is the use of the Orwellian "reconciliation meetings," where "reconciliation" depends in practice on Christians' giving into whatever demands are imposed on them. "Alexandria: forced eviction of 62 Coptic families by the Salafis," from AsiaNews, February 9:

Cairo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The radical Muslims are trying to empty a village near Alexandria of its Coptic population - 62 families, on the basis of unfounded allegations against a Copt. The Copts of Kobry-el-Sharbat (el-Amerya) were attacked on Jan. 27 by a crowd of some three thousand Muslims led by Salafi leaders who set fire to the Copts houses and shops. The violence were sparked by the allegations of a barber Muslim Toemah, who claimed that a Coptic tailor of 34, Samy Mourad Guirgis, had "illegal" photos of a Muslim woman on his cell phone. Mourad has denied the charges, and turned himself in to police in fear of his life. The Muslims set fire to his house and his shop, and his whole family was forced to leave the village. Mourad is still under police custody.

Since then there have been three "reconciliation meetings" in the police headquarters in el-Amerya, attended by representatives of the Coptic Church, the Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood. According to police, the woman concerned has denied the whole story, and no compromising photos of any kind were found Mourad’s cell phone. But radical Muslims argue that "Muslim honor has been damaged," and at the first meeting, they refused any type of compensation for the Copts who were innocent victims of their violence.

On 30 January a crowd of Muslims attacked the village of Kobry- el-Sharbat for the second time, setting fire to three Christian homes, under the eyes of the security forces. Following this Islamic representatives have requested that a wealthy Coptic merchant, Soliman, be expelled from the village, accusing him and his sons of having fired into the air while their house was being burned. The family of the merchant denies that there were gunshots, and no one was injured. The police, however, has issued an arrest warrant for Soliman’s sons.

On 1st February in a "reconciliation meeting" demands were made for a number of Coptic families to be expelled from the village and the forced sale of Soliman’s assets, under the supervision of the Salafist Sheikh Sherif el-Hawary. Otherwise Kobry el-Sharbat would be attacked again, and the Coptic houses completely burned. Soliman signed the agreement, defined by father Boktor, who was present at the time, "a complete injustice." Soliman agreed only to avoid further damage to the Copts. Magdy Khalil, head of Middle East Freedom Forum, said that "reconciliation meetings" were totally illegal, and that the complicity of Egyptian authorities is obvious and urged Copts to return to their homes. "If we accept this, we will open the door to an avalanche of forced evictions." And forced deportation is a crime under international law.

More: "Muslim Council in Egypt Evicts 8 Christian Families, Seizes Their Property," by Mary Abdelmassih for the Assyrian International News Agency, February 9 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

(AINA) -- National and international rights groups have consistently criticized the recourse to the so-called "reconciliation meetings" -- dubbed "Bedouin sittings" -- that take place between Copts and Muslim assailant after every attack on Copts. The meetings are conducted under the auspices of state security. Last week a series of meetings were held by radical Muslims to decide on the fate of the Copts in a village in Alexandria, and Muslims insisted that the whole Coptic population of 62 families must be deported because of an unsubstantiated accusation levied against one Coptic man.

Copts in the village of Kobry-el-Sharbat (El-Ameriya), Alexandria, were attacked on January 27 by a mob of 3000 Muslims led by Salafi leaders, who looted and torched homes and shops belonging to Copts. The violence was prompted by allegations made by a Muslim barber named Toemah that a 34-year-old Coptic tailor, Mourad Samy Guirgis, had on his mobile phone illicit photos of a Muslim woman. Mourad denied the accusation and surrendered to the police for fear for his life. Muslims looted and torched his workshop and home after he surrendered to the police, and his entire family, including his parents and his married brother Romany, were evicted from the village. He is still in police detention.

Three "reconciliation meetings" were held at the El-Ameriya village police headquarters. They were attended by Salafi and Muslim Brotherhood representatives from neighboring villages, as well as church representative. Muslims demanded the eviction of all Coptic inhabitants from the village because "Muslim honour had been damaged."

Many believe that the mobile phone story was fabricated as an excuse to start violence against the Copts. According to the police, the woman in question denied the story and no photos were found on Mourad's mobile phone, according to Ihab Aziz, a Coptic-American activist who is presently in Egypt.

During the first reconciliation meeting it was agreed that only Copts who were directly involved with the Mourad incident would be evicted, and the church demanded compensation of two million pounds for the innocent Copts whose homes and businesses were torched on January 27. Muslims, especially Salafis from the neighboring villages, refused any kind of compensation and insisted on the eviction of all Copts.

On January 30 a Muslim mob attacked Copts in Kobry-el-Sharbat for the second time, and torched three Coptic homes in the presence of the security forces, "which took the role of an onlooker and made no effort to stop the violence," according to Joseph Malak, lawyer for the Coptic church in Alexandria. "This proves that the assailants were not afraid of the security forces or the law."

Muslim representatives demanded the eviction of the wealthy Coptic merchant Abeskhayroun Soliman, together with his four married sons and their families, accusing them of causing sedition by shooting in the air when Muslims broke into and torched their home while the family was inside. "No one was wounded due to the alleged shootings, which the family says never took place. The police authorities issued an arrest warrant for two of the Soliman sons," said Ihab Aziz.

The Solimans have been in hiding with a Muslim family which saved them from their burning homes, and is presently giving them protection. Muslims threatened that if eight Coptic families were not evicted by February 3rd, all remaining 54 Coptic families in the village would be subjected to violence after Friday prayers. They called it "Friday of Eviction" and "Friday of Clean-up."

On Wednesday February 1, a hastily organized reconciliation meeting was arranged by security authorities, and was attended by Ebeskharion Soliman and one of his sons.

The terms of the agreement which resulted were:

- eviction of eight Coptic families, namely three of the Mourad families, in addition to five Soliman families.
- selling of the assets of the wealthy Abeskhayron Soliman family within three months by a committee, under the supervision of Salafi shaikh Sherif el Hawary. Soliman has no right to get involved in the sale or even accompany a prospective buyer.
- the Committee is to collect any money accrued from the sale of his land, properties, businesses as well as collect promissory notes pending from business transactions by the Soliman-owned chain of stores.
- in case of non-implementation of this Agreement, all Copts in the Kobry-el-Sharbat village will be attacked, their homes and property completely torched....

There is more.

They're fleeing all that "tolerance" that's just breaking out all over. "Egypt’s Christians, post-Mubarak," by Aline Sara for NOW Lebanon, January 31:

“We don’t feel as safe as before,” said Georges Nader, an Egyptian Copt who lives in Cairo. A year after the revolution that led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, Nader said that the number of Egyptians Copts fleeing the country was on the rise.

“Half of my family is in Canada or the US, and they are trying to get us out of the country too. We are just waiting for the right opportunity,” the 25-year-old told NOW Lebanon.

Last fall, the Egyptian Coptic Church’s lawyer Naguib Gibrael estimated that some 100,000 Christian families had left the country in the preceding months, and that since Mubarak’s ouster, sectarian strife has escalated in the country.

A little over a year ago, 21 Copts died in an attack on a church in Alexandria, while last spring, another 15 were killed in Imbaba when three Coptic Orthodox churches were burned.

It wasn’t until last October, however, that violence peaked, with a new group behind the hostilities: Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). The military body, which assumed power in the wake of Mubarak’s fall, responded to a peaceful Coptic demonstration against churches being burned by setting the security services on protesters, resulting in 27 deaths. None of those responsible for the killings have been brought to justice.

Of course not. The army would have to arrest itself.

Josette Abdullah, a Cairo-based clinical psychologist, said that even though she as a Copt has never experienced threats or discrimination in Egypt, Christians’ current fears are understandable.
“Even with my name, which is clearly not Muslim, I have never encountered any problems, and from my personal experience, in addition to historically speaking, Egypt has shown relatively few signs of sectarian violence,” she said. “But lately, it seems to be about wreaking havoc, and whoever is behind the instigation is willing to create tension between religions or other groups in society.”

Though on paper, Egyptian Christians and Muslims are equal by law, many admit that Copts, who make up approximately 10 percent of the country’s population, are often discriminated against. Between 2008 and 2010, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) recorded 52 cases of Coptic-Muslim conflict. Many fear that with the new Islamist majority in parliament, things will only get worse.

“At first, Islamic figures will come across as protectors of their Christian brothers, but that is solely about reeling in support,” said Georges al-Sanady, a 25-year-old engineer from Cairo. Sanady says that after paying lip service to equality, the Islamists in power will try to enforce Sharia law.

“It will not happen overnight, but Christians are not buying this, regardless of their social class,” he said....

The organization and transition to violence always seem to happen more than a little too easily, once again suggesting a rampage waiting for an excuse. And any old excuse will do.

These are not the makings of a stable society, and there can be no prosperity if society is so unstable that one fears anything one invests in might be obliterated at the drop of a hat.

Self-government, such as Egypt is said to desire, depends on the government of the self, on the individual level, and in communities. "Over 3000 Muslims Attack Christian Homes and Shops in Egypt, 3 Injured," by Mary Abdelmassih for the Assyrian International News Agency, January 28:

(AINA) -- A mob of over 3000 Muslims attacked Copts in the village of Kobry-el-Sharbat (el-Ameriya), Alexandria this afternoon. Coptic homes and shops were looted before being set ablaze. Two Copts and a Muslim were injured. The violence started after a rumor was spread that a Coptic man had an allegedly intimate photo of a Muslim woman on his mobile phone. The Coptic man, Mourad Samy Guirgis, surrendered to the police this morning morning for his protection.

According to eyewitnesses, the perpetrators were bearded men in white gowns. "They were Salafists, and some of were from the Muslim Brotherhood," according to one witness. It was reported that terrorized women and children who lost their homes were in the streets without any place to go.

According to Father Boktor Nashed from St. George's Church in el-Nahdah, a meeting between Muslim and Christian representatives was supposed to take place in the evening in Kobry-el-Sharbat. But, by 3 P.M. a Muslim mob looted and torched the home of Mourad Samy Guirgis, as well as the home of his family and three homes of Coptic neighbors. A number of Coptic-owned shops and businesses were also looted and torched. "We contacted security forces, but they arrived very, very late," Said Father Nashad. The fire brigade was prevented from going into the village by the Muslims and the fires were left to burn themselves out. "Those who lost their home, left the village," said Father Nashed.

Coptic activist Mariam Ragy, who was covering the violence in Kobry-el-Sharbat , said it took the army 1 hour to drive 2 kilometers to the village. "This happens every time. They wait outside the village until the Muslims have had enough violence, then they appear." She said that she spoke to many Copts from the village this evening who said that although their homes were not attacked, Muslims stood in the street asking them to come to their homes to hide. "They believed that this was a new trick to make them leave, so that Muslims would loot and torch their homes while they were away," said Ragy.

The Gov of Alexandria visited al-Nahda, near Kobry-el-Sharbat, this evening and told elYoum 7 newspaper that the two Copts and one Muslim who were injured were transported to hospital. He said that the family of the Muslim girl whose image was on the Copt's mobile phone wanted revenge from the Coptic man. They broke into his home and torched a furniture factory located in the same building.

Joseph Malak, a lawyer for the Coptic Church in Alexandria, said it is too early to count injuries to Copts or losses to their property.

Mr. Mina Girguis, of the Maspero Youth Union in Alexandria, said that "collective punishment of Copts for someone else's mistake, which is yet to be determined, is completely unacceptable." He believes that the reason for this violence is fabricated, and the military is behind it. "They are trying to divert the attention from the second revolution which is taking place now."

Father Nashed denied that Islamists were present, only ordinary village Muslims, and could not give an explanation as why people who have lived together amicably for years could commit such violence. "Maybe because of lack of security, they think that they can do as they please."

He said that the nearly 65 Coptic families were ordered to stay indoors and not to open their shops and businesses tomorrow. He added that security forces did not arrest any of the perpetrators, "on the contrary, they were begging the mob to go home."

By midnight the violence had subsided.

Islamic spokesmen in the West routinely say that the Qur'an's command to fight against Jews and Christians, impose the jizya (poll tax) upon them and make them submit as inferiors to Islamic rule (9:29) is a relic of history, never to be revived -- and that only greasy Islamophobes say otherwise.

Yassir Al-Burhami didn't get the memo.

"Egyptian Salafi Leader Yassir Al-Burhami Compares the Christians of Egypt to the Jews of Al-Medina," from MEMRI, December 3, 2011 (air date; posted more recently), with thanks to J.:

Following are excerpts from a statement by Egyptian Salafi leader Yassir Al-Burhami, which was posted on the Internet, which aired on December 3, 2012 [sic]:

Yassir Al-Burhami: Appointing infidels to positions of authority over Muslims is prohibited. Allah said: "Never will Allah grant the infidels a way [to triumph] over the Believers."

We are not afraid of losing the elections or of not getting votes. We are not trying to ingratiate ourselves before the people.

Can the Christians of Egypt be compared to the Jews of Al-Medina? The case of the Jews of Al-Medina is one example of the relations between the Muslims and the infidels. The Muslims can implement any form of conduct used by the Prophet Muhammad. When the Prophet Muhammad was still in Mecca, he dealt with the infidels in a certain way, and when the Muslims are weak, they should deal with the infidels this way. "Refrain from action, pray, and pay the zakkat."

In many infidel countries, such as occupied Palestine, we instruct Muslims to do just that. We are not telling the Muslims in Gaza to launch rockets every day, which would lead to the destruction of the entire country. We tell them to adhere to the truce.

When the Prophet Muhammad first arrived in Al-Medina, he signed a treaty with the Jews without forcing them to pay the jizya poll tax. This was necessary at the time, but when they breached the treaty, he fought them, and eventually, he imposed the jizya upon the People of the Book.

[…]

The Christians [of Egypt] can be dealt with like the Jews of Al-Medina. This is possible.

Will the Islamophobia never end?

"Muslims in Egypt Burn Christian Homes and Shops, Attack Church," by Mary Abdelmassih for AINA, January 20 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

(AINA) -- A Muslim mob attacked Copts today in the Upper Egyptian village of Rahmaniya-Kebly, Nag Hammadi, Qena province, destroying and torching their homes, straw huts and shops, while chanting Allahu Akbar. No one was reported killed or injured (video). According to reports, security forces were present but did not intervene and the fire brigade arrived 90 minutes late.

An eye-witness said that a straw hut belonging to a Copt was torched to clear the area for a mosque. There are more than 300 mosques in the village and one church.

According to Coptic residents, the reason behind the violence was the parliamentary elections. The Salafists wanted to prevent Copts, who number more than 50% of the inhabitants (20,000), from voting because they intended to vote for two moderate Muslims and not the Salafi candidates. "No Copt from Rahmaniya-Kebly was able to vote today, so the Salafists will win the elections," said a witness. Copts were forcefully prevented from voting.

US-based WAY TV, which covered live today's Rahmaniya attacks, called commander Osama, head of security at Rahmaniya, who said "everything was OK" -- despite live pictures on TV of the burning homes. Joseph Nasralla of WAY TV spoke to security and made them aware that the videos of the fires were being broadcast in the U.S. and Middle East, which caused the immediate dispatch of security vehicles. By late evening the violence had stopped.

Joseph Nasralla is the courageous human rights activist who has spoken at our AFDI/SIOA Freedom Rallies at Ground Zero on September 11, 2010 and September 11, 2011.

In another incident today, a large number of Salafis and members of the Muslim Brotherhood entered the Abu Makka church, in Bahteem, Shubra-el-Khayma, Qaliubia province, and informed the congregation that the church has no licence and no one should pray in it. One Muslim said the 1300 square meter church would be suitable for a mosque and a hospital....

This is the kind of law that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is trying to bring West, with willing help from the Obama Administration. "Egyptian Christian faces trial for insulting Islam," from AP, January 9 (thanks to all who sent this in):

(AP) CAIRO — A prominent Christian Egyptian media mogul faces trial on a charge of insulting Islam, lawyers said Monday, based on his relaying a cartoon on his Twitter account.

The case dates back to June, when Naguib Sawiris posted a cartoon showing a bearded Mickey Mouse and veiled Minnie. He made a public apology after Islamists complained, but his action set off a boycott of his telecom company and other outlets. He said it was supposed to be a joke and apologized, but lawyer Mamdouh Ismail filed a formal complaint against him.

After investigation, the prosecution set the trial for Jan. 14. Sawiris was not available for comment.

The case is linked to developments in Egypt after the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak last February. Sawiris and Ismail belong to competing political parties, and sectarian violence between Christians and Islamists has been on the upswing. In Egypt's parliamentary elections, Islamist parties have won a large majority, leaving liberals far behind.

Sawiris co-founded a liberal party, and Ismail heads a party representing ultraconservative Salafi Muslims.

The case has added to fears among many that ultraconservative Islamists may use their new found powers to try to stifle freedom of expression.

Ismail countered that, saying he took legal action against Sawiris because he wants the law to be respected by all, even a famous businessman and politician, in the post-Mubarak era

"The revolution came about because we all are seeking the rule of law without any exceptions," he said. The charge is punishable by up to one year in prison.

Rights lawyer Gamal Eid said the contempt of religion law, in place even before Mubarak came to power, has been used against scholars and activists whose comments about Islam angered conservatives....

Note to AP: it is not "conservatives," but "liberals" who are generally enemies of the freedom of speech.

As leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood attend the Divine Liturgy at Cairo's main cathedral -- will they, then, assure the Copts that they will not reimpose the dhimma and the jizya?

"Egypt’s Christians celebrate Christmas amid efforts to calm fears of rising power of Islamists," from the Associated Press, January 7:

CAIRO — Egypt’s Christians celebrated Saturday their first Christmas after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, amid tight security and a display of national unity to allay fears of the growing power of Islamists.

The Coptic Orthodox celebration follows an escalation in violence against the minority, an estimated 10 percent of Egypt’s 85 million people, over the past year.

Many Christians blamed a series of street clashes, assaults on churches, and other attacks on radical Islamists who have become increasingly bold after Mubarak’s downfall.

Celebrations of Orthodox Christmas began with a late night Friday Mass at Cairo’s main cathedral, which was attended by prominent figures from across Egypt’s political spectrum. They included leaders of Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group whose associated political party has won nearly half the seats in parliament.

Members of the ruling military council that took power after Mubarak’s Feb. 11 ouster also attended, including chief of staff Lt. Gen. Sami Anan, as well as the visiting top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, Jeffrey Feltman.

Coptic Pope Shenouda III commended their presence and appealed for national unity for “the sake of Egypt.”

“For the first time in the history of the cathedral, it is packed with all types of Islamist leaders in Egypt,” the 88-year old pope said. “They all agree ... on the stability of this country and in loving it, and working for it and to work with the Copts as one hand for the sake of Egypt.”

A series of attacks on churches earlier this year sent thousands of Coptic protesters into the streets, complaining that no culprits were brought to justice. In a dramatic turn, the latest of these protests in October was violently quelled by the country’s military rulers, leaving 27 people dead and sparking further outrage....

The political gains of Islamist groups who have dominated the first post-Mubarak parliamentary elections have also made many nervous....

Copts have long complained of discrimination by the state and prejudice from the Muslim majority. Christians are rarely appointed to top security and government posts, and their beliefs are often savaged by radical Muslim clerics.

Absent from the Christmas celebrations were leaders of the more radical Salafi Al-Nour party, the second largest bloc in parliament. Many fear it will seek to push its ultraconservative interpretation of Islam.

Party spokesman Youssri Hamad said Islamic teachings contradict the Christian celebration of Jesus’ birth, and that while his party respects Christian beliefs, its members cannot attend Christmas ceremonies or send Christmas greetings.

In the Catholic magazine Crisis this morning, I provide some historical background on the embattled and courageous Coptic Church of Egypt:

Egypt today is the site of a persecution of the Church on a scale unseen in Western Europe since the darkest days of the French Revolution; the Coptic Church is fighting for its life under vicious and escalating attacks from Muslims. A Muslim Brotherhood government is coming to power that promises to be more hostile. Yet in these dark days the Copts enjoy little support from Catholics who often only dimly understand the great debt we owe to the Church of Alexandria.

It was not ever thus. The Patriarch of Alexandria was once the third most-powerful prelate in the Church, after those of Rome and Constantinople; he was so designated by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215. The Lateran Council, moreover, was merely restating and ratifying – quite belatedly, for a variety of reasons – a canon of the fourth ecumenical council, the Council of Chalcedon, which was held over seven and a half centuries before it, in 451.

The Fathers of Chalcedon, for their part, were actually demoting the See of Alexandria from the second position that it had enjoyed before the Roman Emperors moved their capital to the new city of Constantinople, which accordingly became a great metropolis and a patriarchal see....

The bleakness of the situation for Christians in Egypt today, with the Muslim Brotherhood poised to take power, cannot be overstated. Might elegies be in order for a See and Church that was once among the most influential and powerful in all of Christendom? The Lord may yet see fit to save the Church that has produced so many martyrs for fourteen centuries now, and certainly Coptic heroism has not dimmed. But however events may unfold, the Coptic Church deserves our prayers and help – not only in simple Christian solidarity but in gratitude for the great gifts of grace God has given us through the noble Church of Alexandria, the Third See of the ancient and undivided Church.

There is much more.

"Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." -- Qur'an 9:29

And it may well come to that. "Yohanna Qulta, Deputy Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church in Egypt: If the Salafis Come to Power and Instate the Jizya Poll Tax, We Will Oppose This to the Point of Martyrdom," from MEMRI, December 10, 2011 (thanks to Wimpy):

Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian priest Yohanna Qulta, deputy patriarch of the Coptic Catholic church, which aired on Al-Hayat TV on December 10, 2011.

Interviewer: When I asked if the Copts were thinking of leaving Egypt, you said: "Absolutely."

Yohanna Qulta: Of course. The fear we encounter on TV and in national newspapers, which I don't want to name... Actually, why not? Al-Ahram, Al-Akhbar... They run large headlines, quoting the Salafis as saying that the Copts should either leave Egypt or pay the jizya poll tax in submission.

[...]

The world has changed. The Copts did not fight you [Muslims] or drive you out of your homes, so why do you want to expel them? Do the Copts constitute a foreign community? They tell you that Switzerland persecutes the Muslims, France persecutes the Muslims... The persecution of any group is unacceptable - but we are not even a community of immigrants. We have deep roots in this country.

[...]

Interviewer: Do you Copts fear these Salafi statements? If they do come to power and instate the jizya poll tax - I'm not saying that this will happen, but let's assume this for the sake of argument - how will you respond?

Yohanna Qulta: We will oppose this fiercely, to the point of martyrdom. Returning to the Middle Ages is out of the question. We will not turn to the UN or to the Western countries, but to Al-Azhar, to Islamic moral values, and to the vast majority of Muslims, who are moderate. Gone are the days of paying the jizya, the days of slavery. What the Salafis and the others need to understand is that the religious state has failed, from East to West, in every era, both in Christian and Muslims countries...

Sure. Reward the mob. That'll fix things right up. An update on this story. "Egypt arrests Christian over Muhammad drawing," by Maggie Michael for the Associated Press, December 31 (thanks to Kenneth):

CAIRO — Egyptian authorities have detained a Coptic Christian student accused of posting a drawing of Islam's prophet on Facebook that triggered two days of violence in southern Egypt.

Gamal Massoud has been accused by fellow students of ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad.

A possible setup?

According to a security official, the 17-year-old student denies that and says friends posted the picture on his Facebook page. The official spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Since Wednesday, villagers have attacked Massoud's house while chanting "Allahu akbar," or "God is Great."

Because nothing proves your deity is superior like setting fires in a rage:

They have set fire to other Christians' houses.

Many Christian villagers fearing retaliation have left their homes.

Security forces intervened, using tear gas to disperse Muslim protesters.

The military is on alert for New Year's attacks, but the security forces cannot be trusted to prevent them. They mysteriously withdrew one hour before the Alexandria church bombing on last New Year's Eve. "Egyptian Bishop Warns of Another Massacre in Nag Hammadi," by Mary Abdelmassih for the Assyrian International News Agency, December 29:

(AINA) -- Bishop Kyrillos, the Coptic Orthodox bishop of Nag Hammadi, received last week several threats of attacks to be carried out on churches in Nag Hammadi, either on New Year's Eve or Christmas Eve on January 6. "I do not want another Nag Hammadi Massacre to happen again," he said in an interview on the Egyptian independent TV Channel Al Tahrir. On January 6, 2010 6 Copts were killed and more than 15 injured in a drive-by shooting of worshippers as they left church after celebrating the Coptic Orthodox Christmas Eve's mass, which falls on January 6 according to the Julian Calender (AINA 1-7-2010).

Festivities for the Orthodox observance of Christmas are also affected:

The Nag Hammadi diocese will cancel all festivities for New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve, and will end the midnight service early and not after midnight as is the norm.

"I have reported to the police all the threats received and asked for protection. I told them that I am ready to ask our youth to organize committees to protect the churches," said Bishop Kyrillos. "Yesterday I sent an appeal to Field Marshall Tantawi, head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the prime minister and the interior minister, asking them to secure Nag Hammadi, which has experienced repeated acts of violence."

At the end of 2009, despite warnings by local church authorities in Nag Hammadi of possible violence during the Coptic festivities in January 2010, police had not bolstered security for Christmas.

Bishop Kyrillos believes that the reason behind these new threats is his unwavering support for the Copts of his diocese, who are plagued by an escalating series of kidnappings. The Bishop councils his parishioners not to give in to the kidnappers by paying the ransoms, but instead to report the crime to the police. "I cannot and will not stay inactive while I see the terrified Coptic families paying all what they have, and sometimes what they do not have, to get their children back."

The leader of the kidnapping gang, Ahmed Saber, who lives in Samasta village in Bahgoura, threatened to carry out a massacre in Nag Hammadi after the security forces attempted to arrest him and his gang, but were not successful.

From August 11 until December 24, eleven kidnappings took place in Nag Hammadi and neighboring Farshout and Bahgoura, part of the parish of Nag Hammadi, and this has "escalated recently to the extent that not one week passes without kidnapping, sometimes even taking place at mid-day," said Bishop Kyrillos. "Some families report the kidnapping to the police, some are returned without paying ransoms and some families pay huge sums of money for their loved ones."

Only in 4 out of the 11 cases did families recover their children without paying ransom. Some ransoms went as high as 630,000 Egyptian pounds, paid for the release of a physician and a pharmacist, while 17-year old friends Girgis and Mina Dawood, kidnapped together on December 24, were released yesterday for a smaller ransom. "Contrary to my advice, their families paid a ransom of 130,000 for both lads." He said he does not believe the kidnappers would slaughter the children as they threaten, but they do it for the high ransoms they are demanding and eventually getting.

Bishop Kyrillos is very pessimistic regarding the threats of attacks on churches. The Nag Hammadi Massacre of 2010, was one in a series of attacks on churches during the Coptic festivities. A similar incident took place in April 2009 when Muslims opened fire on worshipers as they left the prayer service on Easter Eve in the village of Higaza, Qena Governorate, resulting in the death of Amir Stephanos (36), Ayub Said (22), and the injury of Mina Samir (35).

On New Year's Eve 2011, a bomb detonated outside the Two Saints Church in Alexandria, killing 23 and injuring 96 parishioners who were attending a New Year's Eve Mass.

Last week, FrontPage Magazine editor Jamie Glazov interviewed me concerning my recent congressional testimony on the plight of Egypt’s Christian Copts. A snippet of the interview follows:

FP: The suffering of the Christian Copts of Egypt is getting worse, so it's a great thing you were asked to testify at that hearing—and it's a positive thing that they even had a hearing. For starters, while we know of your professional credentials concerning Islam, can you tell us a bit about your Coptic ancestry?

Ibrahim: Sure. Though I was born and raised in the U.S., my parents were both Copts who emigrated from Egypt in the late 1960s. According to them, after Egypt's 1952 revolution, they knew it was time to get going—knew that things would get progressively worse for Christians. And so they have. I believe they understood this, not because they were especially prescient, but rather because what is understood immediately and instinctively on the ground (in Egypt), often take decades to become intelligible thousands of miles away (in the West).

In fact, it's interesting for me to recall, in retrospect, how the things I and others constantly write about in order to get the West to understand Islam, Copts know instinctively—simply because they experience in reality what we know in theory. This disconnect is why a group like the Muslim Brotherhood, the mere mention of which for decades would make Coptic hair stand on end, is now touted as a "largely secular" group by the current U.S administration, which has been complacent, if not complicit, in the Brotherhood's rise to power.

This, by the way, is one of those things that are utterly incomprehensible to Copts and other minorities from the Muslim world—how the West can in any way, shape, or form support Islamic groups like the Brotherhood. Again, this is a reflection of their intimate acquaintance of these groups, their certain knowledge that the Brotherhood is practicing taqiyya merely to dupe their stronger, but naïve, infidel enemies. Likewise, regarding Islam's inroads in the U.S., comments like "So – we left Egypt only to find the same sort of crap we left behind following us here in America!" are common among the diaspora. This, of course, is the sentiment of any number of non-Muslims—not to mention many nominal Muslims—who quit the Muslim world and come to the U.S…

More on the collective extrajudicial punishment inflicted on Copts in yet another recent incident in Egypt, "while the security forces stood there watching." "Family of Murdered Egyptian Christians On the Run Due to Muslim Terror," by Mary Abdelmassih for the Assyrian International News Agency, December 15:

(AINA) -- Two weeks after the murder of two Christian brothers by Muslims during the violence that swept the upper Egyptian village of elGhorayzat, the family of the murdered Christians has temporarily come out of hiding to speak of the terror they have been subjected to and decry the impunity enjoyed by the killers, who are walking freely in the village.

On November 28, the two Christian brothers, Kamel Tamer Abraham (55) and Camille Tamer Abraham (50), were killed in revenge for the death of the Muslim Mohamad Abdel-Nazeer, who was injured during an altercation with a village Christian over the building of a fence round the Christian's house, and who later died in hospital. The Christian man fled from the village with his family.

Mahmoud Abdel-Nazeer, the brother of the dead Muslim, and a mob of Muslims, vowed to avenge his death from all village Copts. They went on a rampage, looting and burning Christian owned homes and businesses, and resulted in the murder of the two brothers and injury to several other Christians not involved in the altercation.

Karam Tamer Abraham, the brother of Kamel and Camille, said that his two murdered brothers were killed in lieu of the life of the Muslim, explaining that the Muslims asked for the lives of his two brothers because they are "the Christian elders of the village." He said that the family is in no way related to and does not even know the Christian involved in the death of the Muslim.

The Tamer Abraham family refused any "reconciliation" with the murderers, and insisted that the rule of law should prevail. "We will get our rights by law, and we will never accept reconciliation, whatever the consequences. We are not in a jungle." He said that all this happened to the family because they are Christians.

According to Karam, after the murders, Muslims looted three flats in the family house, and their shop, "while the security forces stood there watching."

The three men who participated in the killings, according to eyewitnesses, were Mahmoud Abdul-Nazeer, Sabry Mohammad el-Sayed and a third man unknown to them.

"Reconciliation" sessions are usually arranged by the Egyptian security authorities, after every violence against Christians, and result in Christians being pressured to give up their rights.

Currently the entire Abraham family are on the run, after having received death threats from the son of the dead Muslim, Mohammad Abdul-Nazeer, who demands that all four family children also have to be killed.

Speaking on CTV Coptic Chanel, Mrs. Hiyam Fakhry, wife of Camille Tamer Abraham, describing her ordeal and how she and her children watched her husband had his throat slit by Muslims "with indescribable cruelty" and for no reason.

Recounting the events of the massacre, Hiyam said that after the Muslims caused violence and destruction in the village, Mahmoud Abdul-Nazeer and nearly all Muslims in the village walked over two miles to their home. They knocked at the door of the family's multi-story house, and when her husband asked them from their balcony, what they wanted. They answered him "Come down with your brother, we want to slit your throats," said Hiyam.

Moments later Mahmoud Abdul-Nazeer and the Muslims broke down the door. They first went into the flat of the 55-year-old childless brother Kamel, and slit his throat with a large knife as he sat on his bed watching TV. They injured his wife Wafaa, took her gold bracelets and 50,000 Egyptian pounds in cash.

According to Hiyam, the Muslim mob the ascended to the second floor, where they gave her husband and 18-year-old son, Mina, blows to their heads, before tying her husband's hands with a rope and dragging him to a room. "Mahmoud Abdul-Nazeer, slit my husband's throat," said said Hiyam. "He was about to leave him, believing he was dead, when one of the other perpetrators noticed that Camille was still breathing, and told him to go back and finish him completely off and let his blood spill all over the floor. So he slit Camille's throat another time" .

All the while their 4-year old son Michael was asleep on the bed. He woke up and saw his father lying in his blood and started calling to him and asking him to wake up. "When my child cried, Mahmoud Abdul-Nazeer said 'get that child and let's slaughter him over his father', but I screamed and begged them until they let him off."

Hiyam recalled that when Abdul-Nazeer told her husband he has to be slaughtered, she asked him why , as he has done nothing wrong. "He answered me, haughtily and mercilessly, saying 'he has to be slaughtered today, that means he has to be slaughtered today.'"...

Earlier on Hudson NY (via RaymondIbrahim.com), I discussed the notion of collectively punishing "dhimmis" under Islam:

During a recent altercation in Egypt, a Christian inadvertently killed a Muslim. This incident, according to an AINA report, "turned into collective punishment of all Copts in the majority Christian village." Two Christians "not party to the altercation" were killed; others were stabbed and critically wounded. As usual, "after killing the Copts, Muslims went on a rampage, looting and burning Christian owned homes and businesses."

Despite all this, "Muslims insist they have not yet avenged" the death of their slain co-religionist; there are fears of "a wholesale massacre of Copts." Many Christians have fled their homes or are in hiding.

Collectively punishing dhimmis—non-Muslims who refused to convert after their lands were seized by Muslims, and who are treated as "second-class" infidels—for the crimes of the individual is standard under Islam. In this instance, dhimmis are forbidden from striking—let alone killing—Muslims, even if the latter perpetrate the conflict. Prior to the fight that killed him, the Muslim in question had, through the help of radical Salafis, burned down the Christian's home and was threatening him over a property dispute. Still, non-Muslims are forbidden to raise their hands to Muslims, even in self defense.

Collectively punishing Egypt's Christians is common. Earlier this year, when a Christian was accused of dating a Muslim woman, 22 Christian homes were set ablaze to cries of "Allahu Akbar"; when Muslims made false accusations against another Christian, one was killed, ten hospitalized, an old woman thrown out of her second floor balcony, and homes and properties were plundered and torched, as documented in a report aptly titled "Collective Punishment of Egyptian Christians."...

Below is my written testimony as submitted for the record at last week's Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing titled "Under Threat: The Worsening Plight of Egypt's Coptic Christians." The Center for Security Policy provides a PDF version of the testimony here.

TESTIMONY OF RAYMOND IBRAHIM

TOM LANTOS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

Since the year 641, when Muslims invaded Egypt, the Copts-Egypt's Christian, indigenous inhabitants-have been subject to persecution, discrimination, and over all subjugation on their homeland (etymologically, the word "Copt" simply means "Egyptian").[1] The result is an Egyptian culture and mentality that sees Copts as second-class citizens, or, in Islamic legal terminology, Dhimmis-"infidels" who are tolerated as long as they embrace their inferior status.

Whole books and treatises have been written on the treatment of Dhimmis (for instance, Ibn Qayyim's authoritative 8th century Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma, or "Rulings for Dhimmis"). The idea of subjugating non-Muslims, aptly coined "Dhimmitude," comes from Quran 9:29: "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor forbid that which Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, nor follow the religion of Truth [Islam], from the People of the Book [Christians and Jews], until they pay the Jizya [tribute] with willing submission, and feel themselves utterly subdued."

The so-called Pact of Omar,[2] a foundational text for the treatment of Dhimmis, offers an idea of how this Quranic decree manifested itself in reality. In order to maintain their Christian faith, among other things, conquered Christians had to agree to the following:

We shall not build, in our cities or in their neighborhood, new monasteries, churches, convents, or monks' cells, nor shall we repair, by day or by night, such of them as fall in ruins or are situated in the quarters of the Muslims ... We shall not manifest our religion publicly nor convert anyone to it. We shall not prevent any of our kin from entering Islam if they wish it. We shall show respect toward the Muslims, and we shall rise from our seats when they wish to sit. We shall not seek to resemble the Muslims... We shall not display our crosses or our books in the roads or markets of the Muslims. We shall use only clappers in our churches very softly. We shall not raise our voices when following our dead... We shall not bury our dead near the Muslims. We shall not build houses overtopping the houses of the Muslims.

During the colonial era and into the mid 20th Century, as Egypt experimented with westernization and nationalism, Christian persecution was markedly subdued. Today, however, as Egypt all but spearheads Islam's resurgence-giving the world key figures and groups such as Sayyid Qutb, Hassan Bana, the Muslim Brotherhood, and al-Qaeda's Aymen Zawahiri in the process-that is, as Egypt reclaims its Islamic identity, the Copts find themselves again under persecution.

Today, popular Muslim preachers on Egyptian TV openly condemn Christians, publicly calling for the return of Dhimmi status; Copts and their churches are almost always attacked on Friday, immediately after the weekly mosque sermons and to cries of "Allahu Akbar!" demonstrating the Islamic pedigree of the attack.

None of this is surprising when one considers that even Egypt's Grand Mufti himself, often touted in the West as a "moderate," recently classified all Christians[3] as "infidels," or kuffar,[4] a term that immediately positions Copts as enemies to be suppressed.

Aside from the fact that practically every week an account of Muslims attacking Copts emerges-whether the destroying of churches, the killing of Copts for wearing crosses, the abducting, raping, and force-converting of Coptic girls-perhaps nothing exemplifies their plight as the following governmental, that is, institutionalized, stipulations:

According to the Second Article of the Egyptian Constitution,[5] Sharia law-which is based on the anti-Christian words of the Quran and prophet Muhammad as contained in the Hadith-is "the principal source of legislation"; and since Dhimmitude is part and parcel of Sharia law, expectations for Copts to behave as subdued, second-class citizens, or Dhimmis, becomes implicit. For instance, and in accordance with the aforementioned stipulations of the Pact of Omar, it is next to impossible for churches to be built.

The Egyptian government likewise makes it next to impossible for Muslims to convert to Christianity (apostasy is a crime under Sharia). Among the more popular cases are Mohammad Hegazy[6]: he tried formally to change his religion from Muslim to Christian on his I.D. card-in Egypt, people are identified by their religion, again, as stipulated in the Pact of Omar -only to be denied[7] by the Egyptian court. Conversely, it takes mere days for Christian converts to Islam to change their religious I.D.

Most recently, several aspects of the Maspero massacre revealed the Egyptian government's inherent hostility to its Christian citizenry:

Soldiers screamed "Allahu Akbar!"[8] and cursed "Infidels" as they approached and attacked Coptic protesters; a video of an Egyptian soldier boasting that he shot a Christian in the chest is greeted by the crowd around him with "Allahu Akbar!"[9]; and after the incident, Dr. Hind Hanafi, president of the University of Cairo, recommended separating wounded Christians from wounded Muslims admitted into the hospital, thereby institutionalizing religious discrimination, even in hospitals.[10]

Aside from these formalized aspects, Egyptian officials are notorious for turning a blind eye to Muslim mob attacks on Christians and their churches. In fact, it is this governmental complacency-or complicity-regarding attacks on Christians that that caused Copts to demonstrate at Maspero in the first place, before the government, including through the use of snipers, death squads, and tanks that intentionally ran over protesters, initiated the bloodbath that followed.

Anyone familiar with Muslim doctrine and history, especially as it applies to Egypt and the Copts, will find none of the above surprising; rather, the treatment of Copts in the Medieval era and their treatment today demonstrate great continuity-from the destruction of churches to the subjugation of Christians.

However, because there was a lull in this animosity, from the colonial era when Islam was on the wane, to just a few decades ago, most Westerners, deeming events closer to their time and space more representative of reality, ignore the continuum of history and doctrine dealing with persecution, and thus fail to comprehend what is otherwise so obvious and open for the world to see. This is exacerbated by the fact that the articulators of knowledge-the media, academia, and apologists of all stripes-in the name of multiculturalism and political correctness, have made uncomfortable truths all but unknowable.

In short, the evidence of Muslim persecution of Christians in general, persecution of Egyptian Copts in particular, is overwhelming-doctrinally, historically, and current events. What is lacking is a Western paradigm that can accept-and act upon-this evidence.

I tried to tell you. Among the many noteworthy aspects of this article is the fact that the Copts know full well that Sharia means denial of rights to women and non-Muslims. Only in the West, where no one knows anything about Sharia, can deceptive Islamic apologists get away with claiming that Sharia is nothing in particular, but rather a sprawling multiplicity that cannot be pinned down to any specifics.

"Islamist parties' electoral success in Egypt has Copts worried," by Jeffrey Fleishman for the Los Angeles Times, December 11:

Reporting from Cairo—Fears and worries murmur like prayers beneath the hammered crosses of the Church of the Virgin Mary.

"The whole country will collapse," says Shenouda Nasri.

"I'm trying to get my family out," says Samir Ramsis.

"This is the Islamists' time," says George Saied.

A caretaker sweeps the stones, a woman slips into a pew. But these days Egypt's minority Coptic Christians are finding little serenity. Islamist political candidates, including puritanical Salafis, are dominating parliamentary elections. Sectarianism is intensifying and the patriotic veneer that unified Egyptians in overthrowing longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak is threatened by ultraconservative Muslim clerics whose divisive voices had been suppressed by the state for decades.

"Our goal is to achieve an Islamic caliphate with Islamic sharia rules," Mohamed Zoghbi, a hard-line Salafi preacher, said this year on TV. "If Egypt becomes a caliphate, then the Middle East and Arab countries will follow our path. All Muslim youth should strive and die to build this caliphate even over their own bodies."...

"The Islamists have been unleashed," says Nasri, a pharmacist hoping to follow the lead of tens of thousands of Copts who have left Egypt this year. "You're talking about no rights for women. No rights for Coptic Christians. They'll make us more of a minority. It'll be like living centuries ago."

Coptic Christians make up 10% of Egypt's population of 82 million. They have coexisted in relative peace with Muslims for centuries, but even before the overthrow of Mubarak, they endured increasing deadly attacks on churches, including a bombing in Alexandria and incidents of arson in Cairo and other cities.

Copts have felt further isolated as radical screeds have echoed from mosques since Mubarak's rule was brought down by a popular rebellion in February that included secularists, Islamists and communists.

Thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members were jailed under the former president. But as the "Arab Spring" burgeoned early this year, the once-outlawed Brotherhood, which for decades built a network of social and religious programs, quickly became the nation's most potent political force. It has attempted to calm secular Egyptians and the West by emphasizing democracy and civil rights as it moves to gradually expand Islam throughout the government while addressing the country's economic turmoil, poverty and neglected institutions.

But the Salafis, who had been apolitical for decades, are demanding an immediate debate on religion and saying the new constitution must be interchangeable with the Koran. Relying on satellite TV and money from the Persian Gulf, the resurgent fundamentalists epitomize Egypt's startling political upheaval. They show little concern for compromise or diplomatic sound bites. One of their groups, Gamaa al Islamiya, renounced violence long ago but its candidates are a link to the coarse sectarian voices that led to the assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981 and terrorist attacks.

Wagdi Ghoneim, a popular ultraconservative Muslim preacher, fled Egypt's police state years ago. He has lived in the United States and the gulf, transmitting audio and televised speeches that resonate in Cairo's slums and outlying villages. He couldn't be more clear on where he stands.

"There's nothing called democracy. Democracy is built on the basis of infidelity," he says. "The Crusader Christians are a minority and we can never equate a minority's rights with the majority's.... How can they ask for the same rights as ours?"...

"I was born in Cairo," he says. "But as a Christian I no longer feel like a whole citizen. I just want to go someplace where I can be respected."

He straightens his blue and yellow tie, brushes the sleeves of his pressed shirt. He fears that Salafis will forbid the building of churches and impose more Islamic education in schools.

"Everyone is afraid, not just Copts," he says. "People working in tourism, banking, antiquities. No one knows what the Islamists will do. The Muslim Brotherhood is trying to calm things. They're talking about tolerance. But we still have to be afraid. They have little political experience."

Here's more from my recent testimony on the plight of the Copts, from the Q&A segment.

Along with others, yesterday I testified at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, U.S. Congress, Washington D.C. The title of the hearing was "Under Threat:The Worsening Plight of Egypt's Coptic Christians." Above is a clip.

I tried to tell you. "Rich Egyptians weigh emigration as Islamists surge," by Hania El Malawani for AFP, December 3 (thanks to Wimpy):

CAIRO — For decades, Egypt's Westernised elite kept the country's growing religosity at arm's length, but a projected Islamist surge in the first post-revolution polls has driven many to think of moving abroad.

Sporting the latest fashions and mingling in upmarket country clubs, Egypt's rich fear a victory for the Muslim Brotherhood and hardline Salafis in the first phase of parliamentary elections presages change ahead.

"I hope they don't impose the veil and ban women from driving like in Saudi Arabia," said coquettish fifty-something Naglaa Fahmi from her gym in the leafy neighbourhood of Zamalek.

In a nearby luxury hotel, Nardine -- one of Egypt's eight million Coptic Christians who are alarmed by the prospect of a new Islamist-dominated parliament -- is pondering a move aroad.

"My father is seriously thinking about sending me and my brothers elsewhere because he thinks we won't have a future in the country with the Salafis," said the banker in her twenties....

The preliminary results to be published on Friday were expected to show the moderate [sic] Muslim Brotherhood as the dominant force, but with a surprisingly strong showing from the hardline Al-Nur party.

Its leaders advocate the fundamentalist brand of Salafi Islam, rejecting Western culture and favouring strict segregation of the sexes and the veiling of women.

They say they have been the victims of Islamophobia and sustained fear-mongering by liberals in the Egyptian media....

"They don't scare me. We have democracy now which means we'll be able to remove them if they don't suit us," said Manar, a tall blonde in her 40s.

"It's the not the Muslim Brotherhood that worries me because they want to appear in the best light, it's the Salafis that I'm concerned about," she said....

Six of one...

Speaking of reassurances that are lacking in substance, the spokesman for the Salafist al-Nur party says Egypt's Copts have nothing to worry about.

There are two problems with his approach. First, he employs the common tactic of speaking in pleasant-sounding generalities, almost entirely avoiding specific tenets of Sharia. The Salafists' general disposition toward Sharia law is well known, but even Essam Darballah resorts to another favorite tool of evasion also recently employed by State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland: the insistence that the notion that "interpretations may differ" with respect to Sharia means there is nothing to worry about.

The second problem is much harder to tap dance around: actions speak louder than verbal assurances. To review reporting posted here in recent months:

"Coptic leaders accuse the army of not protecting them against salafist attacks and cracking down more harshly on [Coptic] protests than others."

"'I am the enemy of democracy,' Hesham al-Ashry said in an interview with Fox News in his Cairo tailor shop. The devout Muslim is a main organizer in a group called the Salafists, which is working to bring Shariah law to Egypt."

"Salafist clerics, who gained political influence after the January 25 Revolution, have become emboldened, calling Copts Dhimmis who have to pay the jizya (tax paid by non-Muslims to the state) because they are not first class citizens and can never enjoy full citizenship rights, or obtain sensitive posts."

"[Protesters], mostly observers of the conservative Islamic Salafist movement, threatened to bar Emad Mikhail, the new [Christian] governor, from entering the province. The previous governor, whom Mikhail will replace, was also Christian."

As excuses and evasion are sure to continue, we can't rule out hearing at some point that "Salafism is not a monolith and has been hijacked by a Tiny Minority of Extremists."

An update on this story. "Salafis are coming. Copts, no need to panic," by Samir al-Atrush for Middle East Online, December 2:

Hardline Salafis, forecast to become powerbrokers in Egypt's first post-uprising parliament, are seeking to allay fears in the minority Christian community of an Islamist-dominated assembly.

The Salafis, who mostly eschewed politics during Mubarak's rule, are predicted to win second place after the more moderate Islamist Muslim Brotherhood in the first round of parliamentary elections.

The surprise showing by the fundamentalists comes at a time of heightened sectarian tensions followers of Salafi Islam have been blamed for stoking.

Salafis, who advocate a strict interpretation of Islamic law, were blamed for bloody clashes around a Cairo church in May that killed 15 people, and attacks on the shrines of Sufis, an esoteric brand of Islam.

A spokesman for the leading Salafi Al-Nur party said Thursday that neither Christians nor liberal Muslims have anything to fear from his group, which he says will focus on improving all Egyptians' lives.

"We are talking about a state that was under Islamic law for 1,300 years," said Mohammed Nour, explaining that the orthodox Coptic Christian community estimated today at eight million had thrived during this period.

"Touching one hair on a Copt's head violates our programme," he said.

Until they do anything that is seen as violating the dhimma protection racket.

"The results in these elections are the best response (to such fears), despite a campaign of fear-mongering and slander in the past 10 months. A large part of the public trusts us," he said.

Essam Darballah, a leader of the formerly militant al-Gamaa al-Islamiya, said preliminary election results showed that political Islam, long marginalised by Mubarak, could no longer be suppressed.

"The results show people were unconvinced by the defamation campaign conducted by the liberals. They chose Islam," said Darballah, whose movement's political party joined a coalition with Al-Nur.

"It shows Islamic movements are here, and the people trust them," he said.

Nour, the owner of a company that produces iPhone applications, says Egypt's Salafi movement had lain dormant during three decades of Mubarak's rule, which ended in February with a popular uprising.

"We were not present (during Mubarak's era) because (politics) was not our way to bring about change, and the political situation was depressing and discouraging," he said.

Islamist parties have circumvented a law that bans religious parties by not overtly espousing an Islamist state in their party programme.

Nour says the party will work to better standards of living in the country, where widespread complaints of poverty fuelled the revolt against Mubarak, rather than on implementing a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

"Egyptians agree that the reference is the Quran and Sunnah (prophetic sayings and traditions)," [how about the Copts? Aren't they Egyptians?- ed.] he said, adding that "interpretations may differ" on how to apply Islamic law known as Sharia.

He dismissed fears raised in the media that they might try to ban alcohol.

"Maybe 20,000 out of 80 million Egyptians drink alcohol," he said. "Forty million don't have sanitary water. Do you think that, in parliament, I'll busy myself with people who don't have water, or people who get drunk?"

In saying this, he has called attention to a trend in more than one society where Sharia has experienced a resurgence: "moral" policing in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Aceh, to name a few, is a cheap and lazy way to for governments to look busy and piously effective. Such crackdowns are a path of least resistance to show the government is "working."

Such priorities could illustrate how political involvement will force them to compromise, although Nour insists his party will hold fast to its "values."

Prior to the elections, opponents of Salafis circulated an interview with one of the party's most prominent candidates in which he said democracy was "blasphemy," a remark Nour insists was taken out of context.

He says they seek a democracy and new constitution that recognises that sovereignty ultimately flows from God, not a "Greek philosophy" adopted in the West.

The issue of Islamic law spurred him and other Salafi parties to rally their forces for the election.

Darballah says that the country's new constitution, to be written once parliamentary elections finish in March, should "preserve Islamic identity and preserve the rights of non-Muslims."

Here, he expects listeners and readers to project their own ideas of non-Muslims' rights onto what he has said, rather than questioning what his ideas are, and why.

Jihad causes poverty once again, in opportunistic attacks by Muslims who jumped at the chance to pile on in collective extrajudicial punishment of the Copts. "Thousands of Muslims Attack Christians in Egypt, 2 Killed, Homes and Stores Torched," by Mary Abdelmassih for the Assyrian International News Agency, November 30:

(AINA) -- Thousands of Muslims attacked and besieged Copts in elGhorayzat village, population 80,000, killing two Copts and severely wounding others, as well as looting and torching homes and businesses. A quarrel between a Copt, John Hosni, and Mahmoud Abdel-Nazeer, who later died in hospital, turned into collective punishment of all Copts in the majority Christian village of elGhorayzat, in the Maragha district of Sohag province. Muslims vowed not to bury Abdel-Nazeer until John Hosni is punished. Mr. Hosni fled from the village with his family, "fearing a wholesale massacre of Copts," reported activist Mariam Ragy.

The events started on Monday, November 28, when John Hosni, a building supplier, had a quarrel with his neighbor, Mahmoud Abdel-Nazeer (48), over some steel rods and cement Mr. Hosni had left in the street to use for erecting a wall around his house. This was perceived by Mr. Abdel-Nazeer as extending the home into the street, which is public property. "Instead of reporting this building transgression to the police or local authorities, Abdel-Nazeer took the matter in his own hands and brought some Salafists and torched the store and the home of the Copt," said an eyewitness.

In the altercation between the neighbors, Mr. Hosni hit Abdel-Nazeer in the head with a wooden branch, which lead to his death later in hospital.

Angry Muslims murdered two Christian brothers, Kamel Tamer Ibrahim (55) and Kameel Tamer Ibrahim (50), in revenge. The brothers were not a party to the altercation. Kamel Tamer, who was defending his shop from looting, was murdered in front of his wife. His brother was also murdered in front of his wife for defending his home.

Three other Christians, Maher Samir Gota, his wife, and his brother Osama Samir Gota, were severely injured and are in intensive care. They were in their homes when their shop was broken into and looted by Muslims. Maher and his wife were stabbed and Osama received a blow on the head. The ambulance could not go to them to transport them to hospital. He was privately transported by his friends. There were reports of Muslims preventing the fire brigades from reaching the burning homes.

After killing the Copts, Muslims went on a rampage, looting and burning Christian owned homes and businesses.

Despite killing the two Coptic brothers the Muslims insist they have not yet avenged Abdel-Nazeer's death.

"This is not revenge; this is simply an excuse to kill people because they are Christians, as well as loot their property," said an eyewitness.

"Security was present in all the streets, and protected the churches, but they did nothing in the face of Muslims killings, looting and torching of Christian property,", said another eyewitness, who managed to get out of the village "by a miracle," as he put it, leaving all his belongings and money behind. "We do not know whether we will be able to go back to the village as the Muslims refuse to bury the dead Muslim before killing all Copts in the village."

He added that Muslims are openly walking the streets carrying firearms and clubs while the police standby and do nothing. The number of police is not enough, there are 500 Muslims for every one policeman.

Copts have been prevented from fleeing the village by Muslims, who have imposed a blockade. Some were able to flee with the aid of some Muslims, who drove them out in a truck, telling the guards at the exit point these people have nothing to do with the ongoing problem.

Christian inhabitants are still afraid to venture into the streets.

Father Lucas Aghapios, pastor of St. George's Church in alGhorayzat, described the situation in the village today as "cautioned" peace. He said that although the Muslim attack started at 11 AM, security forces turned up late in the evening, and Muslim transgressions occurred in the presence of the security forces. Father Lucas said that yesterday Muslim attacks resulted in 25 incidents of looting and torching of Christian-owned shops, in addition to 8 homes. He confirmed the eyewitness accounts of the events, but could not confirm that John Hosni had surrendered to the police. "Yesterday John Hosni was in a safe place, but he is not in the village, I do not know his whereabouts." He does not know whether any Muslims were arrested in connection with the slaughtering of the two Coptic brothers.

A funeral for Abdel-Nazeer was held on Tuesday.

Bishop Bachoum of Sohag said this evening on CTV Coptic Channel that funerals for the two Copts were held in Sohag and they were buried in their village of elGhorayzat, under heavy security. He said that efforts are under way for a "reconciliation" meeting between Muslim and Christians elders.

Commenting on the elGhorayzat events, Dr. Fawzi Hermina, a Coptic activist who lives in Sohag, said that Copts are living in a state of Statelessness -- with no state, no security and no law. "Unfortunately the Copts, being the weak party in society, are paying the price."

Who you gonna believe, the mufti or your lyin' eyes? "Egypt mufti denies discrimination, plays down Islamists," by Tom Heneghan for Reuters, November 22:

BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN, Jordan (Reuters) - Egypt's highest Islamic legal official denied on Tuesday that minority Christians faced sectarian discrimination and said Islamists would win no more than 20 percent of votes in next week's election.

You will want to read this one sitting down.

Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa said Egypt had done its best to abolish discrimination against Copts, who make up 10 percent of Egypt's roughly 80 million population, but a small minority of radical salafist Islamists were causing trouble.

Coptic leaders accuse the army of not protecting them against salafist attacks and cracking down more harshly on their protests than others. About 25 died last month when army trucks charged a mostly Coptic protest in Cairo.

"There is no real problem," said Gomaa, Egypt's second-highest Islamic official, whose office oversees the issuing of fatwas, or religious decrees, on application of Muslim law.

The clash last month "was not sectarian violence," he told Reuters at a Catholic-Muslim dialogue conference at the Jordan River in Jordan. "This just echoes the chaotic transition period we have been going through in Egypt." he said.

Sure, it was totally non-sectarian: Muslims took to the streets against Christians after state television broadcast false reports of casualties among soldiers, and called on Egyptians to "protect" the army, though the army seemed to be doing just fine ramming the protesters with armored vehicles.

Gomaa said no more than 250,000 Egyptians were salafists, or radical Islamists, and they and the non-violent Islamist Muslim Brotherhood would win less than one-fifth of the vote.

"In the elections, the Islamists will not get more than 20 percent," Gomaa said through an interpreter. "I'm sure the majority of Egyptians are with the moderate voice of Islam." [...]

The grand mufti said he thought Egypt should retain references in its constitution to Islam as the official religion and the principles of sharia, the Islamic moral and legal code, as the "major source of legislation."

"It will be the same as in the previous constitution," he said.

Demand justice for a prior attack, get attacked again. Supporters of a "Islamist" political party reportedly joined in. Welcome to the "new" Egypt. "Dozens hurt as Christian march attacked in Cairo," from Agence France-Presse, November 17:

Hundreds of Coptic Christians marching in Cairo on Thursday came under attack by assailants throwing stones and bottles and 25 people were lightly injured in subsequent clashes, a security official said.

They were marching to demand justice for the Christian victims of a clash with soldiers in October that left at least 25 people dead, most of them Christians.

The official said the Copts were attacked in the northern Shoubra neighbourhood with stones and bottles, and that some among them responded in kind.

He said supporters of an Islamist candidate for upcoming parliamentary election joined in the attack on the Copts.

An AFP correspondent on the scene said hundreds of riot police were deployed to the area and that the clashes had eventually subsided.

Copts, who make up roughly 10 percent of Egypt's 80 million people, complain of discrimination in the Muslim-majority country.

There has been a spike in sectarian clashes since a popular uprising ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February.

The deadliest took place on October 9, when thousands of Christians protesting an attack on a church clashed with soldiers.

Witnesses said the soldiers fired on the demonstrators and ran them over with military vehicles, which the military denies.

There is ample evidence to refute the military's claims.

The military said a number its soldiers were killed in the clash.

State television reversed its position, saying there were no casualties, after reports of casualties were used to incite violence against the Christians. If the existence of casualties among the soldiers is again to be the official line, it is a reversal of a reversal.

There is so much that is wrong with this story, starting with military trials for civilians. Even priests have been hauled in for questioning by the military. But above all, there is the enforced, concocted, "official" version of the "truth," contradicted as it is by ample evidence, including video.

The Egyptian military is showing itself to be the principal instrument at this time for the subjugation of Christians in accordance with Sharia. Simply by exercising their natural rights to free speech, conscience, and assembly, the Copts got too uppity for the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, and forfeited their share in the protection racket that is dhimmitude, whether officially or unofficially enforced.

"Army accused of Copts’ massacre threatens 34 Copts with trial," from Asia News, November 7:

Cairo (AsiaNews) – The same army that slaughtered 28 Christians on 9 October and is currently investigating itself has decided not to release 34 Copts held since the clashes, including teens under 16 and some who were wounded. Others have been held since 30 October. All are underfed and without proper medical care.

For Fr Rafic Greiche, spokesman for the Egyptian Catholic Church, any trial would be absurd. “The military cannot court-martial civilians, especially since they are a party in the case.”

The clergyman hopes that with the elections on 26 November, the military will give up power and accept the voters’ verdict.

Some Muslims were also arrested following the deadly demonstrations. Laila Soueif, university professor and mother of activist Alaa Abd El Fattah, decided to go on a hunger strike this Sunday to protest her son's detention.

In a blogpost he smuggled out of prison on Thursday, El Fattah wrote that he got a proposition from his interrogators to be released provided he does not criticise Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawy, head of the military council.

"It was a small concession that I rejected. How can I face my family if I had accepted it," he wrote.

On 9 October, thousands of Copts demonstrated in front of the Maspero state TV building, demanding justice in the case of a church burning in Aswan Province (Upper Egypt).

At the rally, unknown gunmen began shooting soon after the start, causing the military to react. Some eyewitnesses said they saw soldiers deliberately fire on demonstrators and crush some with armed vehicles. The final toll included 27 people dead and more than 200 wounded.

The Egyptian Armed Forces continue to deny any responsibility for the incident, blaming extremist groups for infiltrating the demonstration. They also accuse protest leaders of inciting the crowd against security forces.

The army has an official version of "the truth" to protect. The behavior described below also proves the so called "anti-discrimination" decree issued by the military is not worth the paper it is printed on.

If it were, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces would have to arrest itself. "Egypt Randomly Arresting Copts for Maspero Massacre," by Mary Abdelmassih for the Assyrian International News Agency, November 5:

(AINA) -- Egypt's Military Prosecutor decided on November 3 to continue the detention of 34 Coptic Christians for another 15 days, pending investigations on charges of inciting violence, carrying arms and insulting the armed forces during the October 9 Maspero Massacre, which claimed the lives of 27 Christians and injured 329 (AINA 10-10-2011).

The court session was attended by more than twenty defense lawyers. The case was adjourned to November 18.

According to defense lawyers, most of the detainees were arrested after October 9, and some were not even at the Maspero protest and were just collected from the streets for "being a Christian." Three of them were teens under 16 years old and another had an operation to extract a bullet from his jaw and was chained to his bed in hospital, according to defense lawyer Ibrahim Edward. "After the operation he was sent straight to prison where he cannot eat without feeding tubes, so he lives on juices."

Prominent activist Alaa Abdel-Fatah, who criticized the army for the Maspero Massacre, was arrested on October 30, charged with inciting violence, seizing military equipment, and vandalizing military property. He refused to answer questions from the military prosecutors "in a case where the military is accused of committing a massacre when their APCs ran over peaceful protesters in front of Maspero on Oct. 9," said his lawyer Ahmed Seif Al-Islam, former director of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center.

Abdel-Fatah also played a big role in convincing the families of the Maspero Coptic victims to agree to have the bodies of their relatives autopsied in order to have proof that the military caused their death.

Two days ago, Mikhail Naguib, a Copt, was arrested at his home by the military and accused of stealing a machine gun and using it to kill Copts in Maspero on October 9.

The military prosecutors claimed that the gun, a type used by the army, was stolen from one of the APCs at Maspero. The army said that a taxi driver who brought Naguib on that night from Maspero to his home in the run-down area of Sharabia witnessed that he had a gun bundled in a plastic bag with him.

In an interview aired on the "The Way" Christian TV, Michael's father said the army and police found nothing at home and that they beat his son and took him away in his underwear.

Dr. Naguib Gabriel, head of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organization, said that this latest arrest and these extremely serious accusations raises questions about the intentions of the army. He wondered about the evidence the military has regarding these charges, and whether with this arrest the real culprits will not be brought to justice.

Families of detainees appeared in an interview with Coptic Channel CTV and told how their sons and husbands were arrested.

Ms. Magda, mother of Mina Talaat, said that her son did not attend the Maspero protest but was arrested after the violence at 20:30 in one of the roads leading to Maspero. "Mina was stopped by a soldier, who called a group of 20 people to come quickly, as he had found a Christian. The group beat Mina with short leather batons until his jaw was broken and he had to hold it back with his hand. He also had wounds in the head requiring 12 stitches."

Mina told his mother on her first visit that he hid under an armoured personnel carrier but was dragged out and taken to a room on the third floor of the TV building, together with other Copts, and they were beaten until 8 AM. He was then taken to el-Kobah Military Hospital where he was chained to his bed. She said that Mina had a large tattoo of the Virgin Mary on his arm and "the soldier was so angry about that he wanted to shoot him."

Ms. Mariam, wife of Mr. Amin Mouneer Ayad, who was at work and was dropped off by his company's bus near Maspero after 22:00, said that a soldier asked her husband if he was a Christian and saw the tattooed cross on his wrist, then took him away to a room all covered in blood. After taking his money and cell phone, the soldiers beat him until he lost consciousness. "I did not recognize him at hospital," said his wife. "His eyes were so swollen that when he cried no tears were flowing."

The Al-Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture said on its Facebook page that Mr. Amthal Mahmoud Abdel-Fattah, a Muslim arrested at Maspero by the military, was said by his mother to be mentally handicapped. Military prosecutors transferred him to Abbassiya mental hospital, which decided to keep him "until he comes back to his senses," as per the hospital report.

"To arrest the victims and not the assailants shows the extent of persecution and humiliation the Copts are experiencing," said Medhat Kelada, head of the Union of Coptic Organizations in Europe. "If there is any justice, the military prosecution should instead investigate the crimes committed by the military police."

A list of suspects to be questioned by the military prosecutors with regards to the Maspero violence was published by the media, which included clergy, in addition to political movements like the Maspero Coptic Youth Union, Copts Without Borders and April 6. It also included the deceased Coptic protester Mina Danial, known from the January 25 Tahrir protests, who died in the Maspero Massacre from gun shots.

Father Filopateer was interrogated by the prosecution on October 26 and he completely refused to cooperate with the military investigation because he is a civilian and because it is biased and is part of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), with whom "…we are direct opponents in this case. I accused the SCAF, Field Marshal Tantawi and Brigadier Badeen, head of military police of being directly responsible for the Maspero Massacre." He said that the SCAF was fishing for incriminating evidence.

Father Mattias Nasr went to the military prosecutor on October 20. He said that he did not expect to be accused, wondering how can a victim become a culprit? He described the investigations as a sort counterbalance to what was unveiled in the conference held on October 20 by the Maspero Coptic Youth Union. The conference accused the military of murdering the demonstrators through video footage and witnesses.

Right groups have criticized the ongoing arrests, denounced military trials for civilians and called for the transfer of the investigation of the case from military to civilian prosecutors.

Joe Stork, Deputy Middle East director of Human Rights Watch, said "The military cannot investigate itself with any credibility. This had been an essentially peaceful protest until the military used excessive force and military vehicles ran over protesters. The only hope for justice for the victims is an independent civilian-led investigation that the army fully cooperates with and cannot control and that leads to the prosecution of those responsible."

"They are arresting Christians and levying accusation at them, most of which are really absurd, in an attempt to implicate them in the killings," says activist Mark Ebeid, who attended the Maspero protest. "The Junta is trying to justify the impossible, which is putting the blame on someone else. We all witnessed the killings with our own eyes on that bloody Sunday."

Earlier we saw that Egypt’s Grand Mufti, Ali Gomaa, the nation’s second highest religious authority, categorized all Christians as “infidels” – a word that is much more complicated, and more damning, than the usual and casual translation of “non-believer.” We also saw that some Western apologists are in the habit of praising Gomaa as a “moderate.” As incongruous as that may seem, when one hears what other Muslim leaders have to say about “Christian infidels,” one may indeed see Gomaa as a “moderate,” relatively speaking.

Enter Sheikh Yassir al-Birhani, Vice President of the Salafi Summons in Alexandria, Egypt, and a regular fixture on religious programs, including on Al Jazeera. Consider his remarks in an interview on Al Rahma (“Mercy”) Channel regarding the Maspero massacre, when the military mowed down Christians protesting the latest destruction of a church in Edfu.

“Al-Birhani: ‘Copts are infidels by witness of the Quran; shall we apologize for the Quran to please them? Allah’s curse on them,’” by Amani Musa for Free Christian Voice, October 13:

Sheikh Yassir al-Birhani said, commenting on the Edfu church attack and the events leading to Maspero: “Copts created the sectarian strife, claiming that Muslims destroyed a church,” adding “the building that was burned and destroyed had no papers or permits.”

“Christians are infidels by Allah as shown by the Quran: shall we apologize for the Quran, and distort its contents, to please them?”...

Al-Birhani concluded his conversation on Rahma Channel by quoting several Quranic verses demonstrating that Copts [Christians] are infidels.

On Hudson NY (via RaymondIbrahim.com) I compiled the latest evidence concerning the Maspero Massacre (links in original):

Western media coverage of the recent massacre of Coptic Christians in Cairo, Egypt—in which the military killed dozens of Christians and injured some 300—was, as discussed earlier, deplorable. It merely repeated the false propaganda of the complicit state-run media, without checking facts. Since then, further proofs of the lies and brutality surrounding the massacre have emerged; they are compiled in the following report which consists of facts and videos from Arabic sources—many of which have not appeared in the Western media.

This report documents: 1) the activities of the Supreme Military Council of Egypt and de facto ruler; 2) the lies and duplicitous tactics of both the Military Council and its media mouthpiece, Egyptian TV; and 3) the anti-Christian sentiment pervading all aspects of this incident.

The Egyptian Military

Along with a new report by Magdi Khalil asserting that the day before the planned march, a "death squad" of snipers hid atop buildings and shot at protesters, armored vehicles intentionally chased after and ran over protesters, killing and mutilating many:

Here is perhaps the clearest video; it shows a high-speed armored vehicle willfully plowing over unsuspecting Christian demonstrators.

This video shows another armored vehicle chasing protesters, and a soldier opening fire into the fleeing crowds.

This video shows high-speed armored cars running amok in the middle of the crowds, including chasing protesters on the curb, as well as soldiers beating protesters.

As for eyewitness testimonies attesting to the brutality of the massacre, they are many, and include Muslims.

The Tactics of the Military Council ( or "War is Deceit")

After the incident and notwithstanding crushing evidence, Egypt's Military Council held a news conference wherein senior official, Mahmoud Hegazy, spun lie after lie: he stated that the military would "never, never" run over civilians; that the very idea was "impossible, impossible!" and "Shame on those who accuse the Egyptian military of such things!... Never has our military run over a single person, not even when combating the Enemy [Israel]."...

On PJ Media (via RaymondIbrahim.com), I discuss how the same "doctrinal" word Egypt's Grand Mufti used to classify Christians -- infidel -- is the same word Egyptian soldiers used when they opened fire on and ran armored-vehicles over Christian Copts, showing, yet again, the connection between doctrine and deeds in Islam:

To what extent was Egypt's Maspero massacre, wherein the military literally mowed down Christian Copts protesting the ongoing destruction of their churches, a product of anti-Christian sentiment?

A video of Egypt's Grand Mufti, Sheikh Ali Gomaa (or Gom'a), which began circulating weeks before the massacre, helps elucidate. While holding that Muslims may coexist with Christians (who, as dhimmis, have rights), Gomaa categorized Christians as kuffar — "infidels" — a word that connotes "enemies," "evil-doers," and every bad thing to Muslim ears.

After quoting Quran 5:17, "Infidels are those who declare God is the Christ, [Jesus] son of Mary," he expounded by saying any association between a human and God (in Arabic, shirk) is the greatest sin: "Whoever thinks the Christ is God, or the Son of God, not symbolically — for we are all sons of God — but attributively, has rejected the faith which God requires for salvation," thereby becoming an infidel.

Gomaa then offered a hypothetical dialogue between Christians and Muslims to illustrate Islam's proper position:

Christians: You have the wrong idea about us; we don't worship the Christ.

Muslims: Okay, fine; we were under the wrong impression — but, by the way: "Infidels are those who declare God is the Christ, son of Mary."

Christians: But these are philosophical matters that we are unable to explain.

Muslims: Okay, fine; God is one—but, by the way: "Infidels are those who declare God is the Christ, son of Mary."

As a graduate of and long-time professor at Al Azhar university and Grand Mufti of Egypt (a position second in authority only to Sheikh Al Azhar), Ali Gomaa represents mainstream Islam's — not "radical Islam's" or "Islamism's" — position concerning the "other," in this case, Christians. Regardless, many in the West hail him as a "moderate" — such as this U.S. News article titled "Finding the Voices of Moderate Islam"; Lawrence Wright describes him as "a highly promoted champion of moderate Islam"...

Everyone knew it, but no one spoke up, because they were afraid. Islamic Tolerance Alert: "Coptic Christian Student Murdered By Classmates for Wearing a Cross," from AINA, October 30 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

In mid-October Egyptian media published news of an altercation between Muslim and Christian students over a classroom seat at a school in Mallawi, Minya province. The altercation lead to the murder of a Christian student. The media portrayed the incident as non-sectarian. However, Copts Without Borders, a Coptic news website, refuted this version and was first to report that the Christian student was murdered because he was wearing a crucifix.

"We wanted to believe the official version," said activist Mark Ebeid, "because the Coptic version was a catastrophe, as it would take persecution of Christians also to schools." He blamed the church in Mallawi for keeping quiet about the incident.

Today the parents of the 17-year-old Christian student Ayman Nabil Labib, broke their silence, confirming that their son was murdered on October 16, in "cold blood because he refused to take off his crucifix as ordered by his Muslim teacher." Nabil Labib, the father, said in a taped video interview with Copts United NGO, that his son had a cross tattooed on his wrist as per Coptic tradition, as well as another cross which he wore under his clothes.

Both parents confirmed that Ayman's classmates, who were present during the assault and whom they met at the hospital and during the funeral, said that while Ayman was in the classroom he was told to cover up his tattooed wrist cross. He refused and defiantly got out the second cross which he wore under his shirt. "The teacher nearly chocked by son and some Muslim students joined in the beating," said his mother.

According to Ayman's father, eyewitnesses told him that his son was not beaten up in the school yard as per the official story, but in the classroom. "They beat my son so much in the classroom that he fled to the lavatory on the ground floor, but they followed him and continued their assault. When one of the supervisors took him to his room, Ayman was still breathing. The ambulance transported him from there dead, one hour later."

Prosecution arrested and detained two Muslim students, Mostapha Essam and Walid Mostafa Sayed, pending investigations in the murder case.

The father said that everyone in Mallawi knew how the event took place, but not one of the students' parents was prepared to let their children come forward and give a statement to the police. "They are afraid of the school administration, which has lots of ways to harass the students, as well as being afraid of the families of the two Muslim killers."

"I insist that the Arabic teacher, the headmaster, and the supervisors should be charged as well as the two students who committed the crime," said Nabil. "The Arabic language teacher incited the students to attack my son, the headmaster who would not go to the classroom to see what is going on there when alerted to the beatings, but rather said to be left alone and continued sipping his tea, and the supervisors who failed in their supervising duties."

Prosecution has three witnesses, two men working at school who named the assailants and one student who wanted to retract his statement, but was refused."

"The evidence is under lock and key. Everyone is hiding the evidence. We will know the truth after forensic medicine has finished the report next week," said Nabil, adding that the head of detectives on the case tried to influence the witnesses, claiming that the murder took place as a result of friction between students."

Watch this one-minute video and see an armored-vehicle literally run over a handful of Christians for protesting the constant destruction of their churches in Egypt, at the recent Maspero Massacre. Such vehicles were made possible by U.S. military aid, supposedly for the protection of Egyptian "citizens." But apparently the military -- hailed by the Western media as the "savior" of Egypt for ousting Mubarak -- does not see the nation's Christian minorities as "citizens," but dhimmis who have no right to protest -- unsurprisingly so, considering the military, even in Egypt's early black-and-white movies, was known as al-Jihadiyya -- "the wagerer of jihad."

The cover-up of the October 9 massacre is well underway. It was reported on October 13 that the Egyptian military was taking over the investigation of its own massacre of Coptic protesters, which was aided by incitement from state television, from the civilian prosecutor.

Below are additional developments, as the "Arab Spring" progresses into an Islamic supremacist winter across North Africa. "Group warns of cover-up in Egypt Christian deaths," from the Associated Press, October 25:

CAIRO (AP) — A leading international rights group has warned of a cover-up by the Egyptian military in the investigation of the killing of more than two dozen mostly Coptic Christian demonstrators in the deadliest single incident since the February overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.

The New-York based Human Rights Watch called Tuesday for the independent investigation of the October 9 deaths of 27 people, mostly Christian, in front of Cairo's state TV building in the Maspero district along the Nile. Military vehicles were filmed running down protesters.

The group also urged authorities to transfer investigation of the case from military to civilian prosecutors.

"The only hope for justice for the victims is an independent, civilian-led investigation that the army fully cooperates with and cannot control and that leads to the prosecution of those responsible," the HRW said in a statement.

Egypt's military council composed of top army generals took power on Feb. 11 when Hosni Mubarak stepped down, ending the country's 18-day mass uprising. The generals have pledged to eventually yield power to an elected civilian government.

However, activists charge that the military during its time in power has cracked down on discontent in a manner reminiscent of Mubarak. The generals have urged an end to street protests and seem particularly sensitive to any criticism of the army.

The generals have portrayed the October 9 protest and the ensuing bloodshed as the work of provocateurs, thereby shielding the soldiers present from any blame.

Did "provocateurs" plow armored personnel carriers into the crowd?

The HRW statement reflects fears by activists that an army-controlled investigation may simply back up the official story, and may even seek to make scapegoats of some of the protesters.

Some 28 people were arrested in the aftermath of the killings. Most of the names are of Christians. There have been no reports so far of arrests of soldiers involved in the incident.

"The generals seem to be insisting that they and only they investigate the Maspero violence, which is to ensure that no serious investigation occurs," said HRW spokesman Joe Stork. "The military has already tried to control the media narrative, and it should not be allowed to cover up what happened on October 9."

Egypt's newspapers, many of them state-run, have been willing participants.

The group also urged an investigation into whether the military manipulated the media and the state television coverage on Oct. 9 which "may have amounted to incitement to violence."

As protesters marched towards the TV building, state television called on viewers to rush to the army's rescue, casting the Christians as a mob seeking to undermine unity between the people and the military.

Egypt's military rulers have signalled since the killings that they might move to address some long-standing Christian grievances.

That includes a decree purported to criminalize discrimination. It appears to talk a good game, but there are many unanswered questions about its actual enforcement.

On Monday, the state media reported, the head of the ruling military council Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi met with Pope Shenouda III and promised to resolve issues related to the construction of churches. Attacks on a newly-repaired church in southern Egypt sparked the Christian protests which turned deadly on Oct. 9.

A pre-20th century law forbids Christians, who are estimated to number 10 percent of the population, from building or repairing churches without receiving special permission from Egypt's rulers.

That is not just some old law from a century or so ago. It is Sharia, which forbids the construction of new churches or the repair of old ones. Sharia is the basis of legislation in Egypt according to Article 2 of the current constitution, and is certain not to budge from the next one.

This law lies at the root of much tension between the military and Christians, with Egyptian presidents from the 1960s on carefully rationing church-building licenses to gain leverage with the Coptic church.

The Egyptian cabinet said it will issue a new law to regulate construction of churches, a move that would risk antagonizing some conservative Muslims.

That is because the current rule is Sharia, with some allowances for political expediency. The post-revolutionary government has already proposed a law that would be a useless exercise in window-dressing with regard to the construction of churches, and would only serve to restructure the biased bureaucracy standing between Christians and the churches they would build.

But even as they make this overture to the church, Tantawi and his fellow officers have avoided shouldering any blame for the bloodshed of Oct. 9.

Any nation that considers itself civilized should hold Egypt accountable.

Egypt's state television broadcaster has admitted that reports of casualties among soldiers, which were used to incite Muslims against Christians, were false. Egyptian newspapers, several of which are state-run, have also done their part to circulate anti-Coptic fiction.

Can they keep their stories straight? "Egypt's Editorial Pages Now Blame Christians for the Maspero Massacre," by Ahmed Zaki Osman for Al Masry Al Youm, October 17:

A week after a Maspero protest turned deadly when the army crushed a Coptic demonstration, local papers are taking a tone that suggests the nation's military rulers are not to blame.

Most of Monday's papers accuse various actors for the bloodshed that left at least 27 civilians dead and hundreds injured on 9 October. Surprisingly, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's cabinet doesn't get the biggest share for blame although he was a primary target for criticism following the events. State-sponsored media was also heavily criticized, but now local media is finding another scapegoat. Coptic religious leaders, clergy and intellectuals are responsible not only for the Maspero violence but also for threatening national unity, according to several papers.

The head of the Journalists Syndicate, Makram Mohamed Ahmed, argues in his column in state-run paper Al-Ahram that some Coptic intellectuals and public figures are launching a campaign accusing military rulers of committing genocide against Copts. Ahmed claims that this campaign is misleading and will harm the Egyptian state, going on to say that the army has never been a racist one that targets its own people.

The whole incident is merely a mismanagement of a crisis that paved the way for infiltrators to dominate the scene and push for escalation, he writes. In adopting the state narrative of blaming protesters and absolving the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Ahmed argues that the solution for sectarian strife is easy: enable Copts to build their own churches without administrative restrictions.

That would be great.

Emad Hussein, in his weekly column in the privately owned Al-Shorouk, directs his anger toward two Coptic priests, Flobataire and Naguib Gobraiel, a lawyer for the Coptic Church, accusing them of threatening the unity of the country.

Hussein alleges Flobataire's father urged people to break into the state TV building. Such statements are, according to Hussein, alarming and should be referred to court. Hussein also claims Gobraiel said Copts should hold a permanent sit-in if the SCAF doesn't respond to their demands within a week.

But he doesn't stop there, Hussein accuses the head of the Coptic Church, Pope Shenouda III, of devising a complicated strategy in which Coptic leaders play various roles. Shenouda's strategy allegedly involves him rejecting foreign interference while Coptic intellectuals close to the pope call for it, according to Hussein.

In leftist party paper Al-Wafd, Mostafa Abdel Razek argues that the root of the Maspero crisis can be easily traced back to statements made by Coptic clergy during the march.

In an article written as a message to Pope Shenouda III, Abdel Razek alleges that one priest was threatening national unity. Abdel Razek quotes him as calling for the killing of Aswan's governor, who some accuse of igniting the violence by seemingly defending an Upper Egypt church attack when he said it was constructed illegally.

Abdel Razek alleges that the same priest was speaking in an inappropriate way about Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt's ruling military council, whom we should respect, according to the writer.

Salama Ahmed Salama, editor-in-chief of the privately owned Al-Shorouk, gives a different account, saying that the whole atmosphere is sectarian. Salama blames Salafi forces and some imams of inciting violence with their discriminatory and sectarian tones.

Rather than pointing fingers, Mohamed Barakat focuses on solutions. He writes in the state-run Al-Akhbar that an SCAF-issued law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of religion, gender, language or ideology would help combat sectarianism. Barakat also writes that expediting the long-awaited law regulating places of worship would also help ease sectarian tension.

More on potential problems with the anti-discrimination law which the military has just issued can be found here, and more on those concerning the law on "places of worship" can be found here. They do not appear to be meaningful, substantive solutions.

In the same paper, Mohamed Ali Kheir opposes such arguments, questioning the ways in which laws are being issued during Egypt's transitional period.

According to Kheir, the anti-discrimination law was issued very quickly without being subject to public discussion and therefore does not reflect the will of the people. The SCAF's approach demonstrates that it wants only to ease the problem rather than find a permanent solution, he says.

Egypt's papers:
Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt
Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size
Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run
Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
Youm7: Daily, privately owned
Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned
Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Arab Nasserist party

As the army plowed armored personnel carriers into the crowd of protesters, state television worked to incite Muslims to "protect the army" from the Christians, and mobs of Muslims took to the streets to attack anyone they suspected of being a Christian. The abuse was compounded even in death as death certificates were falsified with causes of death such as "cardiac arrest caused by fear."

Future aid to Egypt should be in jeopardy over the massacre and over these developments. Rewarding Egypt through inaction invites more of the same behavior. "Egypt state television admits to making up news over soldiers’ deaths," by Manar Ammar for Bikya Masr, October 15:

CAIRO: Egypt’s state television announced on Monday that there are no deaths among the military forces after previously reporting there were during the bloody Sunday clashes between the military and Coptic protesters, saying that it was the fault of the news presenter.

State TV, also known as Maspero, is under fire from rights activists for falsely reporting that the Coptic protesters attacked the military forces with weapons, which resulted in the death of at least three soldiers and the called on the Egyptian people to take to the street to help protect the armed forces.

"War is deceit."

The news, when reported on Sunday evening, agitated many Muslims, who took up arms and went to the streets of downtown, clashing with protesters, both Muslims and Coptic Christians, injuring dozens in the worst sectarian violence since the fall of ousted President Hosni Muabrak’s regime.

State TV also reported that the protesters were armed and initiated the violence that killed the soldiers, which escalated the bloodshed late on Sunday.

The Copts who were marching and demanding justice for the burning of a house of worship in southern Egypt last week, were shot at by the military upon their arrival at the state TV building by the military.

Videos posted online show armored vehicles running over people, killing and injuring scores of them. Eyewitnesses told Bikyamasr.com at the protest that Copts were “not armed” and the army was “not provoked to attack.”

International media outlets largely reported on Sunday night Cairo what state television was reporting.

That was the idea. They knew it would be picked up in the international press.

The report should make for good fiction, but it will otherwise not be worth the paper it is printed on. "Egypt military takes over inquiry of Coptic unrest," by Aya Batrawi for the Associated Press, October 13:

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's military prosecutor said Thursday his office will take over the investigation into deadly clashes between the army and Coptic Christian protesters, as the military rulers seek to fend off growing criticism over the worst bloodshed since Hosni Mubarak's ouster.

The decision effectively barred the civilian prosecutor from continuing his own inquiry and drew criticism from activists and rights groups who have grown deeply suspicious of the ruling generals' commitment to the reform path in Egypt's post-Mubarak transition to democracy.

The clashes on Sunday night and into Monday morning began with a peaceful demonstration in downtown Cairo by minority Christians angry over a recent attack on a church in southern Egypt. Witnesses said the protesters were attacked by crowds hurling stones and clashed with military units guarding the nearby state television building along the Nile.

Many of the 26 people killed — at least 21 of whom were Christians — were crushed by armored military vehicles that sped through crowds of protesters. Other victims had gunshot wounds.

In a news conference Wednesday, generals from the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces blamed Christian protesters for the violence and denied firing on them, claiming the soldiers' weapons did not even have live ammunition.

The military's decision Thursday to take full control of the investigation was more evidence, activists said, that the generals are seeking to push their version of events and prevent a further deterioration in their public standing since assuming control of the country after Mubarak's ouster in February.

The clashes marked the bloodiest confrontation between the military and citizens since the uprising.

Military officials said the army wants to conduct the investigation on its own and in private due to the sensitivity of the clashes, to preserve troop morale and because soldiers were killed. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

State media reported that three soldiers were killed in the clashes, though the military is refusing to give a precise number.

Activists criticized the military's takeover of the probe and said it would not be impartial.

"The military also does not do transparent investigations; it is simply run by orders," said Mohamed Zaree of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights.

He said it could also result in civilians being arrested and brought to trial in military courts, an issue that has been a major complaint of Egypt's activists in the transition period.

Khaled Ali, a human rights lawyer who successfully campaigned for autopsies to be performed on the victims, called on the prosecutor general to reveal the details of his investigation thus far.

"We will not give up on holding them accountable," he said, referring to the military.

Video of military vehicles plowing through crowds of protesters deepened the rift between the military rulers and activists who do not believe military chief Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who was Mubarak's defense minister, is serious about reform.

Activists and rights groups countered the military version of events, presenting witness accounts and videos at their own news conference on Thursday. They accused security forces of attacking peaceful protesters who were demanding greater state protection of churches.

Coptic Christians, who represent about 10 percent of Egypt's 85 million, say they are treated like second-class citizens and repeated attacks on them go unpunished. Christians have felt increasingly vulnerable since Mubarak's ouster.

The autopsy report found that at least seven of those killed died of single gunshot wounds.

Some of the death certficates were also reported to be falsified, with causes of death such as "cardiac arrest caused by fear."

Witnesses said at least four vehicles chased protesters on the street and on sidewalks with the intent to run them over, in contrast with the military's contention that it was "not in the dictionary of the armed forces to run over people."...

They are no longer just looking the other way from freelance Islamic supremacists. This time, they not only did not give a damn about the slaughter, they played the lead role, on the ground against the protesters, and in the state media. "Catholic leader in Egypt says government 'doesn't give a damn'," by John L. Allen, Jr. for the National Catholic Reporter, October 10 (thanks to Alexandre):

Egypt’s caretaker military government “doesn’t give a damn” about the suffering of the country’s Christian minority, according to a spokesperson for the Greek Melkite Catholic church in Egypt, who says local Christians are calling upon the administration of Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to resign.

Fr. Rafic Greiche made the remarks Monday (Oct. 10) in an English-language interview with Vatican Radio.

Greiche said the violence that erupted yesterday in the Maspero section of Cairo, where Christians had gathered to protest a church burning in Aswan on Sept. 30, marks the most serious outbreak since the resignation of former President Hosni Mubarak, but it’s hardly the first such episode.

“This is the third time after the revolution, in the space of nine months” that Christians have been targeted, Greiche said.

According to media reports, the violence in Cairo yesterday produced somewhere between 25 and 35 deaths and left hundreds more injured. Most of the fatalities apparently came after the Egyptian army opted to use force to suppress the protests.

The news media worked to incite Muslims to "protect the army" against Christians, and mobs of Muslims took to the streets to attack anyone they suspected of being a Christian.

Greiche said the army’s role marks a significant deterioration in the security situation for the Christian minority in Egypt, which is conventionally estimated at ten percent of the population.

“At the time of the old regime, of Mubarak, there were also churches being burned and so on,” he said, “but the security services always used to take care of us. Now, even the government does not give a damn about what is happening.”

Greiche outlined three demands that Egyptian Christians are presenting to the country’s interim authorities, ahead of national elections scheduled for late November.

“First of all, the government of [Prime Minister Essam Sharaf] has to leave,” he said.

In remarks to the Egyptian media, Sharaf reportedly blamed Sunday’s violence on “invisible hands” seeking to divide the country. Many Egyptian Christians see that as a deflection of responsibility, reminiscent of the Mubarak era when Muslim-Christian tensions were routinely blamed on outside agitators rather than the product of legitimate Christian grievances.

Grieche also pointed to two religious freedom demands.

“The second thing is that the law permitting the construction of churches and mosques has to be implemented. It was promised by this government four months ago, and it has not been done. The law has to be implemented at all levels,” he said.

A law with meaningful protections, and not one that just reshuffles the deck, but still stacks it against Christians, as was proposed earlier this year.

“Third, we are asking for another law, one against discrimination. In Egypt, there is discrimination between Muslims and Christians. We ask that such a law be implemented for at least ten years, until society gets used to not discriminating against one another.”

It would take longer than that, and for best results, would need to be included in the constitution in very specific language. That, however, would come into conflict with the implementation of Sharia, which is the source of legislation in Egypt according to Article 2 of the current constitution, and is not expected to be removed from any future one.

Earlier today on Hudson NY (via RaymondIbrahim.com) I discussed the Egyptian military's recent massacre of Christian civilians and the mainstream media's attempts to portray it as "sectarian strife":

Sunday, the Egyptian military opened fire on thousands of Christians protesting in Maspero, Cairo. In the words of one Christian eyewitness, armored vehicles "came at great speed and drove into the crowds, going backwards and forwards, mowing people under their wheels. The most horrible scene was when one of the vehicles ran over a Copt's [Christian's] head, causing his brain to explode and blood was all over the place. We got a clear message today that we are no first class citizens."

Various numbers of casualties have been given; AINA asserts that at least 35 Christians were massacred, many beyond recognition, and over 300 wounded; hundreds are still missing. Graphic pictures of some of the slain can be seen here.

Of course, you would not know any of this following the Western mainstream media (MSM). Conditioned to always appear "fair and balanced"—especially when the incidents being reported are neither—the MSM is giving the impression that the conflict consisted of equal violence and intolerance from both the military and "militant" Christians—or, to use the MSM's favorite, and increasingly meaningless, euphemism, "sectarian strife," conjuring up images of equally armed, equally militant factions fighting for supremacy.

Meanwhile, the MSM avoids the most obvious aspect of the conflict: religion, as Muslims—yet again—mow down infidel minorities for all to see...

True to form, Egypt's military regime has been busily playing up "foreign hands" and "agents," playing to already rampant public paranoia (often laced with antisemitism) to manipulate the population. Note also that the Muslim Brotherhood is using the occasion to agitate for expedited elections, which will only benefit them by denying newer groups the time to organize and campaign.

More on this story. "Inside Cairo's Riots: The Egyptian Junta's True Colors," by Rania Abouzeid for Time, October 10:

The dead were buried on Monday, more than two dozen Christian Egyptian protesters mowed down by their own military, an army that had won praise back in February for refusing to turn its weapons on demonstrators. After Sunday night's violence, which left 24 dead and more than 270 wounded, according to the Egyptian Health Ministry, the Arab Spring seems a long time ago. A military council led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi is now in charge of Egypt, and it is resurrecting many of the tactics of deposed President Hosni Mubarak to instill fear and keep the citizenry in line, like using state TV to spread sectarian suspicion and conspiratorial talk of "foreign hands" sowing internal discord.

Sunday's march in Cairo by Coptic Christians — with a fair smattering of sympathetic Muslim participation as well — started out as a peaceful protest against the recent burning of a church by ultraconservative Muslims and the perceived lackadaisical response by the ruling military junta to a spate of anti-Christian attacks since Mubarak's ouster. Events rapidly devolved into chaos, with live ammunition fired, clouds of tear gas released and protesters crushed and killed by military vehicles that reportedly rammed into them. Some protesters responded by throwing rocks.

State TV had another narrative: a violent mob of Christians sparked the melee by attacking the military, killing several soldiers. Breathless anchors urged "honorable" citizens to head down along the Nile to the national media building at Maspero to help soldiers defend themselves and public property. The clashes reignited on Monday, when Christians pelted security forces with rocks outside the Cairo hospital where the bodies of victims were taken the previous night. The Coptic church on Monday disputed state TV's claims, saying there was no evidence that Christian protesters shot at soldiers. Church officials called for a three-day fast to protest the events.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Essam el-Erian condemns the violence, telling TIME that this is a critical period for the country, a "time for solidarity, to implement a state of law, and to make reconciliation between all sections of society."

Egypt's Christians, who make up about 10% of the country's 80 million or so people, have watched warily as Salafists and other ultraconservative Muslims, long kept underfoot by Mubarak, have begun exercising their political rights — and influence — in the wake of the February revolution. At 8 million or so, Egypt's Copts are easily one of the biggest Christian communities in the Middle East, but unlike the much smaller Christian population in Lebanon, for example, they lack political muscle. (Lebanon is the only country in the Middle East with a Christian head of state mandated by political consensus.)

It's a trying period for the Middle East's dwindling Christian communities as secular pan-Arab, anti-Islamist regimes fall by the wayside and leave political vacuums in their place. The precedent of Iraq looms large. There were some 800,000 Christians in the country before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein. Since then, hundreds of thousands have fled the war-ravaged state. In majority-Sunni Syria, the minority Christians have largely sided with Bashar Assad's brutal regime in public, fearful of what may follow it, although many prominent Christians are also part of the opposition. "This is a dangerous period, one that will determine in which direction the country is going," says Emad Gad, a Copt and leader of the Egyptian Social Democratic party. "Are we taking the first steps toward creating a real state or are we going toward sectarian conflict and war?"

Sunday's violence in Cairo has significance beyond the country's religious divisions. This is a wider conflict in which Egyptians of all religions are turning against a military regime that just eight months ago was hailed for ensuring a peaceful transfer of power after Mubarak was forced from office. The fruits of Egypt's revolution have yet to be savored by millions who hoped a quick revolution would bring even quicker economic, social and political benefits. The economy has slumped, and the generals — who initially pledged to hand back power to a civilian administration in six months — seem increasingly comfortable at the helm. Their recently announced electoral timetable would keep them in charge until presidential elections in 2013, much to the ire of many. "I don't think we'll have elections at all," Gad says, echoing a sentiment relayed on Twitter and other social media. "I think that the army let the violence happen so that it could cancel the elections and remain in power."

The Brotherhood's el-Erian warns against any delay to the elections. "We cannot move forward without elections," he tells TIME. "We can overcome all of these trials with solidarity and national consensus ... The people are waiting for elections and to have a new system."

Winter is coming:

As the exuberance of Arab Spring becomes a faraway memory in the Middle East, a counterrevolution is gaining ground, exploiting the sectarianism that power brokers in the region have long used to keep their populations at bay. Will Egyptians and other Arabs see through it? Or will they be sucked into its vortex? What happens next on Cairo's streets will be critical.

I tried to tell you. "Why did Egypt's Army violently suppress Christian protesters? (VIDEO)," by Kristen Chick in the Christian Science Monitor, October 10 (thanks to Jonathan):

Cairo -- A deadly attack by the Egyptian Army on a Christian demonstration Sunday evening left as many as 24 dead, and incited sectarian violence that opened a dark new chapter on Egypt’s future.

The attacks by the Army, and the state media coverage of them, appeared to many observers to be a direct attempt to incite fighting between Christians and Muslims in Egypt. They raised sharp questions about the role of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the military council currently ruling Egypt, and its stated intention of guiding Egypt through a transition to democracy. Some say it is provoking the violence as a pretext for staying in power, or at least preserving the privileges and independence of the military.

“Why does the Army and the government kill us?” asked Boula Zakie, tears streaming down his face and onto his black shirt as he sat in the Coptic Hospital and watched his friend being carried past on a stretcher amid the din of wailing. “We feel we are not from this country anymore. I feel this country is going to be Islamic. The Army is the one who shoots the Christian people, and says to the Muslims, ‘here, take your country now.’ And they forget we are the ones who were here first.”

Today on Hudson NY (via RaymondIbrahim.com), I discuss the much overlooked context that led to yesterday's bloodbath in Egypt:

What clearer sign that Egypt is turning rabidly Islamist than the fact that hardly a few weeks go by without a church being destroyed, or without protesting Christians being attacked and slaughtered by the military?

The latest chaos in Egypt—where the military opened fire on unarmed Christians and repeatedly ran armored vehicles over them, killing dozens—originates in Edfu, a onetime tourist destination renowned for its pharaonic antiquities, but now known as the latest region to see a church destroyed by a Muslim mob.

This church attack is itself eye-opening as to the situation in Egypt. To sum, St. George Coptic church, built nearly a century ago, was so dilapidated that the local council and governor of Aswan approved renovating it, and signed off on the design.

It was not long before local Muslims began complaining, making various demands, including that the church be devoid of crosses and bells—even though the permit approved them—citing that "the Cross irritates Muslims and their children."

Coptic leaders had no choice but to acquiesce, "pointing to the fact that the church was rebuilt legally, and any concessions on the part of the church was done for the love for the country, which is passing through a difficult phase."

Acquiescence breeds more demands: Muslim leaders next insisted that the very dome of the church be removed—so that the building might not even resemble a church—and that it be referred to as a "hospitality home." Arguing that removal of the dome would likely collapse the church, the bishop refused.

The foreboding cries of "Allahu Akbar!" began...