Anger spread across Egypt after fatal church attack (Roundup)

Jan 2, 2011, 15:42 GMT

Alexandria, Egypt - Christians staged demonstrations across Egypt on Sunday in the wake of a bomb blast outside a church in Alexandria that killed 21 people and injured nearly 100.

Angry Christians gathered around the Church of the Saints in Alexandria on Sunday, shortly after a funeral mass was held for Saturday's victims.

Grief and anger filled the church, as many worshippers broke out in tears. Outside, Christians complained the government is not doing enough to protect them.

Hundreds of security forces were deployed in the vicinity, but only Christians among them were allowed to approach the church doors in a bid to calm people down.

After the mass, young male churchgoers stood at the doors and prevented journalists and photographers from going inside.

Shortly after midnight Friday, a suicide bomber detonated his nail-packed bomb outside the Coptic Christian Church of the Saints where hundreds were attending a New Year's Eve service.

Twenty-one people were killed and 97 injured in the blast, according to the latest figures from the Health Ministry.

In southern Egypt, around 2,000 Christians held a two-hour demonstration in Assiut province, condemning President Hosny Mubarak and accusing the government of failing to protect the Christian minority.

Copts, who are preparing to celebrate their Christmas on January 7, account for around 10 per cent of Egypt's population and accuse Egypt authorities of discriminating against them.

Meanwhile, around 150 people gathered in central Cairo to condemn the attack. They chanted slogans stressing national unity, including 'One country, one nation' and 'Long Live the crescent with the cross'.

Dozens of angry Copts attacked the car of Ahmed al-Tayeb, the head of Al-Azhar, the country's highest Islamic authority, after he met with the head of Egypt's Coptic church, Pope Shenouda III, in Cairo to present his condolences.

Al-Tayeb and Pope Shenouda announced an anti-sectarian project that aims at finding solutions to sectarianism and tensions.

'Family House' is a committee made up of both Muslim and Christian scholars, who will meet on weekly basis to discuss any related issues. The project is due to start in the next few weeks.

Authorities had tightened security around churches across Egypt Sunday. Checkpoints were set up at all provinces and drivers were prevented from parking near churches.

State media reported that hundreds of suspects were detained in the south of the country, without giving further details.

Education Minister Ahmed Zaki Badr instructed schools and universities to hold a minute's silence for the victims on Sunday.

School teachers were told to talk about national unity and convey the government's stance that church bombing was 'a terrorist attack and not sectarian'.

On Saturday, the government blamed 'foreign elements' for the attack, saying the country rather than its Christian minority was targeted. Mubarak vowed to track down those responsible and 'cut off the hands of the terrorists.'

The Islamic State of Iraq, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda, recently warned that Christians throughout the Middle East are legitimate targets.

The group called for the 'release' of two Egyptian women, whom they alleged had converted to Islam but were being forcibly held by the Coptic Church in Egypt.

The two women, Camilia Shehata and Wafa Constantine, are the wives of priests. Confusion over their disappearance and return days later has led to protests by some of Egypt's minority Christian population, who claimed the women had been kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam.

Meanwhile, Muslim protestors claimed that the church is holding the women against their own will for converting to Islam.

Although violence between Christians and Muslims is rare in Egypt, tensions have been high since an attack on a church in the south of the country about a year ago. Gunmen opened fire on parishioners leaving the church, killing eight Christians and a Muslim policeman who had been guarding the church.

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