Last Friday's attack on three churches in Alexandria acted as the catalyst for a week of sectarian violence, reports Pierre Loza Emotions reached boiling point at Montazah's Church of Saints last Friday following the announcement by the governor of Alexandria that the man who allegedly attacked three churches that morning, stabbing to death 78-year-old Noshy Dawoud and wounding a further six, was psychologically unbalanced. According to a statement by the Ministry of Interior the attacks were carried out by 22-year-old Mahmoud Abdel-Razeq, who acted alone and travelled between churches using public transport. The statement did little to satisfy the crowds of young Copts who gathered in the grounds of the church on Friday evening amid a heavy security presence. Maqqar Ibrahim, a priest at the Church of Saints, questioned the assumption that the attacker was deranged. "If this person is mentally ill," asked Ibrahim, "why is it that his illness only appears when he enters a church? Why does he specifically target churches?" And how, he continued, "can someone get onto a bus or a tram carrying two knives spattered with blood and go to two more churches in different areas? Someone must have at least driven him around." An eyewitness to the attack in the Church of Saints, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the assailant -- who was carrying a long knife in each hand and chanted Islamist slogans as he ran towards his victims -- could have been stopped. "Only the security did not stand by us. When we told the church guard to stop him, he said he had no orders to do so." And when one of the congregation tried to chase the assailant, the guard threatened to shoot anyone that moved. "As an Egyptian citizen, I feel defeated. All we want is to feel safe in Egypt," said the witness. Dawoud's funeral the following day attracted thousands of Copts, who gathered outside the gates of the Church of Saints carrying banners that read "Minister of health, is there a new illness called killing Copts?" As the demonstrators carried the coffin towards the cemetery, across the Corniche and into the tunnel which leads into 45th Street, rocks and bottles were thrown at the funeral procession. "We wanted the coffin to be taken away quietly by car but the people did not allow that," said Ibrahim. Agricultural engineer Wakeel Sobhi was among those who walked in the funeral procession. "We wanted to raise our voices, to tell the president that we are against terrorism and fanaticism. Our chants were not inflammatory. We shouted things like 'where is the press, the martyr is here'." When the procession reached the Church of Saint Maximus the coffin was placed in a hearse which took it to the cemetery. At that point, says Sobhi, "I was told by one of the protesters that groups of Muslims were attacking the church. About 70 people at the rear of the procession started running towards the church and that is when the clashes started. I tried to stop them but if they hadn't run back and started hurling stones at the attackers the church would probably have been burned." When the security forces arrived they formed a line between Christians, cordoned in front of the church, and groups of young Muslims behind. But because there was little security presence in the side streets mobs went on the rampage. Christian homes and businesses were burned and a mosque in the area was damaged. "At one point I saw some old Muslim men begging a security officer to arrest the rioters who were looting the business of their Christian neighbour, but the officer just said he had no orders to do so," says Sobhi. Only in the evening was calm restored. A day later, as parishioners flocked to Saint Maximus to celebrate Palm Sunday, few expected the day to pass without incident. While the parish priest and deacons had asked worshippers to depart of the service as quickly as possible, the call went unheeded by large groups of young Copts, who stood in the centre of the street in anticipation of possible attacks. They were confronted by groups of Muslims, and everyone appeared to be armed with knives, sticks and rocks. Forty-fifth Street began to look like a mediaeval battle field as the police struggled to control the situation using tear gas and rubber bullets. Sporadic clashes continued as a march organised by the National Democratic Party, comprising 900 Muslims and Christians, approached, chanting national unity slogans as the side streets burned. Following two days of rioting the tensions were palpable, with Alexandria's Christian and Muslim communities hurling accusations. "It's the Christians' fault, it's not their custom to carry the coffin of the deceased and raise the cross, chanting that with their lives and blood they will protect it. They cursed Muslims, and even women started throwing stones at us from their balconies," said one man, who went on to complain that "even if you get into a quarrel with a Christian, the officer, who is a Muslim like you, will insult you and take the Christian's side because he has orders to do so." Similar complaints, though with the roles reversed, were voiced by members of the Christian community. And then there are those, from both sides, who suggest that perhaps the violence was deliberately fanned by the regime as an excuse to maintain emergency laws. Police say that 40 people have been wounded in the rioting, and more than 80 have been detained. One man, a Muslim, was killed.
