Sectarian clashes in Alexandria sound an alarm it is perilous to ignore, writes Ibrahim Nafie What has happened to Egyptians, to both Muslims and Copts? What has changed the nature of relations between them to the extent that clashes have become frequent? I see my countrymen agitated and it is worrying. Egypt's recent history has been marred by a number of violent incidents, some attacks by terrorist groups that basically make no distinction among Egyptians, others clearly sectarian in nature, targeting Copts. Some of these incidents started out as commonplace disputes that soon assumed a sectarian dimension while others were triggered by nothing more than rumour. In terms of the nature of the incident and the public reaction, what happened in Alexandria is more dangerous than anything we have seen so far. The incident began with attacks on worshippers in three churches. One person, according to the official story, or more than one, according to Coptic accounts, went into the churches and stabbed worshippers, killing one and wounding six. The security services have reacted hastily, issuing a statement that the perpetrator was deranged. The speed of this disclosure was discomforting, and the veracity of the official account has been questioned by many. And while the police continue to insist the perpetrator was mentally unbalanced no corroborating statements have been made by the medical authorities who have examined the man. What is particularly worrying was that the initial attack was followed by clashes unprecedented in Egypt. Never before have such wide scale sectarian skirmishes broken out in this country. Which is why I have been left wondering exactly what it is that has happened to my countrymen. Clearly, the whole atmosphere of society has changed and it is no longer good enough simply to reiterate the usual peons to national unity and cohesion. The cohesion to which we were once accustomed is clearly threatened, and the new generations seem no longer to care at all about social cohesion and national unity. The events in Alexandria serve as a wakeup call. They tell us, in no uncertain terms, that there has been a fundamental shift in the dynamics governing Muslim-Coptic relations in Egypt. A long history of trust is under threat. It has somehow been eroded while we were looking away. I thought long and hard about the clashes that took place in Alexandria, musing on what it could be that drove a young Egyptian man to the point where he thought it permissible to attack his fellow citizens as they went peacefully about their worship. For the longest time we assumed that Egypt was above such discord. What happened in Alexandria has shown that we cannot be blasé in such assumptions. The sectarianism that has torn other nations apart is alive, and it is in our midst. The danger is now apparent and the social fabric of our nation is under threat. I suggest that the state act in earnest, and begin to tackle the roots, not the symptoms, of the problem. The government must revise educational curricula and examine the performance of the media. It must scrutinise religious discourse, both Muslim and Coptic, expunging anything that smacks of bigotry and bias, and replace them with healthier notions. The government must also be seen to be addressing the country's many problems, and at least draw up a timetable for solving the dilemmas we currently face. I don't believe that sectarian conflicts are divorced from other conflicts that afflict society, though this does not mean that we can shove sectarian issues aside until we have dealt with everything else, not when the peace and security of our country are at stake. We still have a store of goodwill to build on, and we must do so before it is too late. National cohesion is the foundation of all progress. Without it the future is grim.
