Egyptians of all creeds are trying hard to curb the ungainly spectre of sectarian strife, writes Gamal Nkrumah One of the most stirring narratives in Egypt this January has been the sectarian tensions in Upper Egypt. The closing years of the last century saw similar disturbances with fears of apocalyptic religious conflict. This time round, the furore was quickly contained. Safwat El-Sherif, head of the Shura Council, urged newspapermen to "heal the wounds and propagate the culture of amity and unity". Meanwhile, the People's Assembly is deliberating the establishment of a higher council for citizenship to propagate tolerance and curb sectarian incidents. Violence erupted on 6 January, the Coptic Christmas, in the Upper Egyptian city of Nagaa Hammadi and claimed the lives of seven people, mostly Coptic churchgoers celebrating the traditional midnight mass at Mar Guirguis Church, Nagaa Hammadi, 60km north of Luxor. A Muslim security guard was also killed in the attack. Three assailants surrendered to the authorities. Moreover, openness and a determination to stem sectarian strife is gripping local and national bodies. "When we were young, they told us not to wash our dirty linen in public. I don't believe in such hogwash anymore," MP Georgette Qillini told Al-Ahram Weekly. Qillini inspected the site of the violence in Nagaa Hammadi and the neighbouring town of Bahgoura that were set ablaze. Sectarian violence has been brewing for some time in the area. In November, thousands of Muslims took to the streets and demonstrated in protest of the rape of a 12-year-old Muslim peasant girl of the Hawara tribe by a Christian. Sectarian violence increased following the supposed rape of the girl in the commercial hub of northern Qena. The arsonists did more than just setting Bahgoura and Farshout on fire. "Some 38 houses were set afire. And, 36 shops were burnt down. How can we pretend that all is well? The parliamentary report claiming that everything is under control is scandalous," Qillini complained. "Admittedly this takes political maturity. But we need no less than such maturity in fighting sectarian hatred and violence," she added. Qillini herself was under intense fire from MPs who described her as an "agent provocateur". She refutes the charge. "Why are my detractors incensed because I condemn a Coptic Christian official? I am a Copt myself, and I am not accusing him of initiating the violence. But I do blame the Coptic governor for failing to contain the sectarian violence and for pretending that all is well." An increasing number of Copts are demanding the resignation of Egypt's first Coptic Christian governor in three decades, Magdi Ayoub. They claim that he sided with the government and Muslims and that he betrayed his own people. However, Ayoub argues that he is in charge of all the people of Qena and not just the Christians of the governorate. So what is going on? "This is not an isolated incident as some are trying to make us believe. I was part of a fact-finding mission and I saw how angry people are. Copts feel persecuted, insecure and discriminated against." The governor has adamantly defended the government's record. Is he then more Catholic than the Pope so to speak? "We must not be too harsh in our criticism of the governor," MP Ibtisam Habib told the Weekly. "He is, after all, a government appointee. He tries to be fair, a difficult task given the tense situation. We should support him in his efforts to restore peace in Qena. It is important that we encourage more Copts to occupy high-ranking official positions." Habib, who like Qillini is an appointed Coptic Christian MP, emphasised that the principle of citizenship is the first article in the constitution. Habib stressed that special efforts should be made to lessen sectarian tensions. "We must strive to activate the citizenship rights of all Egyptians irrespective of faith or creed. Religious discourse must be characterised by moderation and acceptance of the other. The message of love must emanate from the pulpit in churches and mosques," Habib noted. Sectarian ritual slanging matches should not be allowed. Many Copts complain privately about the tone and tenor of the Muslim Friday sermons in which they argue Christians are habitually harangued. Habib urged the creation of a parliamentary citizenship rights committee to investigate confessional complaints. Habib advocates a more active involvement by civil rights organisations in augmenting the government's efforts to end sectarian strife. She also warned of the pressing need to create an early warning system to monitor areas where sectarian conflict is rife. "Had the authorities and the media contained the individual grievance of the Muslim girl who was allegedly molested by a Christian man, the situation would not have escalated into a communal riot," she explained. "Article 41 of the constitution enjoins Egyptians to full citizenship rights without discrimination. Justice and equality are prerequisite in order to end sectarian strife. Discrimination on religious or gender grounds is unacceptable." Habib made it clear that the visual and print media must play a pivotal role in engendering peaceful co- existence. "Unfortunately in the past the media has tended to exaggerate stories of sectarian conflict. Yellow journalism and sensationalism often lead to dire consequences and aggravate tensions between Christians and Muslims in Egypt. We have a social responsibility to educate the young in particular to love one another as the Bible and the Quran teach." In much the same vein Habib noted that the proliferation of unregistered weapons which she pointed out is widespread in Upper Egypt must be curtailed. "Those found with unregistered weapons must be brought to book and severely punished," she added. "Disbanding private armed groups and turning a blind eye to hooliganism accentuates sectarian strife." The stakes are all the higher because this issue is a severe test to the anti-terrorism laws enforced in Egypt. There are, however, groups in Upper Egypt with a vested interest in being reluctant to get tough with arms dealers and their private armies. Politically, Copts have failed to punch at their true weight especially in Upper Egypt where they constitute a considerable proportion of the population far higher than the national average. A number of Copts are now demanding more involved participation in the decision-making process at both the local and national levels. "There is a pressing need to refocus the religious debate on essentials. Copts are in dire need of exercising their full citizenship rights," urged Youssef Sidhom, editor-in-chief of the Coptic weekly newspaper Watani. "In other countries where such sectarian violence erupts an investigative committee punishes the culprits. The authorities did not have the guts to take similar action. They set up reconciliation councils. Egypt needs a clearer national agreement on how to keep the peace between Christians and Muslims." Sidhom applauded the recently released report by the National Council for Human Rights headed by former United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, himself a Copt, in which recommendations for ending sectarian strife were suggested. The European Parliament was scheduled to look into the Nagaa Hammadi incident today. Egyptian parliamentary speaker Fathi Sorour strongly objected to the interference by the European Union in what he considered to be the domestic affairs of Egypt, a sovereign state. Sectarian violence in Egypt is too little understood to place much weight on outside judgement. "A goodwill gesture to thaw relations between Coptic Christians and Muslims is now sorely needed," Sidhom stressed. (see p.3& Editorial p.12)
