The Ministry of Interior has stepped up security measures around churches for fear of riots at the eve of Orthodox Christmas celebrations. A source at the Church justified these measures saying some churches fear that some of their followers may demonstrate against what is happening to the Palestinians in Gaza, adding that churches would be packed with people. The president of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights and Coptic Church lawyer Naguib Gabriel called on Coptic Pope Shenouda III to limit the celebrations to prayers and official delegations' visits. In a statement issued yesterday, Mr. Gabriel called on the Pope – who is famously sympathetic with the Palestinian Cause - not to accept scenes of joy among the faithful while tears flow from Palestinian widows' eyes in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Coptic secularists called on Pope Shenouda III to deliver a speech about Gaza during Christmas Mass, as he is a prominent religious figure in the Middle East. Copt Secularists' coordinator Kamal Zakher said the Pope's speech should be just religious and not political so that people may differentiate between clergymen and politicians. He refused the call on Copts to stop their celebrations in solidarity with Gaza, pointing out that following this direction would lead the Church back to 1981, when it heavily interfered in politics.
