Rafah Crossing 'never been closed for one day' from Egypt: PM    Egypt will keep pushing for Gaza peace, aid: PM    Remittances from Egyptians abroad surge 70% YoY in July–May: CBE    Sudan's ambassador to Egypt holds reconstruction talks on with Arab League    Egypt's current account gap narrows, but overall BoP records deficit    Al-Sisi urges accelerated oil, gas discoveries, lower import bill    SCZONE signs $52.6m textile industry deals during China investment tour    Egypt hosts international neurosurgery conference to drive medical innovation    Egypt's EDA discusses Johnson & Johnson's plans to expand investment in local pharmaceutical sector    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Sisi calls for boosting oil & gas investment to ease import burden    EGX to close Thursday for July 23 Revolution holiday    Egypt, Senegal sign pharma MoU to unify regulatory standards    Famine kills more Gaza children as Israel tightens siege amid global outrage    Kuwait's Crown Prince, Egyptian minister discuss strengthening cooperation    Egyptian Drug Authority discusses plans for joint pharmaceutical plant in Zambia    Egypt's FM seeks deeper economic, security ties on five-nation West Africa tour    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    Egypt foils terrorist plot, kills two militants linked to Hasm group    Giza Pyramids' interior lighting updated with new LED system    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Egypt''s policy of denial
Published in Almasry Alyoum on 08 - 01 - 2011

In a statement issued by the Two Saints Church, following the New Year's Eve blast which killed 23 people and injured scores more, we were reminded of another attack against the same church four years ago that left one person dead and several others injured when an assailant stormed into the church and attacked worshipers. At the time, the People's Assembly decided to form a fact-finding committee to probe the attack.
“However, this committee has not visited the church up to this moment,” the statement read.
This reflects the Egyptian regime's lack of political will to solve the current sectarian problem. The regime continues to address the matter only from a security perspective in order to appear strong and capable of responding to threats, a fact which was emphasized in President Hosni Mubarak's speech after the blast.
Following the Naga Hammadi shootings in Christmas 2009, we falsely believed that state officials would scrap their policy of denying the existence of a sectarian problem in Egypt, stop covering up tensions between religious communities and begin addressing the issue differently. However, the state has continued to silence anyone who speaks the truth because it reveals the incapacity of the regime in the face of a recurring problem.
With my remote control in hand, I flipped from one news station to another after the attack in an attempt to get all the information about the blast, but all I saw were officials attempting to shift the blame onto “foreign agents”. Investigations are far from over yet officials are already trying to purge the regime of guilt by claiming the perpetrators are not Egyptians and that the attack is intended to destabilize Egypt and break its unity.
Others went as far as to allege the attack did not exclusively target the church since a mosque stands across the street, which means that people in both places of worship were targeted. A few hours after the bombing, Parliamentary Speaker Fathi Sorour stated that Egypt does not have a sectarian problem and an Egyptian could not have possible orchestrated the attack.
With official insistence on adopting the same unworkable solutions, should we not therefore fear an even bloodier attack next Christmas, or perhaps even earlier?
Over 121 sectarian incidents have taken place in Egypt since the infamous 1972 Khanka clash and the subsequent issuing of the Oteifi report--which set guidelines for combating sectarianism, but were largely ignored. Since then the regime has done nothing but pursue the same failed policies.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.


Clic here to read the story from its source.