CAIRO: As the crisis in Egypt's Qena governorate entered passed the week mark and the protestors continue denouncing the appointment of Police Major Emad Mikhael as governor, the government is attempting to bring an end to what has become a religiously charged outburst from the area's extreme conservative Muslims. The protesters had shut down the roads to and from the southern governorate and had stopped trains and public buses from traveling in the area, although earlier in the week the protesters had allowed traffic to resume. The majority of the Salafis – those extreme Muslims who take a literal perspective of the Qur'an – continued to denounce the appointment of the new governor because he is Christian, while refusing to end the sit-in following attempts by Interior Minister Mansour el-Eissawy and Minister of Civil Management Mohsen el-Noamani to appease the protesters, saying that their demands would be delivered to Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and it would be decided whether their demands would be met. The Egyptian Government announced on Wednesday that the governor of Qena would not resign and asked the Minister of Interior to confront and face all the “outlaws” in the governorate and to restore order and security and stability in Qena and throughout the country. The governorate of Qena has been witnessing protests since the appointment of the new governor Emad Shehata Mikhael, since last Thursday. In the beginning, the protesters, which initially included Coptic Christians, denounced the appointment of the police major, but then a large group of Salafis turned the demonstrations into sectarian protests, as they rejected the appointment of a Coptic governor to replace the previous governor, who was also Christian, Magdy Ayoub Iskandar. The Coalition of the Youth of the January 25 Revolution issued a statement denouncing the protests, as the majority of the protesters carried what they said were “sectarian and discriminative” slogans, a matter which the coalition rejects completely. Videos online show the protesters chanting anti-Christian statements and calling them “infidels” in what many fear could result in clashes. The coalition, however, accused former members of the dismantled National Ruling Democratic party and the State Security Apparatus of inciting sectarian tensions and taking advantage of the appointment of a Coptic Police Major to stir sectarian tensions and serve their counter-revolution. They said these elements incited the Salafis to carry the Saudi Arabian flag and reject the appointment of a Coptic governor. Also on Wednesday, the Egyptian Cabinet officially asked the minister of interior to handle the security situation in Qena, as some citizens complained that they were forced not to go to their workplaces and roads were blocked by the protesters, who threatened to prevent the governor from entering the governorate`s headquarters while others threatened to kill the governor and organize a one-million person protest Friday if the governor is not dismissed. The Cabinet's decision came after reviewing reports on the situation in Qena, submitted by both the minister of local development and the minister of interior who tried to mediate to solve the crisis in Qena, but failed to convince the protesters to end their sit-in. The Cabinet stressed that it respects the right of freedom of speech and of peaceful protest, however it said it cannot condone or stay silent regarding what is taking place in Qena. Eye witnesses said some protesters were chanting for “an Islamic rule.” Qena's Copts are doubting the effectiveness of the new Coptic Governer, who has worked for the Egyptian police his entire career, and compared him to the previous one, who according to the protesters, “cared more about the regime than the people.” One witness reported a few Muslim protesters chanted “Islamic by God's will,” referring to their hopes for a governor. Protesters on Wednesday opened the main roads to the city, but they kept the railways blocked, despite a meeting with the prominent Salafi Sheikh Mohamed Hassan, and Islamic Preacher Safwat Hegazy and former MP Mostafa Bakry, who were sent by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, who tried to intervene to end the crisis, but their efforts also failed. On the same day, the Deputy Prime Minister Yehia Al-Gamal said the governor of Qena will remain in his post and will not resign. It quoted the threats by the protesters, saying that if the governor was not dismissed by Friday and replaced by a Muslim, a million-person protest would be organized, water and electricity supplies would be cut and prevented from reaching the Red Sea Coast, in addition to continuing the blocking of the railways between Cairo and Aswan. “The Cabinet cannot stay silent in the face of the illegal practices of the protesters who threat the public safety and economy,” a statement issued by the Cabinet and highlighted by MENA read. The cabinet stressed that it has the right to take all necessary measures to restore security, order and the enforcement of law. The government said that a dialogue with the protesters cannot take place until the order and security are restored. BM
