Christians and Muslims to march in Cairo against sectarian rioting

A “MILLION man” Christian-Muslim unity march is set to take place in Cairo’s Tahrir Square today. Organisers of the event, the 25 January People’s Co-ordination Committee announced the demonstration would begin with a Coptic mass followed by Muslim communal prayers.

The call for mass action has been prompted by sectarian rioting that killed 15 and wounded 240 in the Cairo quarter of Imbaba. The committee demanded the prosecution of instigators of sectarian incidents, enforcement of existing laws and the trial of former president Hosni Mubarak, blamed for exploiting sectarian tensions to crack down on opponents.

The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) announced yesterday that it would take strong action to pre-empt attempts to sow sectarian strife. SCAF member Ismail Etman warned that threats against national unity would be met with an “iron fist”. Scaf’s intervention coincided with calls from Coptic activists for the resignation of armed forces chief Muhammad Hussein Tantawi, who has been criticised for the failure of the military to take prompt action to quell the rioting.

In a bid to placate Christians, prime minister Essam Sharaf pledged to adopt legislation within 30 days to end discrimination against Copts over the construction of churches. The current law, adopted in 1934, requires presidential endorsement on building and renovation permits for churches but not for mosques. Since Mr Mubarak rarely signed such permits, Copts were compelled to build stealth chapels within community centres which did not need presidential approval. Many of these were closed or demolished. The cabinet is planning to reopen some of the 48 closed by the Mubarak regime and to issue a decree banning protests at places of worship and incitement.

The two churches and other properties ravaged during the protests are to be renovated at the expense of Giza province where Imbaba is located.

A report issued by the National Council for Human Rights revealed that elements loyal to the ousted regime took part in last weekend’s clashes with aim of convincing Egyptians that the toppling of Mr Mubarak produced sectarian violence.

The report observed that the “widespread lack of security”; “runaway inmates” from Egypt’s prisons; unlicensed firearms along with extreme religious views were key factors in the rioting.

The issue of conversion both ways is highly sensitive in Egypt. Muslims who convert to Christianity are branded apostates – which can amount to a sentence of death – while some Christians who convert to Islam have been kidnapped by the church and held incommunicado for long periods.

Abeer Talat – whose imprisonment in the Imbaba church after she converted to Islam sparked the clashes – has sought military protection.

She revealed she had become a Muslim last September, left her village in upper Egypt, filed for divorce from her husband, and went into hiding in Cairo where she met Muslim Yasin Thabet, whom she intends to marry. She was betrayed, taken captive and held in various churches where priests urged her to re-convert to Christianity.