Egypt reinforces security in anticipation of Coptic Christmas
4/1/2011
CAIRO – The Egyptian security forces were on heightened alert in the vicinity of churches for the celebrations of the Coptic Orthodox Christmas on Thursday and Friday after the attack that killed 21 people in Alexandria New Year’s night
The police presence at checkpoints before the religious buildings have been strengthened, said Monday sources within the security services.
Monitoring ports and airports has also been strengthened after the bombing, according to officials who evoke the trail of Al Qaeda, a suicide bomber acting for foreign terrorists. The massacre has not been formally claimed.
The Orthodox Coptic Patriarch Shenouda III has assured that he intended to celebrate Christmas mass. “Do not pray would mean that terrorism is depriving us of the celebration of the birth of Christ,” he said, quoted by the daily al-Ahram.
Shenouda III has also launched an appeal for calm to the faithful. “I call our sons to calm as calm can solve all problems,” he said in a television interview whose content was also distributed by the official news agency MENA.
The patriarch expressed regret over some aspects of the protests against the bombing of Alexandria.
“The slogans used by some have transgressed all values (…) and some have attempted to use violence, while violence is absolutely not our approach,” said Shenouda III, involving in these outbursts persons not belonging to the Coptic community, he has not identified.
In the same interview, the patriarch called on the Egyptian government to take into account the demands of the Copts, who experience violence and complain of discrimination, as required by law to obtain presidential approval to build churches.
“If he considers that a law adversely affects some, the state must correct the law or make another,” he said.
Coptic Orthodox Christmas on Friday, also day of prayer for Muslims. The celebrations will start on Thursday.
Besides the risk of attacks, the authorities fear further clashes with Christian demonstrators, or clashes between Christians and Muslims.
