An Egyptian monastery was ransacked in January, before monks were kidnapped, whipped, beaten and ordered to spit on a cross while Christian jewellery stores were being robbed.Egypt’s security officials have insisted that the country does not face a sectarian problem, but that each dispute rather represents a “singular incident” tied to something other than faith, such as a land dispute between the church and local residents.
“Every incident has to be seen within its proper framework; you study an incident as an incident” said an Interior Ministry spokesman, who vehemently objected to the idea that Egyptians were in conflict because of their differing faiths.
Many people in Egypt and around the region have expressed the view that sectarian clashes have become more urgent, and that ordinary conflicts have become more sectarian as religious identity has become more prominent among both Muslims and Christians.
These major incidents only confirm a growing alienation from the larger society for Egypt’s Copts. “We keep to ourselves,” said Kamel Nadi, 24, a Copt who runs a small shop in the Shubra neighbourhood of Cairo. “Muslims can’t say it, but it’s clear they don’t accept us.”
The nature of the authoritarian state that holds Egypt together makes it taboo to say openly that a sectarian problem exists, making the people cautious. “We feel pressure, maybe not all the time, but we do,” said Ashraf Halim, a grocery store owner in the Shubra neighbourhood in Cairo.
“We have liberty of speech, and religion, but it’s as if somebody was telling us at the same time, ‘Don’t speak and don’t practice your religion’.”
The National Council for Human Rights recently described the atmosphere in Egypt as an “overcharged sectarian environment” and criticised the state, saying it “turns a blind eye to such incidents” and that it is “only content to send security forces after clashes catch fire.”
Frustrated by constant denials, a group of Egyptian bloggers decided to bring Muslims and Christians together to talk.
The survey illustrated a profound misunderstanding on both sides, exposing ignorance from both Christians and Muslims, and therefore uncovering a sectarian problem.
Abdel Aziz, a co-founder of the Egyptian blogging group, said: “The religious discourse has to change from both sides because it incites hatred, even if it does so indirectly, increasing fanaticism from both sides.”
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