Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has become the nation’s first leader to appear at a Cairo cathedral at Coptic Christmas Eve mass, according to Egyptian media, in a symbolic show of unity with the nation’s often marginalized Christian minority.
“It is important that the whole world watch us, the Egyptians,” al-Sisi, a Sunni Muslim, told the cheering congregation after arriving at the cathedral. “You noticed that I am not using another word than Egyptians? We are the Egyptians.”
Standing next to beaming bishops and Coptic Pope Tawadros II, al-Sisi implied that Egyptians should rise above years of tensions between parts of the Sunni Muslim majority and the Christian community, who form about 10 percent of the population.
Photo: EPA
“Starting from here, we cannot anything say but: we, the Egyptians,” he said.
The majority of Christians have seen al-Sisi as a savior since he ousted former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, in July 2013. Fears of sectarianism grew during Morsi’s tenure, and tensions came to a head after an attack by police and vigilantes on Cairo’s cathedral a few months before his overthrow.
Al-Sisi’s symbolic visit to the same cathedral nearly two years on “was very well-received by most of the Coptic community,” said Basil el-Dabh, a journalist and analyst of Coptic affairs.
“For many Christians [al-]Sisi represents a force against Islamism in Egypt and the visit on Christmas Eve was a great calculation on the president’s part to maintain and bolster that image,” he said.
Pope Tawadros has given strong backing to al-Sisi’s government, previously dismissing concerns over his poor human rights record. However, some observers of the Coptic community feel that al-Sisi, who bases much of his authority on the support of religious institutions, has done little to end discrimination toward Christians.
There are still few Christians in the higher echelons of government, particularly in the security establishment. The government promised to rebuild churches damaged during a wave of sectarian attacks in 2013, but progress has been far slower than promised. Those responsible for the deaths of 26 Christian protesters after their march was attacked by soldiers in October 2011 have never been brought to justice.
“Unfortunately, Copts need more than grandiose gestures to achieve equality,” el-Dabh said. “Ultimately both institutional and societal progress are needed to improve the state of Christians. Whether we’re simply seeing a return to the tacit sectarianism of pre-revolution Egypt or real progress is yet to be seen.”
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