Last week, on Wednesday, October 19, IRD’s Business Manager, Luke Moon, and I joined thousands of Egyptian Americans to protest the brutal treatment of Coptic Christians in Egypt. Luke took some excellent photos at the demonstration, which we will be sharing with you on the IRD website. Beginning at the White House, traveling down Pennsylvania Avenue, and ending at the U.S. Capitol, the demonstrators carried signs, crosses, and even homemade coffins. Participants included both lay people and Coptic clergy in their long black robes.
He also managed to capture some of the speeches, including those of former congressman/Love Boat star/radio talk show host Fred Grandy and Sudanese advocate and supporter of freedom for the Copts, Ibrahim Ahmed, as well as my own. This was no small feat! We may have enjoyed as much as five inches of personal space while we were speaking! You’ll understand when you see the photos, which are posted below.
The aftermath of “Arab Spring” in Egypt has not been kind to Christians. They, along with other ever-diminishing communities such as that of the Jews and the Baha’i, have suffered for 1,400 years under Islamic dominance in the once-Christian land that was evangelized by Saint Mark. But conditions for Copts, other Christians, and other non-Muslims have deteriorated since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, just as many of us have feared.
The demonstration held by the Copts who traveled by the busloads from Chicago, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, was particularly a response to an Egyptian-army led massacre of Christians on Sunday, October 9. In the past, the army has failed to protect Christians, and sometimes members of the military have joined in the attacks of Islamic extremists. But never before had the army turned on Christians in the manner in which it did on October 9 against Egyptian Christians marching in a peaceful demonstration through downtown Cairo.
The Christians were protesting the burning of a church and several Christian-owned homes and businesses in Upper Egypt on September 30. First they were attacked by an Islamist mob near an underpass cutting through downtown Cairo. They were pelted with rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and otherwise molested. Then, when the Christians reached their destination of Maspero Square, Egyptian military forces were already aligned against them to quell the demonstration.
The army opened fire on the Christians, killing 21. Later when the troops were leaving, one soldier bragged through the bus window: “I shot a Copt in the chest!” The crowd actually cheered for him! But the death of some other Christian demonstrators was even more hideous. Soldiers driving armored personnel carriers actually drove up the sidewalks and into the crowds of people. Six people were crushed. Copts demanded, “Who could do this to another human being?”
Thank God we in America can still participate in rallies and demonstrations without fear of such things happening. One wonders if some of the America-hating protestors who fill the ranks in the “Occupy Wall Street” protests understand how fortunate they truly are to be here.
The Coptic Americans who rallied last week certainly understand how blessed they are to be in a country where they can demonstrate so freely and without molestation. They could criticize the U.S. government for providing billions of dollars in aid to Egypt that funded the tanks used to kill Egyptian Christians. They could demand that their government do better – pressure Cairo to protect the vulnerable minorities and provide religious freedom to all.
And they have some allies in Congress. U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) in July introduced a bill asking for a special envoy on religious freedom to protect the rights of religious minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia. The bill, H.R. 440, passed overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives, but in order to pass the Senate version, S. 1245, help is needed from those who want to protect the Copts and other vulnerable populations.
Many of last week’s demonstrators carried American flags and spoke of their love for their country. They also spoke of their concern that those who terrorize Copts in Egypt must be stopped from bringing their intolerance and imperialism throughout the world.
“USA, wake up!” they urged, as they traveled from the White House to the U.S. Capitol. I hope and pray that we do.
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