CAIRO: Tens of protestors gathering in front of the Saad Zaghloul Mausoleum Friday night criticized the government's response to the attack on an Alexandria church and demanded a secular state.
Protestors denounced the New Year’s Eve attack on Al-Qeddissine (Church of Two Saints) in Alexandria — which killed 23 and injured more than 90 — carrying banners with slogans against Islamic extremism as well as discrimination against Copts, and demanding the establishment of a secular state.
"A secular, civil state running on civil laws that recognize religions but do not take it as a source for legislation is the demand of all the Egyptian people, not only Copts," Hany Al-Gezeiry, spokesperson of Copts For Egypt movement, told Daily News Egypt.
"The current legislation puts citizenship as a priority but does not apply it. Unlike mosques, for a new church to be built a presidential decree is needed and the religion of children of mixed marriages is decided by a judge based on the Islamic Sharia," Al-Gezeiry added.
According to him, the concept of a secular state is stereotyped and refused by both the church and the mosque, and does not have the support of the public even though it is the same as a civil state. "With all its shortcomings, a civil state is better than the current situation," Al-Gezeiry said.
A total of 22 opposition parties and movements participated in the protest, including Al-Wafd, Al-Ghad, the Democratic Front Party, Al-Karama and Al-Tagammu, as well as Kefaya Movement for Change, April 6 Youth Movement, the National Association for Change, Copts for Egypt, the Popular Democratic Movement, Egyptians Against Religious Discrimination and the Justice and Liberty movements.
Protestors carried candles and chanted Egypt’s national anthem.
"The protest is a sign of unity and a message that the Egyptian people were the victims of this attack just as they were victims of the fraud in the parliamentary elections results," Hamden Sabahi, founder of Al-Karama Party, told Daily News Egypt.
Sabahi said that since the government does not deal with any problem effectively, it will attempt to implement temporary and partial solutions to the crisis to "escape punishment."
"Egypt needs a comprehensive solution that addresses the problems of sectarian tension, poverty, unemployment, political oppression and inflation; and that can only be achieved through the peaceful change of the current regime," Sabahi said.
Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, general secretary of Al-Wafd Party, said that opposition powers must build on the state of anger among the Egyptian public.
"The people have been outstanding in refusing terrorism, sectarian tension and demanding serious solutions from the government while the government cannot take an adequate stance," he said.
"We must take advantage of the status quo and unite the opposition to demand a reform program and develop a culture of diversity and respecting human rights," Abdel Nour added.
The protest also witnessed the participation of a number of artists including film director Yousry Nasrallah and actresses Basma and Gehan Fadel.
While a group of protestors chanted anti-government slogans, another group carried a cross and raised the bible condemning "discrimination against Copts" and attacking "extremist Muslim preachers" who they cite as a reason for the current tension.
Some protesters refused raising the Quran only, which caused brief arguments among protestors.
