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Tuesday, 1 Aug 2006
The guy who attacked the coptic churches in Alex last april and killed 1 person and injured several others, whom the police authorities claimed he was crazy - like they always do in order to avoid admitting that there are growing tensions between christians and muslims in Egypt- jut got the charges dropped against him and declared innocent. The reason? Well, the government said he was crazy, and therefore he can not be held responsible for his actions and therefore will get away with his murder.
Nice, huh?
August 1st, 2006 at 9:27 am
It is time for the Copts to pack their bags and leave Egypt or isolate themselves as completely as possible within Egypt. In the long run, it is simply impossible for non-Muslims to live in a society trending towards Islamic fundamentalism.
August 1st, 2006 at 10:32 am
Some nasty parallels here. Seem to be a few sectarian attacks lately being passed off as acts of “individual craziness”. It’s a bit hard to see how the Muslim organisations and whatknot can distance themselves from these attacks when the attackers are screaming “Allahu akbar” and the like as they hack and chop at their victims.
August 1st, 2006 at 10:35 am
SM, can’t believe this. Do you have a link? Haven’t looked at the papers today, which one is it in?
August 1st, 2006 at 10:41 am
#3 issandr
Been looking for news links myself mate. If this is true it’ll be an open season for any sectarian violence and the attackers can practically attack with impunity.
August 1st, 2006 at 10:58 am
Issandr, I heard it from a friend. I have been looking for news links on it the whole day, even at manalaa. I found one other person who mentioned it, Ikhnaton, in this post:
http://ikhnaton2.manalaa.net/node/252
This was posted a week ago mind you!
So I guess it's true! It's probably not bigger news because of what's going on in Lebanon right now! The government probably counted on the fact that no one would notice in all of this hooplah! You know?
August 1st, 2006 at 1:53 pm
Considering that’s he’s been found to be mentally disturbed and dangerous to his surroundings, I expect that he’ll be commited for an indefinate time, that is untill he does not feel a compulsion to kill people of different faith than himself…?
August 1st, 2006 at 2:28 pm
A comment and a question:
Just a couple of days ago a self described Muslim-American of Pakistani origin shot six unarmed women at a Jewish community center in Seattle Washington, killing one and wounding five, including a pregnant woman:
(Seatlle -AP, July 30, 2006) - The man suspected in a fatal shooting rampage hid behind a potted plant in a Jewish charity’s foyer and forced his way through a security door by holding a gun to a 13-year-old girl’s head, the police chief said Saturday.
Once inside, police say, Naveed Afzal Haq opened fire with two semiautomatic pistols. One woman, Pam Waechter, 58, of Seattle was killed at the scene. Five more women were wounded.
Haq, 30, was ordered held on $50 million bail Saturday pending formal charges of murder and attempted murder.
Haq, a Muslim, told authorities he was angered by the war in Iraq and U.S. military cooperation with Israel.
“He pointedly blamed the Jewish people for all of these problems,” Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said at a news conference Saturday.
According to a statement of probable cause, Haq told a 911 dispatcher: “These are Jews and I’m tired of getting pushed around and our people getting pushed around by the situation in the Middle East.”
Already his attorney Larry C. Stephenson is stating that he is not a terrorist, just a poor misunderstood mental patient who had stopped taking his lithium: “Mr. Stephenson said that Mr. Haq had suffered from mental illness for about a decade and that he took medication, including lithium, for a bipolar disorder. The shooting “was a result of a mentally ill person,’’ the lawyer said. “It was not a rational act at all.” (New York Times)
I wonder if this is going to become a standard terrorist defense tactic.
Question: In most U.S. states, if a person is found not guilty by reason of mental defect or insanity he is often sentenced to either involuntary confinement in a mental hospital for treatment or ordered to undergo some kind of counseling program (I very much disagree with either, but so it goes). What happens in Egypt? Did this guy just get his walking papers or is he now a resident at a mental hospital?
August 1st, 2006 at 3:49 pm
HEY!!
WTF!!
This can’t keep happening in Egypt! If no justice is provided every time these crimes are commited, what’s to stop any “crazy” Mohammad, Ahmed, or Harry to storm a church again with a pair of swords flailing and stabbing at worshippers??
Can someone answer that for me? What kind of retarded Justice System is this? Fine. He’s crazy, is he going off to a maximum security Mental Hospital or is he just gonna be released in the street to do it again?? This guy should be strung up by his arms and legs and be drawn and quartered in a public square so this SHIT DOESN’T HAPPEN AGAIN!!! I’m sick of it.
And Sandy, you know this is not the first time this has happened. Remember Al-Kosheh in 2000? There was never any justice in that Hate Crime either.
Check out this article written by Pope Shenouda at the time:
http://www.rim.org/muslim/egypt.htm
Tommy -
You said:
“It is time for the Copts to pack their bags and leave Egypt or isolate themselves as completely as possible within Egypt.”
Well, many already have left Egypt. My dad and all his siblings left. But how can all the Copts leave their homeland? Egypt has been our land for 5000 years. And the Copts, specifically, have been their since the birth of Christianity. Not just that, our monostaries, churches and communities are in every corner of the country. So isolating ourselves would be an impossible too. Egypt is our country and Copts, no matter how terrible it gets, LOVE Egypt. And trust me, it’s gotten pretty awful in centuries past.
But things are pretty bad right now and I fear they are getting worse…it’s really disheartening. I don’t know what the answer is. I hope and pray for a secular democracy to take place in Egypt, as I think that’s really the only chance, but that seems about as likely as a lasting peace in the middle east.
Sandy, I would love your thoughts on how to stop the deteiorating relations b/w Christians and Muslims in Egypt.
August 1st, 2006 at 5:17 pm
I can’t find the link, but I vaguely remember seeing a story about someone in a minor incident being released — not the major events of the beginning of the year in Alex. Anyway, will look into it over the next few days and let you know. If the guy from the Alexandria attacks had been released, I think it would have made a much bigger splash than this, even if the church is focused on the controversy over Father Maximus and the satellite shows these days.
August 1st, 2006 at 5:43 pm
Don’t worry issandr -
I pretty confident that the church and it’s 10 million plus adherents aren’t too worried about the Maximus controversy and satelite shows. I’m pretty sure there more “focused” on their personal security while peacefully practicing their faith in the places of worship.
And if by, “minor incident” you mean some man storming a church and killing one person and injuring several others while screaming “Allahu Akbar”, then yes I guess it would be “minor.” I guess that would be minor compared to the “Alexandrian riots” last October and Al Kosheh Massacre of 2000.
But whatever, one tends to lose track of what’s “minor” and “major,” ya know?
August 1st, 2006 at 7:13 pm
I’m really not surprised, what did you all expect, as soon as they stated he was crazy upon capture, he got his “get out of jail free” card. While I’m not happy he was released, I think the best the Copts in Egypt can hope for is to stay out of the news and out of the public eye, emigrate, make your own businesses, do what you have to do but can you imagine what would have been the response of the MB if he was convicted? Its sad but what can they do? Keep blogging, keep living and be good to each other even if no one will be good to you.
Sigh.
August 1st, 2006 at 7:50 pm
“I think the best the Copts in Egypt can hope for is to stay out of the news and out of the public eye, emigrate, make your own businesses, do what you have to do..”
Stay out of the news? Huh? How exactly do you propose that D.B.? When some deranged “lunatic” storms a church with a sword? Should there be no outrage? No anger?
I think protesting and taking to the street would be more appropriae than just rolling over and dying, don’t you? I know it sounds a bit dramatic but silecnce is NEVER an option. If things continue we’ll see more and more unrest and protests..
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
- Martin Luther King Jr.
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:24 am
This is so stupid. Stupid and pointless. That said, I don’t think Copts should leave. I think expatriate Copts should come back and invest in Egypt and add to the multitude of Coptic-owned companies that already have a presence in Egypt. They should make it clear that they will hire both Copts and Muslims and thus empower Egyptians economically. Also, the more rich Copts there are, the more power and influence we have.
August 2nd, 2006 at 3:03 pm
Well said beast!
What’s good for the Copts is good for Egypt!!
You’re a good guy beast
God bless ya!
August 2nd, 2006 at 4:24 pm
I have spoken about this issue a few times and here is what i can conclude.
Despite everyone wanting to speak up and march and put themselves in the news (thats what I meant by news). In Egypt a Coptic voice is useless it will only cause unrest however a Coptic voice from America may be better but I am still weary on how it would be handled.
August 2nd, 2006 at 4:49 pm
I truly believe that a voice inside Egypt AND outside Egypt is what needs to be done. It also needs to be framed as an Egyptian issue not just a Christian/Muslim issue. After all, Human Rights is for all, right? Moderate muslim voices and all Egyptians who do not seek a fundemental agenda must band together to counter the voices of fundementalism/extremism.
But I also agee, D.B., that a strong expatriate voice/lobby can help as well. I’ll tell ya, the only bad thing would be to keep the status quo…that’s not an option.