ICC Note: The violence that has targeted Egyptian Christians over the past six months, that has seen over a hundred churches, homes, and businesses attack, is a worrisome sign for both the future of Egypt and for the interests of the United States. It is important the United States be actively engaged in creating a culture in Egypt that protects the rights of all citizens, especially its Christian minority. Allowing these attacks to carry on, largely without investigation, points to a hardening of the fragmented state and greater danger for all Egyptians.
By Ted Stahnke
01/10/2014 Egypt (Fox News) – Since the removal of President Morsi from office in July, Egypt’s vulnerable Christian minority has been caught in the middle of a highly destructive zero-sum political showdown between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military-backed government.
While violence against Christians is nothing new in Egypt, the polarization of the past several months has taken it to unprecedented levels.
Many Christians have been killed. More than a hundred churches, homes, and businesses have been attacked. Perpetrators have not been brought to justice.
The violent sectarianism is one of the most alarming aspects of Egypt’s political crisis. If left to fester, this crisis could not only lead to even worse persecution of religious minorities but destabilize Egypt and the entire region.
Such an outcome would be profoundly harmful to the interests of the United States and our allies. The U.S. government needs a brand new policy, one that puts Egypt’s commitment to human rights and democratization at its core.
The Muslim Brotherhood bears considerable blame for fueling a climate of anti-Christian intolerance.
Following Morsi’s overthrow, his supporters blamed the Copts, claiming that their hostility to Islam and to the idea of a Muslim Egypt had led them to conspire with the military and hostile foreign powers, like Israel and the United States.
At the same time, the current government seems more interested in using anti-Christian violence to depict the Muslim Brotherhood as extreme than in preventing it. This tactic of pointing to the violent excesses of Islamic extremists to resist reforms is reminiscent of the Mubarak era.
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