Copts are facing an escalation of violence, warn international experts

Political unrest in Egypt could spiral into ethnic violence on a mass scale unless the international community takes immediate action, an international group of experts and advocates has warned.

A statement drafted by Turkish analyst Ziya Meral at the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and signed by leaders and academics on three continents, warns of ‘worrying trends’ that could pull Egypt into further chaos.

It praises the solidarity of Christians and Muslims in Tahrir Square, but denounces the Egyptian authorities for remaining oblivious towards attacks on a vulnerable minority, as the post-Mubarak political power struggle grows.

‘The increase in and intensity of attacks on Christians are indicators of imminent civil unrest and the potential for widespread ethno-religious violence that demands an immediate response’, says the statement.

‘As we have seen in all cases of mass violence in the twentieth century, radical groups demanding a homogenized society, poor and compliant state performance and widespread scapegoating in media reports are all early indicators of ethnic violence, massacres and genocides.

‘Unless the international community shows strong resolve and tenacity in keeping the emerging Egyptian leadership accountable, millions of Egyptian citizens will continue to face escalating violence and serious human rights abuses. 

‘We urge the Egyptian authorities to uphold the rule of law and show resolve in addressed the worrying trends, which have the potential to pull Egypt into further chaos.’

Signatories to the statement include Thomas F. Farr, Director of the Religious Freedom Project at Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs; Adam Hug, Policy Director of the Foreign Policy Centre in London; Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy and Dialogue and Nina Shea, Director, Hudson Institute Center for Religious Freedom.  Lapido Media Director Jenny Taylor was one of the first to sign.

International religious illiteracy and local bias are compounding the problems for beleaguered minorities in Egypt, she says.

‘The international media are reporting the attacks as “sectarian clashes”.  However, these events are not clashes between two sects, such as Sunni and Shiite clashes in Iraq; they constitute a disturbing pattern of escalating attacks and violence against a minority community.

‘The Copts constitute ten per cent of the population and want to live in peace as they have done, despite intense provocation in their homeland for millennia.  It is wrong and dangerous to call them “a sect”.’

The statement said local Islamic media were calling frequently in Arabic for Copts to be ‘punished’ and ‘ostracized’.