Alexandria bombing: an act of ignorance

Despite our commitment to inform you on things relevant to the civilization of ancient Egypt, we cannot be indifferent to the latest sad events that took place in Sidi Bishr, Alexandria. As you probably know, the beginning of 2011 was marked by a bomb blast in the Coptic church of Sts Peter and Mark, wich took place straight after New Year Mass killing more than 21 people.

Egypt was, for most of her history, home to many different faiths, religions and cultural beliefs. Even what we call "Ancient Egyptian religion" was in fact an ingenious blend of different beliefs stemming in different cities of ancient Egypt and brought together forming an ever-transforming state cult. Through time, Egyptians incorporated in their faith system deities from outside Egypt, from Greece and Rome, then Jesus and finally the Prophet Muhammad's revelations. At the same time, foreign communities in the area could keep their religious traditions. It is not necessary to mention that many of those systems share common principles and contain rules dictating tolerance. Islam's respect to the "Bible People" - Christians and Jews - as groups able to be included in its ideal society is the best example.

Despite the former, a number of religious representatives were -and are - stressing on what divides us and not what joins us, seeing faith as a field of competition for power over the people. Religious violence stems on this minority of fanatics, who ignore the historical reality of faith coexistance to create political and social problems. Even if the current religious tension is just something created from non-religious centers of power to divide Egyptians and alienate them from others, it is our subject to prevent ignorance rule over facts recorded through history and sanctioned by religious sources themselves.

Zeta Xekalaki - HSSAE, 02/01/11