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| Christians carry a portrait of Christ taken from the bombed church of al-Qiddissian through the streets of Alexandria |
The Egyptian police are probably using some restraint ~ as they know the world is watching. It is customary in Egypt after Muslims attack Christians and a few people die, are seriously injured or property destroy ~ to arrest Christian youths. If we were dealing with people of different colors ~ people would not hesitate to call it racism ~ but so long as we are dealing with Islam ~ and the image of the religion is protected ~ almost anything goes.
Was anyone convicted from last year's attack ~ the court-case was delayed at one stage?
The Prophet Muhammad instructed Muslims to make the non-Muslim existence uncomfortable ~ so that the Muslims are acting within their brief. I think at one point he told Muslims to drive the non-Muslim off the main road, to force them onto the minor ~ so that they will know that they are non-Muslims. Koran 9:29. Muhammad was a Prophet who instructed people to act against their better nature ~ and we are still reaping the consequences of this today.
Hundreds of Christian demonstrators paraded through the streets of Alexandria after a car bomb killed 21 worshippers celebrating the New Year.
Bearing a blood-stained banner of Jesus rescued from the shattered church, protesters clashed with Egyptian riot police who had moved in to break up the gathering.
Christians and Muslims pelted each other with rocks and cars were also torched in the disturbances.
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| Firefighters were also called out to contain blazes started by protesters, seen here throwing oil on to the flames. |
'We are not going to remain silent,' chanted the protesters. Three demonstrators were arrested and beaten up by police, according to witnesses.
Inside the al-Qiddissian (Saints) Church, in the Sidi Bechr district, the floor was still stained with blood.
Two statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary were toppled and benches scattered by the impact of the blast.
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| Other protesters carried crosses as they came up against a line of Egyptian riot police |
A wooden cross hanging on the church gate was covered with a white sheet stained with victims' blood and bits of human flesh remained stuck on the gate.
Young Christian men prevented cleaners from removing the flesh. 'Leave them. This is pure blood,' one of the men shouted.
There were also several demonstrations in Cairo where Aida Seif al-Dawla, a veteran activist, called for the Interior Minister to be held accountable for the failure to protect the church.
Sally Moore, another Christian protester, said Muslim and Coptic protesters are planning to form a 'human shield' outside major churches in Cairo on Coptic Christmas Eve on January 6 in a show of solidarity.
'The security is protecting the regime, not the people, not the churches,' she said.
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| Demonstrators shout pro-Christian slogans while burning rubbish during a protest in front of riot police near the scene of Saturday's bombing |
Around 1,000 people were attending Mass at the Saints church when the bomb went off just after midnight, causing total carnage.
As well as the 21 dead, at least 70 were injured. Witnesses described it as 'a scene from Baghdad.'
Kameel Sadeeq, from the Coptic council in Alexandria, said: 'People went in to church to pray to God but ended up as scattered limbs.
'This massacre has Al Qaeda written all over, the same pattern Al Qaeda has adopted in other countries.'
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| Coptic Christians have accused the government of not protecting them against extremists |
The blast also damaged a mosque near the church. Eight Muslims were among the wounded.
Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak has urged Muslims and Christians to stand together against terrorism, claiming the attack bore the marks of 'foreign hands'.
The attack has been condemned as 'barbaric and heinous' by Barack Obama. In Rome, Pope Benedict XVI said the attack 'offends God and all of humanity.'
Christians in Muslim-majority Egypt make up about 10 percent of the nation's 79 million people.
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| There were also clashes in Cairo where riot police were called in to stamp out protests |
Egypt, due to hold a presidential election in September, has stepped up security around churches after a threat from an Al Qaeda-linked group in November.
The Islamic State of Iraq claimed that the church was holding women who had converted to Islam.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but security officials said they were looking at the possibility that homegrown Islamic extremists were behind it, and perhaps were inspired by Al Qaeda though not directly under foreign command.
Investigators were also examining lists of air passengers who arrived recently in Egypt from Iraq because Al Qaeda in Iraq threatened Christians in both countries.
Daily Mail
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