By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Nasser Nasser / AP
FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011 file photo, Coptic Egyptian demonstrators,
one carrying a wooden Christian cross, set on fire an army vehicle during
cashes with Egyptian army soldiers following a demonstration in Cairo, Egypt.
An army crackdown on a protest that killed more than 20 Christians has not only
stunned Egyptians, it has left them with deeply torn feelings towards the force
seen as the protector of the nation. Even supporters of the ruling military are
grappling with the question of how the bloodshed could have happened.
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FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011 file photo, Coptic Eg...FILE - In this
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(10-15) 12:16 PDT CAIRO, Egypt (AP) --
An army crackdown on a protest that killed more than 20 Christians has not only
stunned Egyptians, it has left them with deeply torn feelings toward the force
seen as the protector of the nation. Even supporters of the ruling military are
grappling with the question of how the bloodshed could have happened.
The deaths a week ago deepened mistrust of the military among the
"revolutionary" sector, the politically active liberal and leftist activists
who have been leading protests against the generals' rule for months. They have
become increasingly vocal in calls for the army to step aside.
A broader sector of the public has been thrown into shocked confusion. Many
Egyptians view the military as the last bastion of stability a force "made up
of our own sons," as many often say and tend to trust it to handle the
transition toward a democratic system. So images of army troops wildly running
over protesters with armored vehicles have jolted them.
Some try to find excuses for the ruling junta or nervously defend it.
Intertwined in the reaction are the religious tensions between Egypt's Muslim
majority and Christian minority. The fact that victims were Christians has made
some less sympathetic or more willing to forgive the army's actions.
Others have been so shocked they have joined the criticism.
"This was an awful failure," said Mohammed Othman, a former army officer who
now works as a pharmacist. "I think the (generals) lost credit and now we are
in the countdown for them to leave."
Othman said his confidence in the military was gone. He can't bring himself to
believe the accusations by some that troops killed protesters intentionally,
but the bloodshed proved to him that the generals are not equipped to run
civilian affairs.
Moreover, he fears wider sectarian turmoil in Egypt. "I am too embarrassed to
send condolences to my Christian friends," he said. "I personally need someone
to give me condolences." Like others, he is now afraid to join protests,
fearing chaos or violence by security forces.
The violence was the deadliest since the military took over Egypt following the
Feb. 11 fall of President Hosni Mubarak and was a stark contrast to the
idealistic sense of Muslim-Christian unity that flourished during the
anti-Mubarak uprising.
It began Sunday night when thousands of Christians demonstrated outside the
state television building, protesting an attack on a church in southern Egypt.
Army troops waded in, and armored personnel carriers barreled through the
crowds. The violence killed 26 people, including at least 21 Christians, some
crushed by vehicles or shot to death. State media said three soldiers were
among the dead.
In the first official press conference after the violence, the military tried
to exonerate itself, blaming the Christians and "hidden hands" for starting the
violence, denying its troops shot any protesters or intentionally ran them
over. Witnesses said soldiers started the melee. Videos showing soldiers
beating and shooting into crowds and armored vehicles seeming to chase
protesters cast doubt on the military's account.
The public seemed torn in every direction. Some accept the military's version.
Many activists accuse the military of intentionally sparking the bloodshed or
at least exploiting it and the sectarian tensions to scare Egyptians from
protesting and to justify its hold on power. They say the bloody attack has
derailed discussion of how to hold parliament elections due to begin on Nov. 28.
On Friday, a march through Cairo denouncing the military and demanding justice
for victims came under a hail of rocks thrown by army supporters.
Some Muslim clerics have hiked criticism of Christians' demands for equal
rights. Christians, mainly from the Coptic Orthodox Church, make up around 10
percent of Egypt's population of 85 million.
Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/10/15/international/i105645D82.DTL#ixzz1ashiyUcA
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