AWR, Cairo, January 6, 2014

Security alerts as Christmas arrive to Egypt

Since 2002, January 7th has been a national holiday in celebration of Coptic Christmas.[i] In past years it was a holiday observed by Copts alone, and not Muslims. The decision at the time assisted in strengthening national cohesion and bringing Muslim-Christian relations closer. Now, after more than ten years, security threats loom over Christian festivals. This is a direct result of the lack of security in the country, manifest in several terrorist attacks targeting military and civilian facilities. Adding to this tension is the culmination of a year beset with much incitement against Copts, particularly in the aftermath of ousting former president Muhammad Morsi (Mursī) from power and the security dispersals of the Rāba’ah al-‘Adawiyyah and Nahdah Squares sit-ins.[ii]  

The security situation

Egypt is now witnessing almost daily attacks on civilian and military facilities. On Tuesday, December 24, a car bomb detonated in front of the Dakahlia Police station in Mansura governorate. The attack left 16 dead, hundreds injured and numerous public buildings, including the police station and the national theatre, in shambles. Ansār Bayt al-Maqdis, a Sinai-based terrorist group that was also responsible for the assassination attempt on Minister of Interior, General Muhammad Ibrāhīm, last September, claimed responsibility for the attack. The Muslim Brotherhood quickly distanced itself from the attack.[iii]

 Dakahlia Police Station Bombing. Source: al-Masā’

The interim government, however, responded to this attack on Wednesday, December 25, by declaring the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group.[iv] In addition to banning the Muslim Brotherhood, the government decided to freeze the assets of all civil society organizations affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, amounting to 1,055 NGOs.[v]  The decision to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, which was seen necessary due to the deteriorating security situation, was criticized by human legal experts as a political decision, with no judicial basis.[vi] Read more...

[i] Nirmin Fawzy, “January 7, a national holiday in Egypt,” Arab West Report, Week 51, Art. 7, July 26, 2008, accessed January 1, 2014,  http://www.arabwestreport.info/
year-2002/week-51/7-january-7-national-holiday-egypt.

[ii] Author not mentioned, “Fī Zil Mawgah al-I’tida’āt ‘alá aqbāt wa kanā’is [A Wave of Attacks on Copts and Churches],” Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, July 10, 2013, accessed January 1, 2014,  http://eipr.org/pressrelease/2013/07/10/1758.

[iii] Patrick Kingsley, “Egypt police HQ explosion: spokesman blames Muslim Brotherhood,” The Guardian, December 24, 2013, accessed January 1, 2014,  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/24/egyptian-police-headquarters-explosion.

[iv] Author Not Mentioned, “Egypt government declares Muslim Brotherhood 'terrorist group',” Ahram Online, December 26, 2013, accessed January 1, 2014,  http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/90037.aspx.

[v] Sara Abou Bakr, “NGOs reel from frozen assets,” Daily News Egypt, December 25, 2013, accessed January 1, 2014,  http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/12/25/ngos-reel-from-frozen-assets/.

[vi] Author Not Mentioned, “Egypt government declares Muslim Brotherhood 'terrorist group',” Ahram Online.

Yosra El Gendi, Researcher

Arab-West Report