6. Unity Against Terror
PHOTO: ahram.org
Egypt’s population is mostly Muslim, but the country is also populated by Coptic Christians, too. After a brutal terror attack on Saints Church in Alexandria, Egypt, left 21 people dead, Egypt decided to respond with solidarity. Across the web, millions of Egyptians changed their Facebook profile pictures to the image of a cross inside a crescent, saying “Egypt for All”. Banners were posted calling for unity all around Alexandria, too.
Coptic Christians in Alexandria were, kind of understandably, worried when crowds of Muslims gathered outside churches on Christmas Eve. When the Christians reached their Christmas Eve services, however, they found that the Muslims were there standing vigil outside the buildings, lighting candles, and pledging to collectively fight Islamic terrorism. They wanted to keep Egypt free of sectarian strife.
PHOTO: BBC.co.uk
“We either live together, or we die together,” was the slogan chanted by millions of Muslims.
This is not about us and them,” said Dalia Mustafa, a student attending a vigil at one church in Alexandria. “We are one. This was an attack on Egypt as a whole, and I am standing with the Copts because the only way things will change in this country is if we come together.”
That Christmas Eve it was clear that the city of Alexandria wasn’t going to let fear win.
