CAIRO — Egypt’s Christians celebrated Eastern Orthodox Christmas Eve on Thursday, despite their mourning and anger over a New Year’s Day bomb attack on a church that killed 25 Copts and the fears of more violence.
Rumors had earlier spread that Coptic Pope Shenouda III would cancel this year’s Christmas festivities. Despite Copts’ grief over the victims of the Alexandria bombing, the 87-year-old pope announced that celebrations would go on as scheduled.
“Of course we feel sadness, and the bombings will leave their mark on all Copts,” said Mina Emil, a Coptic banker. “But we will not allow this to overshadow our celebrations.”
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Saints Church in the coastal city, which also injured dozens of people. But a statement published by a group calling itself Shabakat al-Mujahedin, or the Holy Warriors Electronic Network, endorsed the attack, saying that it wouldn’t be the last against Copts in Egypt.
Adding to the tensions, a video attributed to al-Qaeda, called the “Jihadi Encyclopaedia for the Destruction of the Cross,” featured a line calling on Muslims in Egypt to “blow up churches while Copts are celebrating Christmas or any other time when churches are packed.” It was widely circulated on the Internet.
The Egypt’s Interior Ministry deployed armored vehicles, bomb-sniffing dogs, metal detectors and thousands of police to protect churches. Mosques also would be closely watched before and after prayers today for gathering crowds that could lead to trouble, the ministry announced.
Some Copts were heartened by the show of force.
“Security officers are doing a very good job, and everyone is doing his best to guard the church from any possible threat,” said Joseph Nabil, a Copt who stood outside his local church in the Cairo neighborhood of Shubra.
Copts make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population. Despite the government’s claims that Christians enjoy equality with Muslims, Copts complain of difficulties in obtaining permissions to build or refurbish churches, a lack of representation among the upper ranks of the civil service and an inability to convert others to Christianity.
