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Church Bombing in Alexandria, Egypt kills at least 21
Trends In Retail
Church Bombing in Alexandria, Egypt kills at least 21
Alexandria, Egypt - Christians clashed with Egyptian police in the northern city of Alexandria on Saturday, furious over an apparent suicide bombing targeting worshippers leaving a church after New Year's Mass. At least 21 people were killed in the worst violence against the country's Christian minority in a decade.
The Interior Ministry blamed "foreign elements," and Alexandria's governor accused al Qaeda, pointing to its branch in Iraq, which has carried out attacks on Christians there and has threatened Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christian community as well.
Egypt's government has long insisted that al Qaeda does not have a significant presence in the country, and it has never been conclusively linked to any attacks in Egypt. Al Qaeda involvement would raise the prospect of a serious new security threat within Egypt.
The bombing, about 12:30 a.m., stoked tensions that have grown in recent years between Egypt's Christians and the Muslim majority.
It was dramatically different from past attacks on Christians, which included shootings but not serious bombings. Christians have increasingly blamed the government for not taking seriously violence against them or anti-Christian sentiment among Muslim hard-liners.
In the wake of the bombing, they unleashed their rage at authorities.
"Now it's between Christians and the government, not between Muslims and Christians," shrieked one Christian woman as several hundred young men clashed with riot police in the street outside the targeted church. As the rioters threw stones and bottles, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas. Some of the protesters beat Muslim passers-by.
Alexandria, the famed city of antiquity, was once Egypt's most cosmopolitan city, with a mix of Muslims, Christians and foreigners. In the last decade it has become a stronghold for Islamic hard-liners. Stabbings at three Alexandria churches in 2006 sparked three days of Muslim-Christian riots that left at least four dead.
The Interior Ministry blamed "foreign elements," and Alexandria's governor accused al Qaeda, pointing to its branch in Iraq, which has carried out attacks on Christians there and has threatened Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christian community as well.
Egypt's government has long insisted that al Qaeda does not have a significant presence in the country, and it has never been conclusively linked to any attacks in Egypt. Al Qaeda involvement would raise the prospect of a serious new security threat within Egypt.
The bombing, about 12:30 a.m., stoked tensions that have grown in recent years between Egypt's Christians and the Muslim majority.
It was dramatically different from past attacks on Christians, which included shootings but not serious bombings. Christians have increasingly blamed the government for not taking seriously violence against them or anti-Christian sentiment among Muslim hard-liners.
In the wake of the bombing, they unleashed their rage at authorities.
"Now it's between Christians and the government, not between Muslims and Christians," shrieked one Christian woman as several hundred young men clashed with riot police in the street outside the targeted church. As the rioters threw stones and bottles, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas. Some of the protesters beat Muslim passers-by.
Alexandria, the famed city of antiquity, was once Egypt's most cosmopolitan city, with a mix of Muslims, Christians and foreigners. In the last decade it has become a stronghold for Islamic hard-liners. Stabbings at three Alexandria churches in 2006 sparked three days of Muslim-Christian riots that left at least four dead.
Related : Church Bombing in Alexandria, Egypt kills at least 21 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Trends In Retail
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