Christians killed for complaining in Egypt

Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is calling for an investigation into Sunday night's clashes in Cairo that left 26 dead and more than 300 injured, mostly Coptic Christians.

CAIRO, EGYPT (Catholic Online) - The Council has ordered the government to move swiftly and to form a fact-finding committee to determine what happened and why. The government has also been instructed to take legal measures against all those proven to have been involved.

The announcements were made at an emergency meeting held by the Military Council where they said they "continue to bear a national responsibility to protect the people after the January 25 revolution... until it hands power to an elected civilian authority."

The council blamed the clashes on, "efforts by some to destroy the pillars of the state and sow chaos." The council added they would take whatever measures necessary to restore safety and security.

The move is a hopeful one, taken by the military Council that has recently come under criticism for allowing violence to take place on Cairo streets. Most notably last month, Egyptian protesters, as some charge, were permitted by the military to storm the Israeli Embassy. Although several arrests were made, the allegations remain.

The Egyptian people are also growing weary of military rule. They have expressed discontent with the pace of reform and have taken to the streets repeatedly to demand swifter change.

As of Sunday, it appeared that the Egyptian government is continuing to backslide on its commitment to safety. Coptic Christians are the largest Christian minority in Egypt. Thousands of them turned out for a peaceful protest and to demand the resignation of a regional governor after a church was bulldozed in southern Egypt. Instead of a sympathetic ear however, counter protesters burst onto the street throwing rocks and bottles, and soon took weapons from security forces personnel. They began firing on both Christians and soldiers alike.

The government announced an immediate curfew and deployed reinforcements to quell the violence. But in the wake of the clash, 26 people were left dead, mostly Christians. Coptic Christians in Egypt have long tolerated persecution at the hands of the government. Claims against them under Mubarak's regime were rarely punished. They have faced open discrimination while remaining peaceful.

It is uncertain if the council's efforts to investigate the violence are sincere efforts designed to build confidence in the troubled regime and to protect the Christian minority, or if it's simply political grandstanding to quell criticism.

Many, who do not trust the military, are calling for an independent investigation. Some even believe that the military is responsible for the violence and they do not trust the military to carry out an investigation. Photographs of the protests appear to show the security forces possibly participating in some of the killings. 

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In any case it is a sad day for Egypt, and indeed the world, when people of faith have their houses of worship bulldozed and are killed merely for complaining. 

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