An army crackdown on a protest that killed more than 20 christians has not only stunned Egyptians, it has left them with deeply torn feelings toward the force seen as the protector of the nation. Even supporters of the ruling military are grappling with the question of how the bloodshed could have happened.
The deaths a week ago have deepened mistrust of the military among the “revolutionary” sector, the politically active liberal and leftist activists who have been leading protests against the generals’ rule for months. They have become increasingly vocal in calls for the army to step aside.
A broader sector of the public has been thrown into shocked confusion. Many Egyptians view the military as the last bastion of stability — a force “made up of our own sons,” as many often say — and tend to trust it to handle the transition toward a democratic system. So images of army troops wildly running over protesters with armoured vehicles have jolted them.
Some try to find excuses for the ruling junta or nervously defend it. Intertwined in the reaction are the religious tensions between Egypt’s muslim majority and christian minority. The fact that victims were christians has made some less sympathetic or more willing to forgive the army’s actions.
Others have been so shocked they have joined the criticism.
The violence was the deadliest since the military took over Egypt following the 11 February fall of President Hosni Mubarak — and was a stark contrast to the idealistic sense of muslim-christian unity that flourished during the anti-Mubarak uprising.
It began Sunday night when thousands of christians demonstrated outside the state television building, protesting an attack on a church in southern Egypt. Army troops waded in, and armored personnel carriers barreled through the crowds. The violence killed 26 people, including at least 21 christians, some crushed by vehicles or shot to death. State media said three soldiers were among the dead.
In the first official press conference after the violence, the military tried to exonerate itself, blaming the christians and “hidden hands” for starting the violence, denying its troops shot any protesters or intentionally ran them over. Witnesses said soldiers started the melee. Videos showing soldiers beating and shooting into crowds and armored vehicles seeming to chase protesters cast doubt on the military’s account.
The public seemed torn in every direction. Some accept the military’s version. Many activists accuse the military of intentionally sparking the bloodshed — or at least exploiting it and the sectarian tensions — to scare Egyptians from protesting and to justify its hold on power. They say the bloody attack has derailed discussion of how to hold parliament elections due to begin on 28 November.
Some muslim clerics have hiked criticism of christians’ demands for equal rights. Christians, mainly from the Coptic Orthodox Church, make up around 10% of Egypt’s population of 85 million.
A cleric delivering his Friday sermon in a state-run mosque in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria warned christians against demanding a new law to ease restrictions on building churches and accused them of seeking foreign protection. Another cleric urged Egyptians to protect the military against protesters. The Muslim Brotherhood said now is not the time for christians to press demands.