It’s been barely a month since the historic uprising toppled Egypt’s longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. The ruling military is struggling to maintain order, but last Tuesday night clashes broke out between Coptic Christians and Muslims in the suburbs of Cairo, leaving 13 dead and 140 wounded. The fighting began when a Muslim mob attacked several hundred Christians protesting the burning of a church in Soul, a village south of Cairo. Muslims had apparently set fire to the church due to escalating tensions over a love affair between a Muslim woman and a Christian man. On Wednesday of last week, thousands gathered peacefully to demand that the transitional government rebuild the church, prosecute the attackers and work to improve conditions for Egypt’s Coptic Christian community, which makes up about 10-percent of the country’s 80-million people. Will the military be able to meet these demands? What does the future hold for Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority?
Guest:
Liam Stack, New York Times reporter in Cairo, Egypt
Father Gregory Bishay, delegate of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Los Angeles