Middle East Features
07:30 AM, March 2nd 2007
By Pakinam Amer, Dpa
Authorities claim that "life returned to normal" in the wake of clashes between Christians and Muslims in the Upper Egypt town of Armant, but the incident appears to have left a deep scar on this once close-knit community.
The mid-February clashes were sparked following a series of rumours, the most serious and controversial being one about a "love relationship" between an engaged 17-year-old Muslim girl and Ramy, a Christian boy in his early 20s.
Issues of "honour" and "shame" are sensitive in Egypt, especially in parts of the country where societies are small and chiefly characterized by strong family ties and deep-seated customs.
Still, Armant - unlike other surrounding towns and cities - had no recorded history of violence between Christians and Muslims even though it once had harboured Muslim extremists in the 1980s, according to independent observers.
So when a vehicle and at least three stores, run by Christians, were torched near dawn by a group of eight Muslim youths, many locals expressed their shock - including the families of the attackers who said they had "strong ties with their Christian brothers in Armant."
The incident was "short-lived," said Mohammad Fathy, member of parliament who represents the constituency to which Armant, some 620 kilometres south of Cairo, belongs.
"A week later after the incident, life returned to normal," insisted Fathy. "Everyone, merchants and good people, stood together and compensated those affected by the clashes."
A few days after the clashes, the MP and members of the local council organized a "reconciliation meeting" where Christian and Muslim religious figures sought to calm the people and to "confirm ties of unity and intimacy" between the two religious groups.
"There is no fear now," said Makram Gerges Mansour, member of the local council and a Christian himself. "If you go down on the streets, you will find that life has not changed."
Some other Christians, however, are not so confident. Amonious Narouz Bekheit, a Christian in his 30s, is one of them, who can't forget how two weeks ago he woke up to the sound of pounding on his doors and neighbours shouting that his small photo shop was on fire.
Bekheit was questioned by the local authorities, and during interrogation, he was surprised to hear that his store was targeted by a group of eight teenagers - and not just because of the "love rumour" but also because of another one in which he was accused of circulating indecent pictures of Muslim girls, clients of his studio.
After the youths were arrested, according to the MP Fathy, one of them had told police about this rumour, claiming that Bekheit used to take pictures of Muslim women, electronically manipulate them, and then post them on the internet.
"My father and mother are from this town. How could I ever do something like this and expect to get away with it?" said Bekheit who does not even own a computer. "Now my reputation is ruined. And my business."
Abdel-Qader Hamza, father of 16-year-old Ammar - one of the Muslim youths involved in the attacks - said he was "stunned" by the violence. His wife had had a nervous breakdown and the four sisters were devastated.
"If my son has really done this, then I will be extremely angry with him," he said. "But I'm still sure that if my son did this, he did it spontaneously. There is no thought, planning or ideology behind this. It was an impulsive act."
Other rumours may also have fuelled the tensions, according to a man named Hassan who declined to disclose his last name for fear of being harassed by security police.
Hassan said that a few years ago, a rumour arose about "a Muslim boy who converted to Christianity and was later found dead. People say he was killed, others say he committed suicide."
Ramy Shaker Zaki and Samy Rezkallah, two young Christians who spend most of their afternoons in the MariGerges (St. George) church in Armant and who have Muslim friends, say the tensions are real.
Rezkallah and Zaki both said that they feel that "Muslims think they want to covert them to Christianity and they avoid them when they start talking about their religion."
After the mid-February incidents, the two boys admitted they had withdrawn from their Muslim friends. "We started to be afraid for ourselves, and for the Christian girls. We were afraid of dissension," said Zaki.
Zaki claimed that one of his Christian friends even overheard talk among Muslims who had wanted to attack a Christian mass.
After days of heavy police security measures which all but brought life to a standstill in Armant, the Church is urging Christians not to retaliate against the attacks.
"We were afraid," said Mohareb Nabih, an assistant priest at the Church of MariGerges. "I was afraid of the reaction of the impulsive young people - from both sides."
Even two weeks after the incident, the reluctance of many of the locals to talk about the incident shows that the fear is still there.
© 2007 DPA
Link: http://www.playfuls.com/news_10_16831-Christian-Muslim-Clashes-In-Egyptian-Town-Leave-Scars.html
Note: Scroll down for a longer unedited version of the same story.
Friday, March 02, 2007
DPA: Christian-Muslim clashes in Egyptian town leave behind a"dark shadow" (longer version/unedited)
Middle East Features
(unedited)
Egypt-Society/Religion/FEATURE: Christian-Muslim clashes in Egyptian town leave behind a"dark shadow" =
By Pakinam Amer, dpa
Luxor (dpa) - Despite the authorities‘ claims that "everything went back to normal" in the wake of clashes between Christians and Muslims in the Upper Egypt town of Armant, the incident appears to have left a deep scar on this once close-knit fragment of society.
The clashes, in mid February, were sparked following a series of rumors; the "gravest" and the most contentious of which was that of a"love relationship" between an engaged 17-year-old Muslim girl and Ramy, a Christian boy in his early twenties.
Issues of "honor" and "shame" are sensitive in Egypt, especially in parts of the country where societies are small and are primarily characterized by strong family ties and deep-seated customs.
Still, Armant -unlike other surrounding cities- had no recorded history of violence between Christians and Muslims even when this very city used to harbor Muslim extremists in 1980‘s, according to independent observers.
So when a vehicle and at least three stores, run by Christians, were torched near dawn by a group of eight Muslim youth, many expressed their shock - including the families of the attackers who have, as they described, "strong ties with their Christian brothers in Armant."
The incident was "short-lived," said Mohammad Fathy, the member of Parliament who represents the constituency to which Armant, 18 kilometres south of Luxor (600 kilometres south of Cairo), belongs.
"A week later after the incident, life returned to normal," insisted Fathy. "Everyone, merchants and good people, stood together and compensated those affected by the clashes." Ramy, the Christian boy whose last name was not disclosed to the press, was forced to leave town.
"We don‘t want to see his face again. He‘s the one who caused this turmoil," said a local council member. Reportedly, Ramy currently resides in nearby Luxor.
A few days after the clashes, the MP and members of the local council organized what they called "a reconciliation meeting" where Christian and Muslim religious figures huddled to calm the people and to "confirm ties of unity and intimacy" between the two religious groups.
"There is no fear now," said Makram Gerges Mansour, member of the local council and a Christian himself. "If you go down on the streets, you will find that life has not changed. The mood was not stained (by the violence)."
Some other Christians, however, beg to differ.
Many are reluctant to believe that their lives in this ancient town will remain "unaffected" in light of the recent tensions; believing that relations with Muslims are bound to be "fickle."
Amonious Narouz Bekheit, a Christian in his thirties, is one of them.
For him, it all happened two weeks ago; Bekheit woke up near dawn to the sound of pounding on his door. Neighbors were shouting that his store was set on fire. "I rushed to the store, finding people trying to extinguish the fire."
Bekheit runs a small photo studio in the heart of the rural-like city, whose society is entrenched in tradition and defined by conservatism like most of the cities and villages of Upper Egypt.
According to Bekheit, police said the fire was caused when someone put a match to a pillow that was soaked in benzene and placed in a box outside the store.
Bekheit was questioned by the local authorities, and during interrogation, he was surprised to hear that his store was targeted by a group of eight teenagers -no more than 18- not just because of the "love rumor" but also because of another rumor where he was accused of circulating indecent pictures of Muslim girls, clients of his studio.
After the kids were arrested, according to the MP Fathy, one of them had told the police about this rumor, claiming that Bekheit used to take pictures of Muslim women, electronically manipulate them, and then post them to the internet.
"My father and mother are from this town. How could I ever do something like this and expect to get away with it?" said Bekheit who does not even own a computer.
"Now my reputation is ruined. And my business," added Bekheit.
"And I don‘t even know most of the kids (that set fire to the store and sparked the rumors)," he said.
Abdel-Qader Hamza, father of 16-year-old Ammar -one of the Muslim attackers- said that he was "stunned" by the violence.
On the eve of the attacks, Hamza said his son went to sleep before midnight, and so he might have escaped later from his room. When the police came to fetch Hamza‘s son, his father said he willingly gave him away.
His son was charged with arson, like his seven friends, and he is currently pending a court hearing.
Ammar‘s mother had a nervous breakdown and his four sisters are devastated, said the father.
"If my son has really done this, then I will be extremely angry at him."
The father explained that he is ready to accept any sentence his son receives adding that he would inflict his own punishment when the son is released.
"But I‘m still sure that if my son did this, he did it spontaneously. There is no thought, planning or ideology behind this. It was an impulsive act," said Abdel-Qader.
Arguably, other rumors may have affected the actions of these young Muslims.
According to Hassan, one Armant resident who refused to disclose his last name for fear of being harassed by security police, said that the tensions between Muslims and Christians in Armant may not have been apparent, but they have been simmering below the surface for several months.
According to Hassan, less than two years ago, a rumor rose about"a Muslim boy who converted to Christianity and was later found dead. People say he was killed, others say he committed suicide."
This rumor, said Hassan, fueled beliefs that there exists a Christian trend which tries to convert Muslims, in turn kindling mutual tensions between followers of the two religions.
In the remarks of Ramy Shaker Zaki and Samy Rezkallah, two young Christians who spend most of their afternoons in the MariGerges (St.Georges) church in Armant and who have Muslim friends, such tensions are arguably apparent.
Rezkallah and Zaki both said that they feel that "Muslims think they want to covert them to Christianity and they avoid them when they start talking about their religion."
After the incident, the sensitivities were mounted, and the two boys confessed that they drew away from their Muslim friends.
"(After this incident) we started to be afraid for ourselves, and for the Christian girls. We were afraid of a dissention," said Zaki. Zaki claimed that one of his Christian friends even overheard talks of Muslims who had wanted to attack a Christian mass.
Security was beefed up around town, following the violence, and the small town was cordoned off, apparently to prevent another outbreak of clashes.
"I was having a hair cut the next day when police stormed into the store (owned by a Christian)," 29-year-old Gamal Abdel-Fatah said.
Abdel-Fatah, a Muslim, said the police would not even permit him to continue his haircut, and ordered him out of the store, which was immediately closed down.
The narrow streets were swarming with police vehicles, according to his description.
Life seemed to come to a stop in Armant, usually thumping with life and activity, for four days where people coming into the small town were lengthy interrogated, and a blanket curfew was imposed.
In the days that followed, the Church also stepped in and asked Christians, during religious sermons, not to respond back to the attacks.
"We were afraid," said Mohareb Nabih, an assistant priest at the Church of MariGerges. "I was afraid of the reaction of the impulsive young people - from both sides; Muslims and Christians."
Even two weeks after the incident, the reluctance of many of the locals to talk about the incident shows that the fear might still be there.
dpa pa xx
(unedited)
Egypt-Society/Religion/FEATURE: Christian-Muslim clashes in Egyptian town leave behind a"dark shadow" =
By Pakinam Amer, dpa
Luxor (dpa) - Despite the authorities‘ claims that "everything went back to normal" in the wake of clashes between Christians and Muslims in the Upper Egypt town of Armant, the incident appears to have left a deep scar on this once close-knit fragment of society.
The clashes, in mid February, were sparked following a series of rumors; the "gravest" and the most contentious of which was that of a"love relationship" between an engaged 17-year-old Muslim girl and Ramy, a Christian boy in his early twenties.
Issues of "honor" and "shame" are sensitive in Egypt, especially in parts of the country where societies are small and are primarily characterized by strong family ties and deep-seated customs.
Still, Armant -unlike other surrounding cities- had no recorded history of violence between Christians and Muslims even when this very city used to harbor Muslim extremists in 1980‘s, according to independent observers.
So when a vehicle and at least three stores, run by Christians, were torched near dawn by a group of eight Muslim youth, many expressed their shock - including the families of the attackers who have, as they described, "strong ties with their Christian brothers in Armant."
The incident was "short-lived," said Mohammad Fathy, the member of Parliament who represents the constituency to which Armant, 18 kilometres south of Luxor (600 kilometres south of Cairo), belongs.
"A week later after the incident, life returned to normal," insisted Fathy. "Everyone, merchants and good people, stood together and compensated those affected by the clashes." Ramy, the Christian boy whose last name was not disclosed to the press, was forced to leave town.
"We don‘t want to see his face again. He‘s the one who caused this turmoil," said a local council member. Reportedly, Ramy currently resides in nearby Luxor.
A few days after the clashes, the MP and members of the local council organized what they called "a reconciliation meeting" where Christian and Muslim religious figures huddled to calm the people and to "confirm ties of unity and intimacy" between the two religious groups.
"There is no fear now," said Makram Gerges Mansour, member of the local council and a Christian himself. "If you go down on the streets, you will find that life has not changed. The mood was not stained (by the violence)."
Some other Christians, however, beg to differ.
Many are reluctant to believe that their lives in this ancient town will remain "unaffected" in light of the recent tensions; believing that relations with Muslims are bound to be "fickle."
Amonious Narouz Bekheit, a Christian in his thirties, is one of them.
For him, it all happened two weeks ago; Bekheit woke up near dawn to the sound of pounding on his door. Neighbors were shouting that his store was set on fire. "I rushed to the store, finding people trying to extinguish the fire."
Bekheit runs a small photo studio in the heart of the rural-like city, whose society is entrenched in tradition and defined by conservatism like most of the cities and villages of Upper Egypt.
According to Bekheit, police said the fire was caused when someone put a match to a pillow that was soaked in benzene and placed in a box outside the store.
Bekheit was questioned by the local authorities, and during interrogation, he was surprised to hear that his store was targeted by a group of eight teenagers -no more than 18- not just because of the "love rumor" but also because of another rumor where he was accused of circulating indecent pictures of Muslim girls, clients of his studio.
After the kids were arrested, according to the MP Fathy, one of them had told the police about this rumor, claiming that Bekheit used to take pictures of Muslim women, electronically manipulate them, and then post them to the internet.
"My father and mother are from this town. How could I ever do something like this and expect to get away with it?" said Bekheit who does not even own a computer.
"Now my reputation is ruined. And my business," added Bekheit.
"And I don‘t even know most of the kids (that set fire to the store and sparked the rumors)," he said.
Abdel-Qader Hamza, father of 16-year-old Ammar -one of the Muslim attackers- said that he was "stunned" by the violence.
On the eve of the attacks, Hamza said his son went to sleep before midnight, and so he might have escaped later from his room. When the police came to fetch Hamza‘s son, his father said he willingly gave him away.
His son was charged with arson, like his seven friends, and he is currently pending a court hearing.
Ammar‘s mother had a nervous breakdown and his four sisters are devastated, said the father.
"If my son has really done this, then I will be extremely angry at him."
The father explained that he is ready to accept any sentence his son receives adding that he would inflict his own punishment when the son is released.
"But I‘m still sure that if my son did this, he did it spontaneously. There is no thought, planning or ideology behind this. It was an impulsive act," said Abdel-Qader.
Arguably, other rumors may have affected the actions of these young Muslims.
According to Hassan, one Armant resident who refused to disclose his last name for fear of being harassed by security police, said that the tensions between Muslims and Christians in Armant may not have been apparent, but they have been simmering below the surface for several months.
According to Hassan, less than two years ago, a rumor rose about"a Muslim boy who converted to Christianity and was later found dead. People say he was killed, others say he committed suicide."
This rumor, said Hassan, fueled beliefs that there exists a Christian trend which tries to convert Muslims, in turn kindling mutual tensions between followers of the two religions.
In the remarks of Ramy Shaker Zaki and Samy Rezkallah, two young Christians who spend most of their afternoons in the MariGerges (St.Georges) church in Armant and who have Muslim friends, such tensions are arguably apparent.
Rezkallah and Zaki both said that they feel that "Muslims think they want to covert them to Christianity and they avoid them when they start talking about their religion."
After the incident, the sensitivities were mounted, and the two boys confessed that they drew away from their Muslim friends.
"(After this incident) we started to be afraid for ourselves, and for the Christian girls. We were afraid of a dissention," said Zaki. Zaki claimed that one of his Christian friends even overheard talks of Muslims who had wanted to attack a Christian mass.
Security was beefed up around town, following the violence, and the small town was cordoned off, apparently to prevent another outbreak of clashes.
"I was having a hair cut the next day when police stormed into the store (owned by a Christian)," 29-year-old Gamal Abdel-Fatah said.
Abdel-Fatah, a Muslim, said the police would not even permit him to continue his haircut, and ordered him out of the store, which was immediately closed down.
The narrow streets were swarming with police vehicles, according to his description.
Life seemed to come to a stop in Armant, usually thumping with life and activity, for four days where people coming into the small town were lengthy interrogated, and a blanket curfew was imposed.
In the days that followed, the Church also stepped in and asked Christians, during religious sermons, not to respond back to the attacks.
"We were afraid," said Mohareb Nabih, an assistant priest at the Church of MariGerges. "I was afraid of the reaction of the impulsive young people - from both sides; Muslims and Christians."
Even two weeks after the incident, the reluctance of many of the locals to talk about the incident shows that the fear might still be there.
dpa pa xx
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