WATANI International
14 February 2010
Repercussions from the tragic shooting at Nag Hammadi are evident on Internet sites like Facebook.
Young people have been using blogs and chat rooms to post photographs of the victims and add their comments. Several are calling for the death penalty for the murderers. Altogether 58 groups have been formed on Facebook to report on the incidents and aftermath of the attacks. Videos and reports are showing the reaction of people inside and outside Egypt.
United in grief
Many Muslims share the grief felt by Christians over their tragedy. ‘Nadia’, a blogger who joined one of the Facebook groups supporting the cause of the Nag Hammadi victims, said: “I am a Muslim and I feel so angry because of what happened.” She added that the murderers had no religion or conscience, and if they were Muslims they should feel shame. “These people don’t want any good for either Muslims or Christians,” she wrote.
Other bloggers believe in holding tight to Christian principles and forgiving those who persecute us, emulating the saints and martyrs who shed their bloods in centuries past.
A Facebook group that has grown to 8,000 is calling for the “Execution for the Nag Hammadi slaughterers”. They have posted a cartoon of the three accused within a hangman’s rope. The group is asking for the exposure of the people who might have planned the crime behind the scenes. They want the government to guarantee the rights of Copts and their citizenship. “We reject any announcement claiming the murderer to be mentally disturbed or insane,” they write. “No excuses will be accepted from the government, the persecution office or the court.”
Appealing to Caesar
A group of 5,000 bloggers have named themselves “the campaign of the million Christians who reject persecution”. They write on their profile wall; “Like St Paul who raised his case to Caesar, we will also raise the case to human rights associations.”
Facebook has revealed a high interest in the demonstrations that have been taking place inside and outside Egypt. The demonstration inside the cathedral in Abassiya had the lion’s share of the coverage and was accompanied by photographs.
Several bloggers have asked for the resignation of the Qena governor Magdy Ayoub and the head of Qena security, Mahmoud Gohar, because of their lapse in protecting the public. They are also calling for the release of the people who have been arrested and detained without committing any crime but for their presence in the crime scene. A blogger has written a letter personifying Qena’s governor and addressing the president. He writes: “ I feel shame, Mr President, because I did not speak the full truth and buried my head in the sand. I preferred to keep my post rather than protect peoples’ lives … I have ignored the sectarian tension in the governorate, especially in Farshout and nearby villages, and I deserted without making any security precautions.”
Better than a hundred men
MP Abdel-Rahim al-Ghoul was severely criticised for the antagonism he expressed towards Copts, and some photographs were published showing al-Kamouni, the man accused of the shooting, with al-Ghoul on several occasions.
MP Georgette Qellini, on the other hand, has been applauded for her adamant defence of Copts in parliament and for showing up the lack of leadership shown by the Qena governor. In this she has been called “better than a hundred men”.
One blogger wonders: “Will the persecution of Copts carry on even after the convicts appear in court?”