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Egypt: Palestinians and Egyptians protest against attacks

Egypt

Palestinians and Christians from the Coptic community who are marking Easter in Bethlehem, on Monday participated in a protest in front of the church of Nativity, against the attacks on the Egyptian churches on Palm Sunday.

Protesters voiced anger and concern over the latest attacks on their denomination’s churches in Egypt saying that “terrorism was made this time to distort the image of religion.”

However, security guards were on high alert outside Coptic church in Egypt’s Nile Delta City of Tanta on Monday, the morning after a blast that killed at least 27 and wounded nearly 80.

“We’ve started implementing changes to enhance services and achieve a very high level of security, and we’re setting up high-level checkpoints around the church, and have deployed security forces to search those coming into the church, and in nearby streets as well,” said security head, Tarek Hasouna.

Another attack in the city of Alexandria hit Saint Mark’s Cathedral shortly after the Tanta attack.

“I want to ask President Sisi, why didn’t you declare this state of emergency two weeks before the holidays? He’s coming to do this now after the crime has happened? When are the holidays?” A colleague of one of the victims, Asaad Rezk said.

Cairo residents have condemned the bombings that targeted churches in Tanta and Alexandria on Palm Sunday.

“I just want to tell them, you are living in a limited ideology. If you open your mind and look at other ideologies, you will know that you are wrong. You will start loving others. Religion has never told you to kill, religion has told you to love,” A resident, Samir Nawar said.

“Allah is sufficient for me, and he is the best trustee. God have revenge on what they did . They want to use Islam to tear us apart. We are brothers and sisters and religion for God is Islam but Christians are our brothers and sisters. There is no difference between Muslims and Christians and we are all equal,“said pedestrian Nematalla.

Egypt's Bomb blasts !!!
We are highly protest to against all forms of worldwide terrorism including any excuse to kill innocent people. pic.twitter.com/zlKh8dkAR5

— MR Group & Associate (@mrgaglobal) April 9, 2017

Copts make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s 92 million people, the largest Christian minority in the Middle East. The assaults are the latest on a religious minority increasingly targeted by Islamist militants.

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