Faith
Under Fire....
Hundreds march in Egypt to mourn slain Christians
By AYA BATRAWY, Associated Press
CAIRO — Hundreds of Egyptians marched Friday through Cairo to
commemorate 27 people killed last month in clashes with the
military that triggered new criticism of Egypt's ruling generals
and their handling of the aftermath of this year's uprising.
The violence on Oct. 9 was the worst since the revolution that
ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February. Most of those killed
were Coptic Christians who had been protesting an attack on a
church in southern Egypt.
In Friday's march, crowds of Muslims and Christians called for
unity as they marched from one of Cairo's main churches through
one of the city's busiest streets, backing up traffic for several
miles. Police guided the procession until it reached Tahrir
Square, the epicenter of Egypt's uprising and the scene of
continued protests directed at the military council that took over
from Mubarak.
Several marchers wore T-shirts marked with the ancient Egyptian
symbol known as the Ankh, or key of life, and wore ancient
Egyptian-style dress. Coptic Christianity in Egypt dates back to
the first century and the language used in its liturgy can be
traced to the speech of Egypt's pharaohs.
The marchers also held photos of the dead, Christian crosses
draped in the colors of the Egyptian flag and posters denouncing
the military.
A Coptic preacher spoke to the crowd of hundreds through
loudspeakers strapped on the back of a truck, telling them to
support the military but to continue to demand justice.
Not all were in agreement, as several marchers held posters
denouncing the military and Egypt's military ruler, Field Marshal
Hussein Tantawi, who was Mubarak's defense minister.
"Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and his gang are playing with
Egypt's future and leading Egypt to total destruction," one sign
said.
Witnesses to the October bloodshed said that the military attacked
protesters. According to forensics reports for the slain
protesters, a third of victims were killed by being run over by
armored vehicles, while two-thirds were shot with live ammunition.
At least 21 of the 27 killed were Christians.
Copts, who make up about 10 percent of the country's 85 million
people, have long complained of discrimination by Egypt's leaders.
State media said three soldiers were killed in the clashes. The
military denied troops opened fire at protesters and said it is
not in "the dictionary of the armed forces to run over bodies