Grief, Rage Envelop Egypt's Christians After April 9 Attacks
Within hours after a bomb devastated St. George Church, young Christian Copts were already digging graves in the church's basement to prevent an outbreak of disease brought about by the unattended cadavers, shredded body parts and blood that scattered on the blast site.
The explosion in the northern city of Tanta which claimed 28 lives and wounded 80 others was the first of two bombings that rocked Egypt on Palm Sunday, April 9. This was followed hours later by a suicide bombing at St. Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria City, which left 17 people dead and 48 injured.
As the excavation went on at St. George, Kerols Paheg showed Reuters photos of the carnage on his phone.
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"Today was supposed to be a day of festivity," he said, referring to the start of Holy Week. "What's happening is too much, it's unacceptable."
The recent terror attacks are the culmination of a never-ending series of persecution faced by Coptic Christians who make up 10 percent of Egypt's 91 million inhabitants. For years, Christians have been massacred while their homes and churches were razed to the ground by Islamic extremists.
The attacks have increased in frequency and severity despite government's repeated assurance of protection. A week before the Palm Sunday blast, an explosive device was found and disarmed near St. George. Despite the discovery, security was almost non-existent last Sunday.
David Saeed described what happened in Tanta, saying, "We were just singing and suddenly — in a blink of an eye — smoke, fire everywhere... I saw blood, organs of friends scattered over the ground. I'm shocked, I'm angry because we're used to this (violence) here in Egypt."
Ishak Ibrahim, a researcher on Egypt's Coptic issues, blamed the lack of freedom and democracy as well constitutional discrimination against civilians that encouraged militancy in the country. The atmosphere has helped create radical Islam which targets minorities, he told CNN.
