Is Egypt's Sisi losing Coptic support?
Following the attack on Cairo’s largest Coptic church, Egyptian Copts held demonstrations condemning President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his administration for failing to protect them, although others maintain their support.
CAIRO — Driven by rage, Mina Safwat, an Egyptian man in his 20s, took part in the Coptic demonstrations in front of the headquarters of St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in the Abbasiya district in Cairo on Dec. 11. The demonstrations come after an explosion ripped through the St. Peter and St. Paul Coptic Orthodox Church in Cairo, claiming the lives of 26 people and wounding 48, mostly women and children.
According to Safwat and the other demonstrators, the main reason behind this terrorist attack is the lack of security around the church. They believe that Interior Minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar should be blamed for the attack and dismissed from office.
During the demonstration, Safwat told Al-Monitor that despite the repeated attacks against churches since June 30, 2013, the security forces have failed to improve security for Christian places of worship.
According to the Wiki Thawra website, 83 Christian houses of worship in 17 provinces came under attack on Aug. 14-19, 2013, after the sit-in staged by supporters of former President Mohammed Morsi was dispersed at Rabia al-Adawiya and al-Nahda squares. During the same period, 40 attacks targeted Coptic public and private property.
