CAIRO — Egypt’s Christians packed churches yesterday for mournful Christmas Eve Masses, weeping and donning black in place of colorful holiday clothes, under a heavy security cordon by police out of fear of another attack like the New Year’s suicide bombing of a church that killed 21 people.
At church gates around the country, police and church staff checked the IDs of those entering the services — and their wrists, where many Egyptian Christians bear the tattoo of a cross.
Al Qaeda in Iraq had threatened Christians in Iraq and Egypt in the weeks leading up to the holidays and Saturday’s deadly bombing. Militant websites have even posted addresses of churches to target, raising fears of a follow-up attack on celebrations of the Orthodox Christmas, which Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority marks tomorrow.
Still, turnout was heavy, as Christians said they were determined to attend. Muslims also joined some services as a show of solidarity, getting permission from church officials ahead of time to get through police limiting access to Christians.
The two faiths were struggling to find some kind of healing after the deadliest attack on the minority community in a decade. Saturday’s attack unleashed a wave of fury by Copts over what they say is deep anti-Christian sentiment among Muslims and the state’s failure to address it and protect Christians. For days afterward, Copts clashed with police in unusually fierce riots, and there was concern of new unrest after yesterday’s Mass.
But healing was hard to come by, with some Copts skeptical anything will change.
“Some Muslims are good people,’’ said Raymonda Ramzy, a 45-year-old worshipper dressed in black entering Mass at the main Coptic Church in the Cairo district of Giza. “But even on my way here, a couple of young men shouted at me, ‘God take you all and rid us of you.’ ’’
While some worried about attending services for fear of attack, she said, “I never hesitated. I wish I could die in church.’’
State TV gave heavy coverage to the Christmas Eve Mass to promote a sense of unity. As it has in past years, it broadcast live Pope Shenouda III leading prayers and delivering his sermon at Cairo’s Coptic Cathedral.
Last week’s attack was the first ever such suicide bombing targeting Christians in Egypt, raising concern that Al Qaeda may have a role, though investigators suspect a home-grown group probably carried it out.
