Credit where credit is due. These are good people.
Egypt’s majority Muslim population stuck to its word Thursday night. What had been a promise of solidarity to the weary Coptic community, was honoured, when thousands of Muslims showed up at Coptic Christmas eve mass services in churches around the country and at candle light vigils held outside.
From the well-known to the unknown, Muslims had offered their bodies as “human shields” for last night’s mass, making a pledge to collectively fight the threat of Islamic militants and towards an Egypt free from sectarian strife.
“We either live together, or we die together,” was the sloganeering genius of Mohamed El-Sawy, a Muslim arts tycoon whose cultural centre distributed flyers at churches in Cairo Thursday night, and who has been credited with first floating the “human shield” idea.
Among those shields were movie stars Adel Imam and Yousra, popular preacher Amr Khaled, the two sons of President Hosni Mubarak, and thousands of citizens who have said they consider the attack one on Egypt as a whole.
“This is not about us and them,” said Dalia Mustafa, a student who attended mass at Virgin Mary Church on Maraashly. “We are one. This was an attack on Egypt as a whole, and I am standing with the Copts because the only way things will change in this country is if we come together.”
January 8, 2011 at 6:25 pm
They are not far from the kingdom of heaven. It is just hard for them to convert as they will murdered as apostates when they do.
January 8, 2011 at 7:21 pm
This actually provides hope. Hope that they finally "get it" when it comes to fighting extremism. It doesn't belong in any religion and it doesn't matter what religion you are… if you say it's wrong, then stand up to say it! This is one reason so many people don't trust Muslims. They "say" extremism and terrorism is bad, but then don't "DO" something. This is Muslims DOING something. Good for them!!
January 8, 2011 at 10:36 pm
The light of hope.
January 9, 2011 at 3:31 am
Though most officials did not speculate about what might have provoked the attack, Sheriff Dupnik offered an emotional indictment of the state of political discourse.
“The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And unfortunately, I think Arizona has become sort of the capital, we have beome the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry,” he said. “There’s reason to believe that this individual might have a mental issue, and I think that people who are unbalanced might be especially susceptible to vitriol.”
January 9, 2011 at 4:59 pm
“There’s reason to believe that this individual might have a mental issue,"
yes, exactly…because 'Leftism' is a mental disease.
'Psychological Causes of Political Madness'
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=56494
January 9, 2011 at 6:27 pm
God Bless them all!
January 9, 2011 at 8:29 pm
but "prejudice and bigotry" is a disease of the Right.
January 10, 2011 at 4:39 pm
I am not so sure…this seems to be in accord with the function of the jizya(tax for subjugated people) for the dhimmi people, it is a "protection" tax, meaning these could be the same islamic militants protecting the copts who had come up with the threats in the first place. A similar incident happened in Indonesia where an islamic group offered to protect some Christian churches during Christmas.
January 11, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Stories like this are heartening because they open up a window to a view that has been almost totally obscured by misguided zealots like, for example, Robert Spencer of "JihadWatch" fame.
And this is not some isolated incident, either. A little research will reveal that there are other cases where Christians have been protected by Muslims. Let us be frank: these people can be converted. Indeed it was the great Dom Geuranger who argued that once the Russian Orthodox reunite with Rome (may Our Lord hasten the day) the Moslems will follow. And ask yourself what groups most consistently side with the Vatican in UN-debated life issues. Would it surprise you to hear it is the Moslem countries?
Don't give up on them, or fall victim to the constant propaganda against these people coming from the usual Yankee and Levantine suspects. Pray for their conversion.