Egyptian Muslims Serve As Human Shields For Coptic Christmas Services

Egypt's Muslim community followed through on their promise to support the country's embattled Christian population as they celebrated their Christmas Eve masses on Thursday night.

Anxiety among the nation's Coptic Christians, who make up approximately 10 percent of the population, was at a fever-pitch in the wake of the New Years day attack on Saints Church in Alexandria.

Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram reported that prominent Islamic leaders and celebrities had called for a massive show of support by Egypt's Muslims in order to send a message that the majority of the nation would not stand for extremist violence and persecution.

"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."

Read the whole story from al-Ahram here.

Comments

[Jessi Matthies]

01:10 AM on 02/11/2011

This is a wonderful example of true spirit of brotherhood and solidarity, if only everyone was willing and capable of recognizing the admirable virtue it is and embrace it. It should be promoted as an example of the nobler aspect of the human spirit, and other certain people will only serve as the counter example

[GustavoRejivik]

02:17 AM on 01/26/2011

Why would Christians have to be protected in Egypt and across the Middle East? Isn't Islam the Religion of Peace?

[Counterglow]

02:46 AM on 01/27/2011

These people are proving it. How would you like it if Christianity was described only in terms of the people bombing abortion clinics and murdering doctors?

[MarkosPiapostolos]

09:11 PM on 01/15/2011

Typical Muslim wants to censor my views and threaten with the sword of Islam. Islam started by the sword, spread by the sword, and is guarded by the sword. Here is my challenge to Muslim countries, if Islam is so powerful, why punish the Muslim apostate by death and torture. Leave everyone to adopt whatever religion he wants in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, all other Muslim majority countries.

[ammsamm]

08:23 PM on 01/15/2011

Obviously the moderators on this thread are not doing their job at all.

Spamming, double and triple postings - and no moderation whatsoever.

Obviously they're enjoying Markos' little rants.

[MarkosPiapostolos]

09:01 PM on 01/15/2011

Typical Muslim wants to censor my views and threaten with the sword of Islam. Islam started by the sword, spread by the sword, and is guarded by the sword. Here is my challenge to Muslim countries, if Islam is so powerful, why punish the Muslim apostate by death and torture. Leave everyone to adopt whatever religion he wants in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, all other Muslim majority countries.

[ammsamm]

06:09 AM on 01/16/2011

When Jesus PBUH returns to Earth, you will know the truth. God Almighty, Creator of everything in the whole world, who when He Wills something, has only to say, Be, and it is, protected the great honour of Jesus PBUH and did not allow him to be killed shamefully - rather, He made him rise alive up to Him, until such time as Jesus PBUH will return to Earth and break the cross and kill the swine and show people their folly. Until such time, there should be respect between all faiths. You have your religion and I have mine.

[usaville]

01:01 PM on 02/07/2011

Muslims justify Jesus as a mortal prophet by using the bible much like the sexually immoral use the bible to justify their lifestyle, by misrepresentation of selected quotes, and clearly disregarding context and content.

[MarkosPiapostolos]

07:39 PM on 01/15/2011

Mohamed bowed down to the idols in front of all idol worshipers and said the following verse: (TELK ALGHARANIK ALOLA EN SHAFATOHOM LATORTAGA)­. Translatio­n (These great Gods their intercessi­on is hoped for). This is called the satanic verses that Salman Roshdy wrote his book about and was chased by the peace loving Muslims to kill him wherever he is! May be you like that Mohamed said that he does not know if he is going to heaven or not. He also said Islam's God is tricky
• Ahmed Maher, The Judge and Islamic Scholar wants to remove the scandalous cronicles and stories in Sahih Alboukhary (The Major and most prominent Hadith Book). Maher objects that one of Mohamed companions said that he saw monkeys stoning an adulteress female monkey! This story is mentioned in Sahih Alboukhary­, the same book that taught you how to pray, how many times to pray, how to fast and the basics of Islam. Adultress Monkey! Maher said that Islam is not logical at all!

[MarkosPiapostolos]

07:34 PM on 01/15/2011

Give the Coptic Christians their rights to build their churches without being persecuted
Give the Coptic Christians their right to take their share in the Government and Parliment
Remove the Sharea Islamic Law as the second source of Egyptian Law
Remove the Religion of the Person from the Egyptian ID
Allow the Muslims who adopt Christianity to change their religion in the ID Cards and not to be tortured and killed
Allow the Christian Coptic people to take high positions and have equal opprtunity like Muslims
Stop the abduction of young Christian women and forcing them to adopt Islam after abusing them (thousands of cases) are reported with no avail.
Stop the haphazart arrests of Coptic Christians after a Muslim attack to bargain with them so that the coptic Christians would not file any complaint.

[ammsamm]

05:42 AM on 01/13/2011

Time will reveal the true culprits in this tragedy. Egyptians - Muslims and Christians, and yes, even Jews- have lived together for years in peace.

The real trouble makers will be revealed - this smells of Mossad.

[MarkosPiapostolos]

07:34 PM on 01/15/2011

Give the Coptic Christians their rights to build their churches without being persecuted
Give the Coptic Christians their right to take their share in the Government and Parliment
Remove the Sharea Islamic Law as the second source of Egyptian Law
Remove the Religion of the Person from the Egyptian ID
Allow the Muslims who adopt Christianity to change their religion in the ID Cards and not to be tortured and killed
Allow the Christian Coptic people to take high positions and have equal opprtunity like Muslims
Stop the abduction of young Christian women and forcing them to adopt Islam after abusing them (thousands of cases) are reported with no avail.
Stop the haphazart arrests of Coptic Christians after a Muslim attack to bargain with them so that the coptic Christians would not file any complaint.

[Herbert Ragan]

07:40 PM on 01/12/2011

I am an atheist. But I read a story like this and I cheer.

[Bill Sampson]

12:27 AM on 01/12/2011

“The Quran "is inimitable and unsurpassa­ble not only in the grandeur of its diction, the variety of its imagery and the splendour of its word painting, but also in its meaning, substance, message and profundity­. It is "an incomparab­le book which yields to no abrogation or distortion­, and unto which no falsehood could find a way from whatever source, be it of past or future events mentioned therein, a message from the Wise Lord to whom praise is due for the bounties He has bestowed on mankind.".­. It is neither a history nor a biography. It is not even an anthology, or metaphysic­al dialectic, or sublime homiletic. It is not poetry either in spite of its rhythm and cadence and its captivatin­g charm. It is much more than all that. It is the Revelation of God, the undoubted Guidance for mankind, with a universal and eternal meaning and substance. It proclaims the common source of religions and confirms and completes the earlier Revelation­s.

http://mus­lim-canada­.org/athar­husain.htm­l

Cont...”

[MarkosPiapostolos]

07:51 PM on 01/15/2011

• The Quran is the tampered burned and authored by the perverted womanizer, homosexual blood thirsty Mohamed. The Quran collapses if it is even translated properly and not the translations watering down its atrocious mistakes. Jesus said he is God everywhere in the bible. He said Before Abraham "I AM". The I AM word is known to the Jews as GOD and this is why they wanted to stone him then
• Shia, a sect of Islam that makes the majority of Muslims in Iran, and Iraq and are a minority in some other Gulf countries and were the Majority of Muslims in Egypt until Saladin exterminated them by the sword hold major objections about the Quran in your hands to day. The Shia renowned Scholar Imam Nur Al Din AL TABARISI wrote a book entitled (The decisive Letter about the alteration of the Book of the Lord of Lords (the Quran).
• Here are the titles of the Chapters of his book that Imam Altabarisi wrote: Section 1 entitled: "The evidence of change and the decrease in the Koran." He said under this section of twelve evidence quoted by the distortion of the Koran.
Section 2 he listed in the directory a massive confirmed Hadith the Quran's distortion by the Sunni successors of Mohamed. So if over 150 million Shea Muslims believe that the Quran was for sure altered.

[MarkosPiapostolos]

08:05 PM on 01/15/2011

Islam is dead and in the last gasp. Millions of Muslims are leaving Islam in Arabic speaking countries. www.truthsat.tv is a satellite TV Channel made by ex Muslims from egypt Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria, Morrocco. Their programs are broadcasted in Arabic and English to explain the perverted Islamic cult. They reported that millions are leaving Islam when they understand the reality of Islam in Arabic from the Arabic Islamic source books. There is a sect in Egypt called the Quranist who abandoned the Hadith (sayings and Chronicles of Mohamed) they say that the contents of the Hadith are unexpainable to anyone with a brain. For example their is a hadith that says that one of Mohamed's followers (Amr Ebn Maymoun) saw monkeys stonning an adultress monkey and he share with them the stonning. Another authenticated hadith said that a fly bears poison on one of its wings and the medicine on the other so Mohamed advised that you should immerse the fly completely in your drink to get rid of its harmful effect. Saudi Arabia hosted make shift "Scientsits" to prove that this is a true fact. So for all of you Muslims you should be able to make Fly-Cola as your national drink. It is also said that Mohamed prescribed camel's urine to treat from deseases. This is why Islam when faithfully translated NO ONE WILL FOLLOW THE PERVERTED BACKWARDS CULT.

[Bill Sampson]

12:26 AM on 01/12/2011

“Cont...

The Qur'an is not a book in the sense that it might have been revealed and presented in one volume and it is not a historical record of events arranged in their sequence. The Qur'an was revealed in fragments of varying lengths over a twenty-thr­ee year period, a period of stress and conflict, and every text was not only related to the overall plan but also to emerging situations­. As each text appeared, it was properly arranged, assigned a number among the verses and that position was never altered. For each verse there are, thus, two orders -- a chronologi­cal order and a structural order.

In the chronologi­cal order, every verse would meet with the requiremen­t of the time and was dovetailed with the preceding and subsequent verses in the gradual developmen­t of the entire plan of the scripture. This is how the plan unfolded itself. A man was selected in the land of Arabs to receive the mantle of prophethoo­d. The Revelation begins with the simple command "Read" (96:1), then goes to the apostolic charge "Preach" (74:2); then it asks him to call his near relatives (26:214); the call is then extended to the whole town (6:92) and finally to all of mankind (21:107).

http://mus­lim-canada­.org/athar­husain.htm­l”

[MarkosPiapostolos]

07:41 PM on 01/15/2011

Historical Errors of the Quran 6

These comments are expressed by all the scholars without any exception (refer to Baydawi, p. 399, al-Jalalan­, p. 251, al-Tabari, p. 339, al-Zamakhs­hari, part 2 of al-Kash-sh­af, p. 743). If we do not refer to these great expounders of the Qur'an to whom, then, shall we refer? The Greek Alexander was not a righteous servant of God as the Qur'an said, but he was a licentious­, belligeren­t, idolatrous man. He did not have any relationsh­ip with God and God never asked him to guide people and to teach them the faith.

Other Historical Errors
Does the reader believe that Abraham did not offer Isaac, but Ishmael, as a sacrifice? This is what all Muslim scholars say. Do you know that the Qur'an claims that Haman was pharaoh's prime minister even though Haman lived in Babylon one thousand years later? Yet the Qur'an says so. The Qur'an says that the one who picked Moses from the river was not his sister but his mother (28:6-8), and that a Samaritan was the one who molded the golden calf for the children of Israel and misguided them, and the golden calf was lowing (refer to chapter 20:85-88) though it is well-known that Samaria was not in existence at that time. The Samaritans came after the Babylonian exile. How could one of them have made the golden calf for the people of Israel?

[GustavoRejivik]

02:22 AM on 01/26/2011

Was the man selected or did he select himself? Why does Islam promote such massive killing around the World?

[ammsamm]

11:32 PM on 01/11/2011

*Markos* - It's good to see how frustrated you are by Islam.

Tear your hair out if you like as well - you will never be an obstacle to the truth, however much you rant and rage.

[MarkosPiapostolos]

08:04 PM on 01/15/2011

Islam is dead and in the last gasp. Millions of Muslims are leaving Islam in Arabic speaking countries. www.truthsat.tv is a satellite TV Channel made by ex Muslims from egypt Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria, Morrocco. Their programs are broadcasted in Arabic and English to explain the perverted Islamic cult. They reported that millions are leaving Islam when they understand the reality of Islam in Arabic from the Arabic Islamic source books. There is a sect in Egypt called the Quranist who abandoned the Hadith (sayings and Chronicles of Mohamed) they say that the contents of the Hadith are unexpainable to anyone with a brain. For example their is a hadith that says that one of Mohamed's followers (Amr Ebn Maymoun) saw monkeys stonning an adultress monkey and he share with them the stonning. Another authenticated hadith said that a fly bears poison on one of its wings and the medicine on the other so Mohamed advised that you should immerse the fly completely in your drink to get rid of its harmful effect. Saudi Arabia hosted make shift "Scientsits" to prove that this is a true fact. So for all of you Muslims you should be able to make Fly-Cola as your national drink. It is also said that Mohamed prescribed camel's urine to treat from deseases. This is why Islam when faithfully translated NO ONE WILL FOLLOW THE PERVERTED BACKWARDS CULT.

[ammsamm]

08:19 PM on 01/15/2011

LOL. Poor you. La Illaha illa Allah, Mohammad rasul Allah. Al hamdulillah.

May your frustration and rage eat you up, insha'Allah.

[DrHas]

11:49 PM on 01/15/2011

Lol, so much frustration... It's cos u know that all of these things u posted are fictional. And the truth is that it's the fastest growing 'cult', as u say, in almost any western nation. Oops..I guess that's not gonna console you. Lol, embrace the truth man..

[MarkosPiapostolos]

10:11 PM on 01/11/2011

Historical Errors of the Quran 6

These comments are expressed by all the scholars without any exception (refer to Baydawi, p. 399, al-Jalalan, p. 251, al-Tabari, p. 339, al-Zamakhshari, part 2 of al-Kash-shaf, p. 743). If we do not refer to these great expounders of the Qur'an to whom, then, shall we refer? The Greek Alexander was not a righteous servant of God as the Qur'an said, but he was a licentious, belligerent, idolatrous man. He did not have any relationship with God and God never asked him to guide people and to teach them the faith.

Other Historical Errors
Does the reader believe that Abraham did not offer Isaac, but Ishmael, as a sacrifice? This is what all Muslim scholars say. Do you know that the Qur'an claims that Haman was pharaoh's prime minister even though Haman lived in Babylon one thousand years later? Yet the Qur'an says so. The Qur'an says that the one who picked Moses from the river was not his sister but his mother (28:6-8), and that a Samaritan was the one who molded the golden calf for the children of Israel and misguided them, and the golden calf was lowing (refer to chapter 20:85-88) though it is well-known that Samaria was not in existence at that time. The Samaritans came after the Babylonian exile. How could one of them have made the golden calf for the people of Israel?

[ammsamm]

07:38 AM on 01/13/2011

One Quran throughout the centuries.

How many Bibles?

A man unschooled would be able to comprehend the difference and the meaning and the gravity.

Rant and rage as you wish - even that is found in the Quran.

[MarkosPiapostolos]

10:01 PM on 01/15/2011

Uthman Ebn Affan the 3rd caliphate after Mohmaed collected 22 copies of the Quran written in Arabic Quraish (Mohamed's Tribe) dialect owned by: Aisha (Mohamed's wife), Omar Ebn Alkhattab (Mohamed's successor and caliphate), Ali Ebn Abi Taleb (Mohamed's Cousin), Abdallah Ebn Massoud, Hafsa (Mohamed's wife). Uthman took these 22 authentic Quran copies owned by these relatives and followers of Mohamed and BURNED ALL OF THEM, YES BURNED ALL THESE COPIES and left one copy which was not vowelled and could be altered greatly as the letters in Arabic must be vowelled properly top be read. Anyways, the Muslims rioted against Uthman and decided to kill him for burning the Quran. Aisha, Mohamed's wife cried for his assassination, and Mohamed Ebn Abou BAkr, Aisha's brother and others assassinated Uthman because he burned the Quran. To this day the Shea sect have two Quran Chapters (Alnourin is one of them and the other called alwelayah) that the Sunis do not approve. So the Quran is missing a lot after it was burned by Uthman.

[Puncastle]

02:59 AM on 01/14/2011

Some scholars believe that these verses refer to Cyrus the Great. Alexander's name is not mentioned in the verses.... Just Dhul Qarnayn (two horns) signifying a king with two kingdoms.

[MarkosPiapostolos]

10:10 PM on 01/11/2011

Historical Errors of the Quran 5

Alexander the Great
It is amazing to see the Qur'an talking about Alexander the Great as if he were a righteous man and a teacher, though it is well-known that the Greek, Alexander, was idolatrous and claimed to be the son of Amun, the God of Egypt. If the reader wonders where it is recorded in the Qur'an that Alexander was a righteous man, we would refer him to the chapter of the Cave 18:83-98 where we encounter sixteen verses which talk about this military general. These verses explicitly say that God assisted him, guided him and removed all obstacles from his way in order that he could accomplish his plans and fulfill his desires. They indicate that Alexander was the one who reached the place of the sunset and found it set down in a well of water and mud. They claim that he encountered some people and God gave him the option to torment them, to kill them or to take them captive, call them to the faith and to lead them in a straight path.

[Puncastle]

02:01 PM on 01/13/2011

However, some Muslim scholars have asserted that the medieval scholars were mistaken and that Dhul-Qarnayn cannot be Alexander, because Alexander the Great was not a monotheist, while Dhul-Qarnayn should be a God-worshiper and a just ruler, since the Qur'an has brought into prominence these characteristics more than anything else in the quoted passages.

[MarkosPiapostolos]

10:03 PM on 01/15/2011

Keep covering for Islam's scandalous Quran and its errors. Uthman Ebn Affan the 3rd caliphate after Mohmaed collected 22 copies of the Quran written in Arabic Quraish (Mohamed's Tribe) dialect owned by: Aisha (Mohamed's wife), Omar Ebn Alkhattab (Mohamed's successor and caliphate), Ali Ebn Abi Taleb (Mohamed's Cousin), Abdallah Ebn Massoud, Hafsa (Mohamed's wife). Uthman took these 22 authentic Quran copies owned by these relatives and followers of Mohamed and BURNED ALL OF THEM, YES BURNED ALL THESE COPIES and left one copy which was not vowelled and could be altered greatly as the letters in Arabic must be vowelled properly top be read. Anyways, the Muslims rioted against Uthman and decided to kill him for burning the Quran. Aisha, Mohamed's wife cried for his assassination, and Mohamed Ebn Abou BAkr, Aisha's brother and others assassinated Uthman because he burned the Quran. To this day the Shea sect have two Quran Chapters (Alnourin is one of them and the other called alwelayah) that the Sunis do not approve. So the Quran is missing a lot after it was burned by Uthman.

[MarkosPiapostolos]

10:09 PM on 01/11/2011

Historical Errors of the Quran
The contemporary scholar who translated the Qur'an which was authorized by the Saudi authorities said (in the introduction of page 47 of chapter of the Family of Imran),
"Al Imran takes its title from v. 32, where `the family of Imran' (the father of Moses) occurs as a generic name for all the Hebrew prophets from Moses to John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. This with the mention of the mother of Mary as `the wife of Imran' (v. 34) and the words `sister of Aaron' addressed to Mary (XIX.28) have given rise to a charge of anachronism. Some say that the prophet confused Mary, the mother of Jesus, with Mary, the sister of Moses. Most Muslims believe (on the authority of the Qur'an) that the grandfather of Jesus Christ was named `Imran' which may also have been the name of the father of Moses. In Surah XIX 28 where Mary is addressed as `sister of Aaron', they hold the ancestral sense to be the more probable, while denying that there is any reason to suppose that the virgin Mary had not a brother named Aaron."
Thus, they fail to explain to us why the Qur'an said that the mother of Mary was the wife of Imran, especially if the Qur'an intended (as they say) to show the moral relationship only. It is an obvious historical mistake, my dear reader, because Ma

[Puncastle]

02:57 AM on 01/14/2011

You are either being intentionally deceitful or you really that ignorant. In the Quran, Imran is the father of Mary the mother of Jesus.

When the Quran refers to Mary being the sister Aaron, there are two schools of thought. 1) she also had a brother named Aaron or 2) the reference refers to being the spiritual sister of Aaron, just as the expression "son of Adam" isn't literally the direct son of Adam or children of God doesn't denote that God is our literal father.

[MarkosPiapostolos]

09:32 PM on 01/15/2011

HISORICAL ERRORS OF QURAN 4
In the context of his comment on the Qur'anic statement that Mary is Aaron's sister (which is recorded in chapter 19:28), al-Baydawi (p. 405) said,
"Oh, sister of Aaron (the prophet). And she was an offspring of some of those who were with him who belonged to the same class of brotherhoo­d. It was also said that she was one of Aaron's descendant­s though there were a thousand years between them. It was said too, that he (Aaron) was a righteous or a wicked man who lived during their time (time of Mary). They likened her to him to ridicule her or to insult her."
Yet Baydawi's statement is repealed by the Qur'an because the Qur'an did not refer to a moral relationsh­ip but stressed the literal meaning. If the Qur'an had meant to elevate Mary to the same level of Aaron, the prophet, or to the status of a daughter of Imran, why then did it mention that her mother was the wife of Imran as it is recorded in chapter 3:35? It is very obvious that the matter was either confused in the mind of Muhammad or of Gabriel, the angel! It is not acceptable that the Qur'an intended to say that Mary enjoys the same status as a sister of Aaron and a daughter of Imran. Therefore it is impossible to treat Mary (the mother of Jesus) as if she were the sister of Aaron and Moses.

[MarkosPiapostolos]

09:42 PM on 01/15/2011

Mohmaed was simply lazy, don't blame him, he was busy chasing the women and looting the caravans. When he made up the Quran, the listeners were bare footed camel riders who were happy to get their share od women and spoils. Mohamed so called Quran is full of errors including historical, gramaatical errors, and scientific errors. Many chapters in the Quran starts with meaningless letters, no one in the Msulim world knew what they mean. Example Alef Lam Meeem are three letters that starts a Qquran verse, no one knows what they mean even Islamic Scholars. Quran is meaningless gathering of parts from the Old Testament and New Testament with major alterations and errors as the one that we showed with references!!