Dr. Ramez Atallah of the Bible Society of Egypt writes today:
Dear friends,
On Friday July 26, in response to a plea from the Minister of Defense, an incredible number of people took to the streets to show their solidarity against the aggressive and disruptive behavior of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) protestors. Like they did on June 30th, the “Silent Majority” – who usually sit at home and watch political events on their TV screens – voted with their feet, taking to the streets in very large numbers. People went to the demonstration sites from every conceivable place and it was an amazing night of celebration and jubilation, affirming together an Egypt where all are respected as equal citizens.
Some of the highlights of July 26th:
- Christians eating with Muslims in public squares during the Ramadan breaking-of-the-fast. This unprecedented act of unity between Christians and Muslims has never been done on that scale in Egypt.
- When the call to break the fast was announced at sunset on July 26th, all church bells in Egypt rang in solidarity with their Muslim compatriots!
- With an estimated 40 million people on the streets, remarkably few incidents of violence, petty theft and harassment of women were reported.
- The euphoria of the people went on all night as massive crowds again expressed their rejection of the “Political Islam” agenda of the MB.
What you see on your TV screens
So why is the media giving you a completely different impression of is happening in Egypt???
What you have seen is the “other” demonstrations by the ousted MB supporters (who for the past month are camped on major streets in Cairo and elsewhere) angrily and often violently protesting against the removal of Morsi as President. On CNN, Jazeera and most Western channels, instead of showing the millions of peaceful and happy demonstrators, the cameras only focus on tens of thousands of angry protestors and shocking pictures of wounded and dead victims of the pro-Morsi demonstrations.
While much of what you see in the media is true, what is being communicated to you is a very selective perspective of what is really happening. The claim that the MB are “peaceful demonstrators” goes contrary to all that we are experiencing of violence and brutality on our streets. Anyone who has the misfortune of walking or driving close to one of their demonstrations is taking his life in his hands (many friends have had close calls!). But the real nightmare is for those who live close to the sit-ins, who are becoming increasingly angry by the complete disruption of their daily lives!
Yes, there have been unfortunate, violent responses by the army, police and ordinary citizens against protestors marching to military and security buildings or attempting to block major highways. Most Egyptians, in spite of their disdain for the MB, are very much against Egypt turning into a police (or worse, army) State and have been putting much pressure on security forces to be restrained in their response to the MB agitators. Most of us yearn for a civil state run democratically.
At the same time, the vast majority of Egyptians agree that the month-long disruption of normal life by these protesters must end. The crowds on July 26th were there to give the government that very message.
What happens next?
Many of you have experienced similar sit-ins during the Wall Street demonstrations in the USA, and during other demonstrations in London, European cities and in Turkey. In all these cases, the police was able to use force because the demonstrators were unarmed. In our case, it is very difficult to use any force against people who will retaliate violently. Please pray for the Egyptian leadership as they try to figure out a way to disband the demonstrators without the shedding of blood (many scenarios are being considered).
At the Bible Society, we are working hard to produce materials that will help encourage Egyptians to love their fellow-citizens even if they disagree with them politically. The hatred which is being felt in society in general against the MB is very worrisome.
Please pray for us as we communicate the radical, Biblical mandate to “overcome evil with good” and to love even those we consider our enemies.
With warm greetings,
Sincerely,Ramez Atallah
General Director
The Bible Society of Egypt
