Some advice for the Copts, start stockpiling weapons, you’re going to need them.
CAIRO (AP) — The leader of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church on Tuesday blasted the country’s Islamist president over his handling of the recent deadly sectarian violence, including an attack on the main cathedral in Cairo.
The remarks by Pope Tawadros II underscore rising Muslim-Christian tensions in Egypt. They were his first direct criticism of President Mohammed Morsi since he was enthroned in November as the spiritual leader of Egypt’s Orthodox Christians. They are also likely to fuel the political turmoil roiling the country for the two years since the ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt is already divided between two camps, with Morsi and Islamist allies in one and moderate Muslims, Christians and liberals in the other. That political schism is essentially over the shape of Egypt’s political future after decades of dictatorship. The divide has been compounded by a worsening economy and tenuous security.
An open conflict between Morsi’s government and the church could add a new and potentially explosive layer, pushing Egypt to the brink of civil strife.
Tawadros also warned that the state of Egypt was “collapsing” and described Sunday’s attack on the St. Mark Cathedral in central Cairo, which serves as the Coptic papal seat, as “breaching all the red lines.”