It's either we live together, or we die together.

http://www.seiyaku.com/customs/crosses/crescent.html

Today in my Three Religions, Three Peoples class we discussed a news story that has really moved me. This feeling has been growing from my Arabic language and Middle Eastern history and culture classes at UC, from my internship this past summer with the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, and now from my time here in Morocco. There is a lot of hate in the US towards Arabic people and specifically towards Muslims. Hate has never really been something that I have subscribed to, I feel that it is most often just a waste of energy that could be put towards more positive things. I also feel that most people who hate things or hate other people, do not in fact know all that much about them. I have begun to feel that helping to end some of this hate against the Islamic people might be my mission in life.

So often in the US, the only media coverage about the Middle East or Muslim people is negative. Its about terrorism, wars, oil, and whatever new reason someone has come up with for hating Muslims.We never have any positive stories about the Middle East and I believe that this greatly impacts the views that people have towards Muslims. In order to get a true picture of what is going on, people would have to take the time to research it and most do not have the time or do not want to take the time for whatever reasons. This is where I can help. I am interested in the subject and in general I like looking things up and finding out more. I love to learn and to know facts. So by looking up more information and then talking about it, telling people, blogging, posting on facebook I can maybe make a dent in what people think and believe.

While you are reading this story, I have two questions that I would like you to ponder; What would you do in this situation? Would you be willing to do what these people did?

On December 31, 2010, a car bomb exploded outside of a Coptic church in Egypt. The bomb killed atleast 21 people and injured 24. The bomb was set to attack this group by an extremist Islamic group  for the illegal status of the church building and for the supposed ill treatment of Coptic women who had converted to Islam. The threat of violence had been given back in November.

The Copts are a Christian sect in Egypt. They are the native population of Egypt(think American Indians in the US) and only make up 10% to 20% of the entire population. Getting a license for and building a Coptic church in Egypt is extremely difficult do to discrimination in the legal system and favoritism towards the building of Islamic Mosques. The car bomb created an uprising of religious fighting which is the main goal of terrorism; to divide and creating fighting and fear.

The fighting didn't last long however as many chose solidarity over division. The coptic church celebrates Christmas on January 7. Security had been increased at Coptic churches all around the world, but not in Egypt. The Egyptian government (keep in mind this is pre-revolution) was not really interested in the minortiy. It was having enough problems with the majority. So the people took things into their own hands. Thousands of Muslims, at Coptic churches all around the country, stood as human shields around the churches, physically blocking any harm that could interrupt this sacred mass. They were fighting for safety and for the right to worship as you please. These were everyday Egyptian people who happened to also be Muslim. There were also famous people in the crowds (think Egyptian Hollywood types) who gave some publicity to the event. But the thousands were made up mostly of neighbors, family, friends, co workers, and other community members who were Muslim, but wanted to support their friends who were Copts.

This quote by Cherine Mohamed, a 50 year old Egyptian housewife, pretty much some up the feelings and intent; "I know it might not be safe, yet it's either we live together, or we die together, we are all Egyptians."

Many of us, I know, would be willing to help victims after a terrorist attack or a natural disaster. We volunteer, we send aid, we write letters, we sign petitions. But how many of us would stand up and put our own lives at risk to protect a group of people's right to believe in something that we ourselves do not believe in? This wasn't a pretend danger, they weren't just saying that their lives were on the line. The threats had been made and followed through and could continue. How many of us would stand up to be a human shield?

And if you can answer that question, here's another, how come its the Muslims, supposedly the religious group to be feared, hated, ostracized, and avoided that stood up and did this for their Christian neighbors? And in the US when terror strikes, Muslim's suddenly find bricks being thrown threw their windows, their women are harassed, their men are beat up, their children are ostracized at school, some have even died because of the hatred and propaganda. Yet in the Middle East, where many view the religious differences to be the worst, these people can stand up and be prepared to give their lives for someone else. America is supposed to be the land of the free; freedom of religion included. Why are we learning lessons from the Middle East?

News Articles about this story:
http://www.good.is/post/egyptian-muslims-act-as-human-shields-to-protect-coptic-christmass-services/
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/95/3216/Egypt/Attack-on-Egypt-Copts/Egypt-Muslims-to-act-as-human-shields-at-Coptic-Ch.aspx
http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2011/01/egyptian_muslims_act_as_human_shields_for_coptic_christmas_mass.html