Part of studying abroad involves witnessing unforgettable sights and experiencing situations that fundamentally change one’s outlook on the world. Never before has this clichéd sentiment been more clear to me than tonight.
I was all set to write about our visits to Coptic monasteries and Islamic mosques, some of the most beautiful religious sites I have ever visited. We’ve been studying Coptic (Christian) and Islamic influences both in historic and contemporary Egyptian society. The dynamic between Coptic Christians and Muslims in Egypt has been one of mostly peaceful coexistence, and in fact the Qu’ran acknowledges and recognizes both Jews and Christians as “People of the Book” with important faith traditions. Unfortunately, religion far too often elevates tensions between different groups until they escalate to the point of violence, something I witnessed this evening in Cairo.
As of midnight on October 10th, details were still unclear but at least 22 people had been killed and more than 150 injured during a clash between Coptic Christians and the military police outside of the state media building. The Christians were protesting recent attacks on churches in southern Egypt by conservative Muslim groups. However, the situation was tense but still peaceful when I witnessed it around 6:30 pm.
[Awesome pro-revolution graffiti near the AUC dorm on Zamalek.]
The state television building is located near an important bridge onto Zamalek Island, and I was returning with a friend from the Khan al-Khalili tourist market when our taxi slowed in traffic much heavier than normal Cairo rush hour. We got closer, and realized that the delay was due to protestors clogging the streets, chanting and hoisting banners and crosses. The crowd was mostly young men, but I also noticed Coptic priests in black robes among them. In front of them was a wall of military police, in full riot gear and tanks. My first thought? Wow, a real protest! But then shouts on both sides became louder, the crowd swelled restlessly, and I started to become more appreciative of the steel car door between me and the street. In all actuality, I was probably only in the area for maybe ten minutes.
[View over Cairo from the historic Ibn Tulun mosque]
Our taxi weaved out of traffic, and we sped back onto Zamalek, a literal island of safety. But I will never forget the charged atmosphere, or the fact that just a little over an hour later, people were attacked, beaten, and killed in that very spot. If knowledge is power, then a little information is a dangerous thing. I don’t know who threw the first stone, or fired the first shot, even though Twitter outpoured with live updates. The truth will take longer to piece together.
[Quick snapshot of protesters outside the State Media & Television building.]
But I do know that violence like this will not solve ANY underlying problems. And now, more than ever, the world needs to pay attention to what is really happening, to listen to voices not only in the newspapers but also on the street, to those speaking out despite danger and in the face of fear.
[Really blurry I know but I liked the shot of the moon, the minaret of the mosque and the Egyptian flag as seen from our taxi speeding away from the protest.]
*Catherine O’Connor ’13 is on Global for first semester and J-term. She majors in Asian Studies with a concentration in Chinese.