The 2011 Alexandria bombing was an attack on
Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, on
New Year, 1 January 2011. Twenty-three people were killed and another ninety-seven were injured, as a result of the attack, which occurred as the
Christian worship
In Christianity, worship is the act of attributing reverent honour and homage to God. In the New Testament, various words are used to refer to the term worship. One is ("to worship") which means to bow down to God or kings. Worship in the N ...
ers were leaving.
The attack was the deadliest act of violence against Egypt's Coptic Christians in a decade, since the
Kosheh massacre in 2000 left 20 Copts dead.
The target of the bombing was the Saints Church, a Coptic church located across the street from the Masjid Sharq El-Madina mosque.
Background
Copts in Egypt complain of increasing persecution, from attacks by
Muslim extremists and what they see as official discrimination by the state. Copts celebrate
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
on 7 January. This was the second consecutive Christmas with violence. On Christmas Eve in 2010, a Muslim gunman fired on worshipers leaving a church in Upper Egypt, killing 7 people.
In the months prior to the incident, the religious ambiance in Egypt had been clouded by anti-Church sentiment, in particular regarding the public allegation made by
Mohammad Salim Al-Awa that the
Coptic Orthodox Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apo ...
was storing weapons in churches and monasteries.
In November, a group calling itself Al-Qaeda in Iraq announced that all Christians in the Middle East would be "legitimate targets."
The Alexandria bombing occurred almost two months to the day after the
attack on Our Lady of Salvation church in central Baghdad in what militants called a response to the mistreatment of Muslim converts by Egyptian Copts.
Al-Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate claimed responsibility for that attack and made new threats against Christians. The group threatened to attack Egyptian Copts if their church did not free two Christians, it said had been "imprisoned in their monasteries" for having converted to Islam. The two women were
Camilia Chehata and Wafa Constantine, the wives of Coptic priests whose claimed conversion caused a stir in Egypt.
Two weeks before the bombing an
Islamist website called for attacks on a list of Egypt's churches, and included the church that was hit.
["Suspected suicide bomber kills 21 in attack on Egyptian church"](_blank)
By Bill Roggio. 1 January 2011
Bombing
An explosive device detonated in front of the Coptic Orthodox church of
Saint Mark and
Pope Peter in the Sidi Bishr neighbourhood in Alexandria.
Initial reports stated that it was a car explosion, however an Interior Ministry statement later declared that it was a
suicide attack, through the Egyptian official news agency.
At the time of the blast, several thousand Coptic Christians were attending midnight prayer service at the church at the occasion of the new year.
The explosion resulted in scattered body parts, destroyed cars and smashed windows.
21 Coptic Christians were killed immediately following the explosion, or soon after, and about 97 people – most of them Christians – were injured.
The remains were covered with newspapers until they were brought inside the church. Two more Copts died in the hospital over the few days following the attack, raising the total number to 23, all of whom were Coptic Christians.
According to one eyewitness report, the first victim was a Muslim salesperson who sold
Quran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
books across the street from the Saints Church.
Forensic testing confirmed that the explosive device used was homemade and contained nails and ball-bearings.
The Interior Ministry stated that the bomb was filled with small pieces of metal to serve as
shrapnel,
and that a foreign-backed suicide bomber may have been responsible.
Responsibility
Egypt's former Interior minister
Habib Ibrahim El Adly said on 23 January that evidence proved that the Gaza-based ''
Army of Islam'' planned and executed the attack. The group, which has received sanctuary from
Hamas
The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
and earlier collaborated in the kidnapping of
Gilad Shalit, quickly denied the charge, while also reportedly expressing support for the bombing. In July 2011 however, nobody had yet been brought to trial and the Coptic Church threatened to sue the Interior Ministry. On the other hand, various reports claim that Habib Ibrahim El Adly himself was involved in the bombings.
Reactions
Coptic community in Egypt
Copts were deeply aggrieved by this attack, many believing that the Egyptian state security's failure to deal firmly with past attacks on Christians in Egypt contributed to this attack, while others went as far as to directly blame the State Security for the bombings.
One member of the Coptic community declared, "The government is the reason this happened. They are the terrorists who attack us every day."
Following the bombing, several thousand Copts took to the streets in protest.
Furious Christians clashed with Egyptian police and Egyptian security forces.
Christians and Muslims pelted each other with rocks, and cars were torched.
After these overnight protests, more than 100 Christians protested the following morning near the church that was attacked, chanting "We sacrifice our souls and blood for the
Holy Cross" and "O
Mubarak, the heart of the
Copts
Copts (; ) are a Christians, Christian ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligious group native to Northeast Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt since antiquity. They are, like the broader Egyptians, Egyptian population, des ...
is on fire".
The Egyptian police reacted by firing rubber bullets and tear gas at the Christians.
In
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
, about 4,000 Christians and Muslims demonstrated against terrorism in the predominantly Christian neighborhood of
Shubra.
[ (in Arabic)] The demonstration lasted for six hours and was joined by both government and opposition members of the
Egyptian parliament and a number of political figures, including a former minister and
Tomorrow Party founder
Ayman Nour. In the same neighborhood of
Shubra, thousands of Coptic Christians clashed with riot police for three consecutive days, resulting in injuries to both Coptic civilians and riot police soldiers.
Thousands of Copts demonstrated at the Monastery of
Saint Simon the Tanner in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
. The demonstrators called for the resignation of the Egyptian government. They chanted, "With our souls and blood we redeem our
Cross
A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...
". They then clashed with the Egyptian security forces, resulting in injuries to 12 of the Coptic demonstrators.
In addition, thousands of Coptic Christians demonstrated outside the Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs and the state television buildings for two consecutive days.
Pope Shenouda III strongly condemned the "criminal assault", blaming it on "forces that wish no good for Egypt".
The Pope also called upon the government to "speedily arrest and prosecute the perpetrator of this criminal act."
His personal secretary said the incident had "severely grieved us, because it is very alien to the love and harmony in which the nation lives".
The top cleric in Alexandria, the
Patriarchal Vicar Hegumen
Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, or an archpriest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of ...
Ruweis Marcos, said that the Egyptian government and security forces wanted to blame the bombing on a suicide bomber instead of a car bomb in order to write off the crime as something carried out by a lone attacker.
He also denounced the lack of protection in front of the church, stating he was surprised to find only three soldiers and one officer guarding the church at such a sensitive time in spite of the recent numerous threats against Copts.
The Synod of priests in Alexandria unanimously criticized the lax attitude of the Egyptian authorities towards the public expression of hatred against Coptic Christians.
In a statement issued by the Synod, the priests said that the attack on the church was "the result of anti-Christian mobilization and the lies recently propagated against the
Coptic Orthodox Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apo ...
."
On the Sunday following the bombings, Coptic parishioners at the bombed church of Saint Mark and Pope Peter expressed anger, and protested discrimination that Christians in Egypt are facing.
One of the parishioners declared "in this country, we cannot even pray in churches." Another blamed the anti-Coptic sentiments spread by the Islamic mosques. The priest of the church blamed "Islamic fanaticism" and "Islamic extremism".
He called upon the Egyptian government to ensure the rights of the Christians in "life, prayer and work".
Officials of the
Coptic Orthodox Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apo ...
announced that prayers for Eastern Christmas would still be held, but that celebrations would be canceled.
Coptic community in the diaspora
Memorial services were held in Coptic churches across Europe in memory of the victims of the bombing.
The
Coptic Orthodox Church in Britain issued an official statement condemning the massacre, and expressing concern that incidents of violence and terror against Christians in Egypt were increasingly spiraling out of control.
The statement also criticized the fact that crimes against the Copts in Egypt were going unchecked and unresolved, and their perpetrators were not brought to justice.
In
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, Canada, all five Coptic churches in the city decided to proceed under tightened security with the Eastern Christmas Eve mass on the eve of Eastern Christmas but decided not to hold any celebrations.
The celebrations were canceled in honor of the victims of the Alexandria massacre, and money that was to be spent on the celebrations was sent to the families of the victims in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
.
About 4,000 Coptics and some Muslim supporters marched on 19 January in central Sydney, calling on Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd to address the issue of persecution of Copts in Egypt.
Domestic
The Egyptian government issued a statement immediately following the bombing blaming "foreign elements" for the planning and execution of the bombing.
President Hosni Mubarak promised in a televised address that terrorists would not destabilize Egypt or divide Christians and Muslims. He said the attack "carries evidence of the involvement of foreign fingers" and vowed to pursue the perpetrators.
Many doubt that the perpetrators will be pursued, citing the Mubarak regime's preference for handling violence against the country's Christian minority through a reconciliation process between the perpetrators and the victims, rather than prosecution of the perpetrators.
The
governor of Alexandria, Adel Labib, accused
Al Qaida of planning the bombing, without giving any further details.
Many Egyptians expressed their disappointment regarding the government's claims that Al Qaida and foreign elements were behind the massacre,
seeing those claims as a way for the government to evade the issue of growing sectarian divisions in the country.
In a message to
Pope Shenouda III,
Patriarch Theodore II of the
Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria strongly condemned the "brutal criminal attack" against a church "where prayers were being recited for the peace of Egypt, for the peace of those in power, and for the peace of the world."
Patriarch Theodore II also described the victims as "Martyrs of the Church".
Refaa al-Tahtawi, spokesman for Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's main institution based in Cairo, appeared on television to denounce the attack, which he said targeted "Egyptian national unity". He also appealed to Christians and Muslims for calm.
[
The attack was also condemned by the Muslim Brotherhood, who also called upon Muslims to protect Christian churches. On the eve of the Coptic Christmas on 6 January 2011, Egyptian Muslims showed up at churches during mass service offering to serve as a "human shield" against any possible further attacks.
Both government and independent newspapers warned that civil war could break out in Egypt unless Muslims and Christians close ranks.] Newspapers also urged the Egyptian government to focus on the situation of the Copts, who often complain of discrimination.
Interior minister Habib al-Adly said on 23 January that evidence proved that the Gaza-based Army of Islam planned and executed the attack. The group quickly denied responsibility, while also reportedly expressing support for the bombing.
In an interview that aired on Al-Fareen TV (Egypt) on 3 January 2011 (as translated by MEMRI), Former Egyptian Deputy Minister Abdallah Al-Ash'al stated that:
Today, many young people in Egypt are unhappy. They flee the country and prefer to die on the shores of the Mediterranean, because they have no job opportunities here...The Mossad has exploited this. The people who carried out this attack are Egyptians, but the Mossad exploited them...Are these nothing but theories? No. When Israeli military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin submitted a report about the past four and a half years, he stated clearly that Israel was exploiting the peace treaty in order to infiltrate Egypt.
Egypt's general prosecutor opened probe on former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly's reported role in the New Year's Eve bombing.
International community
* In the days following the attack, Pope Shenouda III met with the ambassadors of the US, the UK and Bosnia and Herzegovina, who expressed the condolences of their respective countries to the Pope and to the Coptic Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the Apostolic see, See of Alexandria i ...
.
* Vatican City: Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
of the Roman Catholic Church denounced the attacks in his New Year address. He also appealed for religious freedom and religious tolerance in the Middle East, and urged world leaders to defend Christians against discrimination, abuse and religious intolerance which are today striking Christians in particular.
* United Kingdom: Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
Dr. Rowan Williams condemned the bombing, declaring that "The New Year's Eve attack on Christians in Alexandria is yet another dreadful reminder of the pressure Christian minorities are under in the Middle East, echoing the atrocities we have seen in recent weeks", in reference to the attack on the church of Our Lady of Salvation in Iraq, carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; ') was a Salafi jihadist militant organization that fought the forces of the U.S.-led coalition during the Iraqi insurgency. The organization aimed to overthrow the Iraqi federal government and establish an ...
.
* United States: U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
condemned the bombing, stating that: "The perpetrators of this attack were clearly targeting Christian worshipers, and have no respect for human life and dignity. They must be brought to justice for this barbaric and heinous act." Obama also offered assistance to the Egyptian government in responding to the "terrible event."
* Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...
met with Coptic Christian leaders to condemn the Alexandria massacre and to confirm that Canada stands behind the right of the Copts to safely practice their faith. He also declared that the international community must stay vigilant against such violence against Coptic Christians.
* Canada: Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon
Lawrence Cannon, (born December 6, 1947) is a Canadian politician from Quebec and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former Quebec lieutenant. In early 2006, he was made the Minister of Transport. On October 30, 2008, he relinquished oversight ...
issued a statement stating that "Canada condemns this latest vicious attack by extremists against Egypt's Coptic community," and offering his sympathy with the families and friends of the victims. The statement also called upon Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak to close ranks and confront the terrorists who were behind this deplorable attack.
* France: French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
denounced the "blind and cowardly crime" against Christians in Egypt and expressed his "shock and great sadness". Sarkozy also called upon Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...
to "find and punish the perpetrators and sponsors of this indiscriminate and cowardly crime."
* France: On the day of the bombing, French Prime Minister François Fillon
François Charles Amand Fillon (; born 4 March 1954) is a French retired politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 2007 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. He was the nominee of The Republicans (previously known as the Union ...
, who was vacationing in the Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ', shortened to , , locally: ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the Nile River valley south of the delta and the 30th parallel North. It thus consists of the entire Nile River valley from Cairo south to Lake N ...
ian city of Aswan
Aswan (, also ; ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate.
Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract. The modern city ha ...
, visited the Coptic Orthodox
The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the Apostolic see, See of Alexandria i ...
cathedral in Aswan
Aswan (, also ; ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate.
Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract. The modern city ha ...
to pray for the souls of the victims, to express solidarity with the Coptic community and to express France's commitment to defending religious freedom in Egypt and the world.
* France: In a written statement, French MEP Marine Le Pen
Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician of the far-right National Rally, National Rally party (RN). She served as the party's president from 2011 to 2021, and ran for the French presidency in ...
lent her support to the Coptic Christians.
* Italy In Rome, the Italian foreign ministry issued a statement "firmly condemning" the attack and confirming that Italy would "continue to make its voice heard to ensure the full protection of religious freedom in all the circumstances".
* Germany: German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...
expressed her condolences for "this barbaric act of terror"., However, Stefan Mueller, parliamentary leader of the junior coalition party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), called on Angela Merkel to go further, by linking development aid to the treatment of Christians in relevant countries.
* European Union: The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union Catherine Ashton
Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland (born 20 March 1956) is a Labour Party (UK), British Labour politician who served as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of th ...
condemned "unreservedly the attack against innocent Copt worshipers", stating that "there cannot be any justification for this attack" and that "the right of Christian Copts to gather and worship freely must be protected."
* Russia: The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack in the Egyptian city of Alexandria by issuing the following statement on the day of the terrorist attack: "Moscow strongly condemns this criminal attack of extremists. Such bloody acts, resulting in the death and suffering of innocent people and provoking interconfessional strife are unjustifiable"
* Russia On the same day, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...
sent his condolences to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...
saying: "It was with a deep sorrow that I learned about the criminal blast near the Christian church in the city of Alexandria on the night of 1 January 2011. Please convey my sincere condolences to the relatives of the victims and my wishes for a fastest recovery to the injured. Strongly condemning the bloody attack of extremists, I wish to assure you that Russia was and will be on the side of Egypt and its people in the uncompromising fight that ensues against the violent challenges of terrorism."
* Lebanon: In Lebanon, Amine Gemayel
Amine Pierre Gemayel (, ; born 22 January 1942) is a Lebanese politician who served as the eighth president of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988.
Gemayel was born in Bikfaya to Pierre Gemayel, the founder of the Christianity in Lebanon, Christian Kat ...
former President of Lebanon
The president of the Lebanese Republic () is the head of state of Lebanon. The president is elected by the parliament for a term of six years, which cannot be renewed immediately because they can only be renewed non-consecutively. By convention, ...
and leader of the Kataeb Party
The Kataeb Party (), officially the Kataeb Party – Lebanese Social Democratic Party ( '), also known as the Phalangist Party, is a right-wing Christian political party in Lebanon founded by Pierre Gemayel in 1936.
The party and its parami ...
called the crime a "massacre" and a "genocide".
* Lebanon The leader of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party
The Progressive Socialist Party () is a Lebanese political party. Its confessional base is in the Druze sect and its regional base is in Mount Lebanon Governorate, especially the Chouf District. Founded by Kamal Jumblatt in 1949, the party ...
Walid Jumblatt
Walid Kamal Jumblatt (; born 7 August 1949) is a Lebanese politician who was the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party from 1977 until 2023. A Druze and former militia commander, Jumblatt led the Lebanese National Resistance Front, allying ...
condemned the attack, calling on Egypt to boost the political participation of Christians in state institutions in a bid to counter attempts to spark strife and tamper with civil peace. A spokesman of the Movement of the Future condemned the massacre as a delegation from the movement visited the Coptic church in Beirut
Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
to offer their condolences to members of the Coptic community. Maronite
Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...
Archbishop of Byblos
Byblos ( ; ), also known as Jebeil, Jbeil or Jubayl (, Lebanese Arabic, locally ), is an ancient city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. The area is believed to have been first settled between 8800 and 7000BC and continuously inhabited ...
, Bchara al-Raii, condemned the massacre, and called for a Muslim summit to condemn attacks carried out by radical movements against Christians under the guise of Islam. He also urged the Egyptian government to protect Christians and ensure equal treatment for them. Separate condemnations came from the Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
Mufti of the Republic Mohammad Qabbani and Deputy Head of the Shiite
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
Supreme Council Abdul Amir Qabalan.
* Israel: In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...
expressed his "great shock" and reaffirmed his conviction of "the need for a common front by all countries that believe in freedom in the face of terrorism."
* Syria: In Syria, an official source spoke against "such terrorist crimes" and expressed "condolences to Egypt and the families of the innocent victims". Condemnation came as well from the Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
Patriarch of Antioch and the Orient Ignatius IV Hazim.Lebanese Shia, Sunni Leaders Condemn Alexandria Church Massacre
Ahlul Bayt News Agency 2 January 2011 Retrieved 3 January 2011
* Palestine:
PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas (; born 15 November 1935), also known by the Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Mazen (, ), is a Palestinian politician who has been serving as the second president of Palestine and the President of the Palestinian National Authority, P ...
condemned the attacks calling them a "work of the criminal and inhumane, which aims to destabilize security and stability in our sister country Egypt, and to cause tensions between Muslims and Christians".
Hamas
The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
condemned the bombing in Alexandria, assigning the blame to hidden hands that do not wish well for Egypt and its Muslim and Christian people and seek to inflame sectarian strife. Hamas in its statement sent condolences to Egypt and the victims' families, and hoped that facts would be disclosed the soonest and that those responsible would be brought to justice.
* The
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem () is the Latin Catholic ecclesiastical patriarchate in Jerusalem, officially seated in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is the archbishop of Latin Church Catholics of th ...
Fouad Twal called on Christians to show courage in the face of the attack, declaring that "This latest massacre must lead us to reflect on our vocation as Christians in this region, which cannot be allowed to turn its back on the
Cross
A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...
."
* The attacks were also condemned by the UK,
Iraq,
Jordan,
[Large Condemnation of Alexandria Bombing](_blank)
1 January 2011, Qatar News Agency Bahrain,
Poland,
Kuwait,
the
GCC,
Saudi Arabia,
Qatar,
and Iran.
Funeral
The funeral of the victims was held in the
Monastery of Saint Mina, about 30 km west of
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
.
[(in Arabic)] Between 5,000 and 10,000 people attended the funeral, all of whom adamantly rejected the condolences of president
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...
, shouting "No! No! No!" as bishop Youanis attempted to thank
Mubarak for his condolences and his statement regarding the bombing.
In addition to Bishop Youanis,
Pope Shenouda III delegated
Metropolitan Bakhomios to preside over the funeral of those killed in Alexandria.
Further threats
In Europe, Coptic churches have been threatened with further attacks.
Coptic bishops and priests in France and Germany filed complaints and called for governmental protection.
In the UK, officials reported that threats were outlined against two Coptic churches in the country.
In Canada, Coptic churches were on high alert following threats by
Al Qaida against Copts in Canada.
All five Coptic churches in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
decided to proceed under tightened security with the Eastern Christmas Eve mass on the eve of Eastern Christmas.
Following Coptic Christmas, Canadian prime minister
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...
met with Coptic Christian leaders to condemn the Alexandria massacre and to confirm that Canada stands behind the right of the Copts to safely practice their faith.
He also declared that the international community must stay vigilant against such violence against Coptic Christians.
The bombing also raised fears that
jihadist
Jihadism is a neologism for modern, armed militant Political aspects of Islam, Islamic movements that seek to Islamic state, establish states based on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief that armed confrontation ...
s would increase violence against Christians worldwide.
Radical Islamic hostility to the Copts has been an ongoing problem. A "death list" of the names and personal information of more than a hundred Copts, many of whom live in Egypt, Europe and North America, was published in 2010 on an
Al Qaida-affiliated website.
The website called for the murder of all those whose names appear on the list, accusing them of defaming Islam and converting Muslims to Christianity.
See also
*
Persecution of Copts
*
Nag Hammadi massacre
*
Kosheh Martyrs
*
2011 Imbaba Church Attacks
*
Christianity in Egypt
Christianity is the second largest religion in Egypt. The vast majority of Egyptian Christians are Copts. As of 2019, Copts in Egypt make up approximately 10 percent of the nation's population, with an estimated population of 9.5 million or 10 m ...
*
2016 Cairo Cathedral bombing
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexandria Bombing
2011 in Christianity
21st century in Alexandria
21st-century mass murder in Egypt
Attacks during New Year celebrations
Church bombings by Islamists
Copts in Alexandria
Islamic terrorism in Egypt
Islamic terrorist incidents in 2011
January 2011 crimes in Africa
January 2011 in Africa
Church massacres in Africa
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
Persecution of Copts
Attacks on churches in Egypt
Suicide bombings in 2011
Suicide bombings in Egypt
Terrorist incidents in Egypt in 2011
Building bombings in Egypt
2011 building bombings
21st-century Oriental Orthodoxy
Massacres in Egypt
Persecution of Christians by Muslims