EGYPT: Religious nuts are at it again...

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As happy as I was when Egyptians overthrew their long reigning dictator and the show of solidarity between ALL Egyptians with a common goal of a democratic Egypt, I also warned that extreme religion and radical religious kooks could spoil the party…and they are doing just that.

During this weekend in Cairo, Coptic Christians and hard-line Muslims clashed over a church burning. The army stepped in and countless people were killed and many more injured.

Obviously, this type of clash is not unique to Egypt. Recently, radical Jews burned down a mosque in Israel. Jewish Rabbis immediately stood with the Muslims in protest against such violent action.

Look at Iraq with its Sunni vs. Shia.

Yup, religion is again standing in the way of a more perfect political system designed to unite and not divide.

Here in the U.S. we are experiencing a war of words between fundamentalist Christians and the Mormons who are being called a cult and not a Christian religion.

This has been going on basically forever as one group promotes their god against another group’s god…with violence. I don’t understand why they can’t just let their gods battle it out, mano a mano.

I bet many do not know what a COPT is and what kind of Christianity they practice. They represent 10-20% of the Egyptian population of 80 million people and have been around for nearly two (2) thousand years; from the beginning of Christianity itself.

Christians in the early years of religious formation split into Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and the Coptic Orthodox. The split was partly theological and partly political and has remained that way for centuries.

The theological dispute centered on the “nature” of Jesus, whether he was both human and divine or separately human and divine, son of god or god himself, etc………………………..

None of these learned leaders of early Christianity knew anything about the nature of Jesus and the nature of Jesus was and is unknowable but that did not stop them from arguing theological points (how many angels fit on the tip of a needle) as if they really knew what actual facts were…but alas, I digress.

Egypt was mainly Christian and Alexandria was a great learning center for Christians and Jews who migrated there. In 639 CE, the Muslims invaded and slowly the population turned to Islam.

The fact that poverty and ignorance form the core of radical religiosity and Egypt is filled with those types of peoples even though there is a rising class of educated young people (those that started the protest against Mubarak), make achieving a peaceful democratic union among Egyptians, highly unlikely.

The one thing that dictators did was to keep peace among the warring factions. Once controls relax, the religious nuts come out of the shadows.

Right now the Egyptian army is in control and trying to keep peace but don’t forget that the soldiers also belong to religious groups and I am not sure the generals can keep them in check.

I guess having elections would speed the democratic process but I think a constitution should be in place first, a constitution that guarantees certain rights to all groups and prevents another theocracy like they have in Iran which is just a religious dictatorship.

We are living through a historical event…I wish them well.

Related articles

• Mounting hostility behind Egypt's violent protests (bbc.co.uk)
• 'Islamist hardline growing under Egyptian regime' (rt.com)
• -Egypt: Thousands Riot -Muslims v. Christians v. Military, 24 Dead 200+ Injured (answersforthefaith.com)
• Egypt Church Slams Authorities for Allowing Repeated Attacks on Christians (foxnews.com)
• Egypt religious leaders to hold crisis talks following Coptic violence that left 24 dead (telegraph.co.uk)
• Egypt Christians mourn dead after clashes kill 25 - Reuters (news.google.com)
• Prime minister says Egypt 'scrambling' after at least 23 killed in clashes (cnn.com)