What a nice start to the New Year

At a New Years Eve Mass at the Al-Qiddissin Church in Alexandria, a bomb exploded which killed 21 people and seriously injured a further 70. It reminded me that every year the majority of us have the privilege of celebrating these events without loosing anyone we love. So many people do not have that luxury. Television here doesn't censor graphic content like it does in the UK and the rest of the western world. I often think that to an extent this is the way it should be. To sugar-coat such heinous events is as bad if not worst than pretending they don't exist. Footage was broadcast of the carnage. Blood and remains strewn across the ground and up the walls of the Church. It made me aware of how desensitised we have become to scenes of such violence. This made me a bit sad.

Egypt's reaction to the event was of course firstly point the finger at the Muslim community then swiftly to an foreign extremist group, and then cut all mobile connections in Egypt for the whole of the next day. What they were hoping to achieve by doing this no one quite knows. Phone tapping might have been a more useful strategy.

When somebody blows up a church full of innocent people we all realise that whoever we are, and whatever religion we subscribes to, in this age it's not enough. Religion asks us to segregate ourselves form one another, yet in the same light embrace and accept others with different beliefs. It teaches us tolerance towards others yet strikes fear in those who doubt their faith and the faith of others. It also teaches us the nature of forgiveness and not to kill or harm one another.

For the next five days hundreds of Christians fought in the street with Muslims and the police.

What on earths gone wrong.

My next post will be less morbid I promise.