rational geekery

I have just added an excellent new link on the blogroll, for a US blogger of Egyptian descent, Alb Sayed قلب سيد. I have just been reading a post about some religious trouble that is fermenting in Alexandria.

This is the first I have read about any trouble:-

A (supposedly) crazed man (or men) enter three churches within the span of thirty minutes (some say less) armed with knives of some sort, and begin slicing everyone in their path. Christians, justifiably angry, protest over the violence and what they feel is a Muslim, government supported, conspiracy against them that is a result of years of being discriminated against in their own country. Muslims start a counter protest over, what they feel are Christians over flexing their muscle and attacking innocent Muslims unjustifiably. Throw the Egyptian police and their beat anyone senseless who dares to even look at you startegy into the mix, and you have a home grown, very violent, extremely uncivil, no holds bar, Egyptian riot."

A (supposedly) crazed man (or men) enter three churches within the span of thirty minutes (some say less) armed with knives of some sort, and begin slicing everyone in their path. Christians, justifiably angry, protest over the violence and what they feel is a Muslim, government supported, conspiracy against them that is a result of years of being discriminated against in their own country. Muslims start a counter protest over, what they feel are Christians over flexing their muscle and attacking innocent Muslims unjustifiably. Throw the Egyptian police and their beat anyone senseless who dares to even look at you startegy into the mix, and you have a home grown, very violent, extremely uncivil, no holds bar, Egyptian riot.

The violence will probably go on for a few more days. And even when it subsides, it will hardly mean that the emotions fueling the rage on both sides have evaporated. The underlying fact remains that, crazy or not, the assailant or assailants, although individually not representative of Islam, have personified through their actions the hateful language that is routinely spoken by and about fellow countrymen. This goes for both sides, but obviously the Muslim majority feels that they have the right to spew this hatred from loudspeakers during Friday sermons. While the Christian minority keeps it confined to family and friends.