Muslim Community of Montreal statement concerning bombing of Coptic Christian church in Egypt

January 13, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Montreal, Quebec, January 13th, 2011- The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) met with a group of Egyptian Coptic Christians and Montreal Muslims at the Consul General of Egypt in Montreal last week, in the wake of the New Year’s Day bombing at the Church of Saints Mark and Peter in Alexandria, Egypt.

“We are all grieved and distressed by this atrocious attack, especially as it comes at what should have been a special time of year for Coptic Christians in Egypt and around the world,” stated Salam Elmenyawi, president of MCM. “We send our condolences and express our sorrow to those who lost their lives or were injured, to their families and friends, to all members of the parish and to all others who mourn this attack around the world.”

“Such an attack against innocent people in a place of worship is both cowardly and heinous. It is an attack not just against the Coptic Christian community of Egypt, but against all people who stand together united for justice, peace and freedom. We condemn such violence in the strongest manner and call for the swift prosecution of the perpetrators of this crime. It is distressing to see that some Egyptian Muslims are being unfairly targeted and abused following these attacks, even to the point of being tortured and killed. Such deplorable actions must not be tolerated and the police and government officials must secure and protect the civil liberties and freedoms of all people, if they wish to sustain peace and justice in Egypt today.”

“We support and remain committed to all just efforts to ensure a peaceful Egyptian state, where people of all faiths and ethnicities can live together in social harmony, freedom and security, free to practice their religion with pride and without fear. Muslims and Christians have coexisted peacefully for centuries in Egypt. Peace and justice must come hand in hand with the protection of the human rights of all individuals, as injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“As Canadians, as Muslims, as Egyptians and above all as brothers in one single humanity, we send our support to Coptic Christians around the world and call for greater efforts in establishing understanding and respect between our communities, to improve the communication and interaction and help us to work together for a better future.”

The bombing at the Church of Saints Mark and Peter in Alexandria, Egypt took place on New Year’s Day, killing 23, including ten Muslims, and injuring over 90.

 

CONTACT:                                                 

Salam Elmenyawi

Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM)

Ph.: (514) 748-8427

E-mail: info@muslimcouncil.org

Website: http://www.muslimcouncil.org

 

The Muslim Council of Montreal (MCM) is an umbrella organization representing a number of Islamic institutions in the Montreal region. There are over 225,000 Muslims in Montreal, about 1,000,000 in Canada and 1.7 billion worldwide.

 

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