AJC Deplores New Year's Terror Attack on Egyptian Copts

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Jan 01, 2011, 11:44 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC is horrified by the New Year's Day terrorist attack on a Coptic Church, killing at least 21 churchgoers, in Alexandria, Egypt.

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"Any and all such violent attacks on Christians, simply because of their faith, are despicable and demand universal condemnation," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "Tragically, this is not the first such outrage in the region. Recently, we have witnessed the deadly targeting of Christian minorities in Iraq and Sudan, as well as in Egypt and Gaza. We extend our deepest condolences to our friends in Egypt's Coptic Church and to the bereaved families of the bombing's victims."

The Alexandria terrorist attack occurred during midnight mass at the Saints Church. Copts comprise about ten percent of Egypt's population. Seven Copts were murdered in a drive-by shooting two years ago at a church in southern Egypt. Meanwhile, in Iraq, repeated Islamist violence has led more than half of the Christian population to flee. Many have gone to Kurdistan, as well as to Jordan and other countries.

"To witness Christians suffering what Jewish communities endured in many Arab countries is all too painfully familiar, and certainly does not bode well for a region that spawned the three monotheistic religions," said Harris. "We respectfully call on Egyptian authorities to take additional measures to bolster security for the Copt community, including their houses of worship."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee