Inside the church, a glorious confection of


murals and stained glass, the pulpit inlaid with Oriental marquetry, Fr Atef Safud says any change of regime will be regrettable. “Mubarak is not that bad. He is acting to do something to make the situation better,” he said, noting the new Cabinet appointed by the President last week, which saw long-time security chief Omar Suleiman become Prime Minister. Safud’s implication is that this should be enough to placate the protesters. But it clearly will not be. The demonstrators in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square, the focus for the protests, insist that nothing short of Mubarak’s resignation will be acceptable, followed by free and fair elec- tions. Even the secular among the demonstrators agree that the Muslim Brotherhood must be part of this process, something that chills Barin who said: “A change in the regime means we enter com- plete darkness. Everybody hopes we never see the Muslim Brotherhood in power.” For the moment, the Christian community feels helpless. Church leaders have called on congregants not to take part in the demon- strations, but to stay at home and avoid organising large gatherings. Evening services have been cancelled because of the curfew and people are urged to stay away from churches, according to the missionary who said: “We aren’t encouraging people seeking a place of safety to come to their church; the churches themselves are not secure.” But not all Christians share these concerns. Some, such as 32-year-old Noha Safwat, are prepared to risk change to get rid of the Mubarak regime. She believes that national unity will prevent Christians being singled out, noting that the previous night both the Christian and Muslim men of Abbassiya ral- lied together to patrol the streets in case of looters. “I feel the same as any Egyptian; we are all frustrated,” she said. “I am not afraid of the revolution, and I am not afraid of the Muslim Brotherhood. Most of the Muslims themselves don’t like the Muslim Brotherhood and don’t support their approach.”


travelled here every day from his home in Heliopolis since the uprising began, and he will keep on coming until the day Mubarak falls, he declares. Not only that, but he has seen many people from his church, he adds. A Presbyterian, Shareef says he understands why many Christians prefer Mubarak. “They want stability, they are afraid that the Muslims will turn against them, and it’s true that a minority do oppose the Christians, although I myself have never experienced any harass- ment.” Most Egyptians want a secular state, he insists. “But what is important is to get rid of Mubarak. Anybody is better than him.”


S


■Daniella Peled is a specialist writer on Middle East affairs and an editor with the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.


hari Shareef, 23, an engineering stu- dent at the German University in Cairo, carries a giant Egyptian flag as he stands in Tahrir Square. He has


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5 February 2011 | THE TABLET | 5


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