Nervous Christians vote with an eye to the future

AFP/Alexandria

A Coptic priest queues to vote outside a polling station in the Shubra neighbourhood of Cairo yesterday

In the gritty Egyptian port city of Alexandria, thousands of Christians cast their votes yesterday, anxious about what democracy will mean for their minority community. The city, seen as more conservative than the capital Cairo, is expected to vote in numbers for the moderate Islamist party set up by the Muslim Brotherhood in the first polls since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. Posters for the hardline Salafist groups were also highly visible around the mixed Muslim-Christian neighbourhood of Sidi Beshr. “During the Mubarak era, all the political parties were suppressed including the Islamic parties,” said 35-year-old Sami, who works at the St George Coptic church in the area. “But now they are free, people here are really worried about these Islamic parties making gains in the election. Not just Al Nour (the Salafists) but also the Muslim Brotherhood,” he added. While some worry about the Islamist parties’ attitude to women’s rights, others in the minority group of 8mn Coptic Christians are concerned about Egypt becoming an Islamic state. The community, the Middle East’s biggest Christian population, already complain of systematic discrimination and they are the target of sectarian attacks. There were clashes in May in Cairo, leading to the post-revolution military leaders to warn they would deal with sectarian strife with an “iron hand.” Residents of Sidi Beshr have known far worse. On New Year’s Eve last year, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Two Saints Church as it held mass, killing more than 20. Brotherhood leaders have been at pains to stress that they are a moderate party committed to good governance and religious diversity. The movement appointed a Christian intellectual as vice president of its Freedom and Justice Party in May and said it has almost 100 Coptic Christians among its founding members. Now, with the shackles lifted after years of prohibition, the group says it is ready to capitalise on Egypt’s first free vote since the downfall of Mubarak. Sobhi Saleh, a senior Brotherhood candidate in this year’s election, has direct experience of the heavy-handed tactics of the former ruling party that dominated Egyptian politics for 30 years. “Last year, I went to an area called Abis to see how the election was going,” he said. “One of the old regime candidates was there. His supporters attacked me and tried to kill me because I was insisting on observing the election process.”Islam, a 20-year-old engineering student waiting in line to vote in the central neighbourhood of Sidi Gaber, says such experiences have given the Brotherhood huge influence in Egypt. “They are popular because during the Mubarak era they were the only ones who stood against him and they suffered for that. They had a lot of courage,” he added. Amin, a 55-year-old doctor standing outside a busy voting centre near Alexandria’s seafront, plans to vote for a liberal candidate. He downplays fears that the Brotherhood will impose a strict Islamic agenda on Egyptian society if they do emerge as the largest party.  “I’m not worried about them. I think if they gain power they will change their ethics a lot, because they are going to have to deal with reality,” he said. The Brotherhood is contesting all 24 seats in Alexandria this year and candidate Saleh thinks they have a good change of winning thanks to their experience, expertise and local representation. He insists the fears of secularists and Christians are unfounded. “Islam will support non-Muslims in this country and give them all their rights,” he said.