ALEXANDRIA, 23 October 2005 — This Mediterranean city was tense yesterday after three people were killed and dozens injured in clashes on Friday between police and 5,000 demonstrators protesting a play allegedly offensive to Islam. The riot erupted after Friday prayers when the demonstrators gathered near St. George’s Church to protest the play that was performed inside the church a couple of years ago. A DVD recording of the play surfaced recently and tensions boiled over after excerpts of the play were published in the Al-Midan tabloid newspaper last week.
Police charged the crowd with bamboo sticks, tear gas, rubber bullets and later water cannons after the demonstrators tried to break through makeshift barriers and police lines erected around the church in the Muharam Bek neighborhood. Protesters threw stones, destroyed several police vehicles, set parked cars ablaze and chanted anti-government slogans.
The play, titled “I Once Was Blind But Now I See”, relates the story of a poor young Copt who converts to Islam after a group of Muslims offer him money as inducement. But the new convert later decides to return to Christianity and faces death threats from his former co-religionists. Protesters are demanding Coptic Church leaders issue a public apology. Some protesters have also called for the prosecution of anyone behind the staging of the play and its DVD sale.
Coptic Christian leaders, including church archbishop Armia, say the play criticizes extremism and does not insult Islam.
But protesters disagree. “They (the church) have insulted our religion and we are willing to die to defend it,” said Ahmed, a protester who did not want to give his last name. “We will not be scared by the security or anyone else and we will keep protesting until our demands are met.” Dozens of protestors were rounded up by security forces in the wake of the disturbances.
