Egyptian Muslims, Coptics in NJ show unity
Associated Press
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Leaders of Egyptian Coptic and Muslim communities from New Jersey and the New York metropolitan region met in a show of unity Saturday, expressing pain over a wave of angry protests sparked by an anti-Islam film and appealing for calm.Federal authorities have identified a southern California filmmaker — a self-described Coptic Christian — as the key figure behind "Innocence of Muslims." The film, which denigrates Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, has ignited mob violence against U.S. embassies across the Middle East.
Rev. David Bebawi, a priest at St. George and St. Shenouda Coptic Orthodox Church in Jersey City, said more than 50 Coptic priests from across the U.S. had signed a letter supporting the Muslim community and condemning the violent protests.
Bebawi joined other Coptic Christians, as well as Muslim imams, at a mosque in Jersey City on Saturday in a show of solidarity and to urge Egyptians in America to stand together.
"Those who did this (film) are not Christian," Bebawi told the gathering of about 30 leaders. "Those who killed the American ambassador and others are not Muslim."
An organizer of Saturday's event, Egyptian-born Muslim Ahmed Shedeed, said as a community with deep roots in America, many are struggling with a range of emotions, from anger over the purported content of the anti-Islam movie to outrage over the violent protests and the targeting and killing of Americans.
"There is an agony in the community, there is turmoil over this happening," Shedeed said. "It's something we all have to face as a united Egyptian community and make sure those looking to pull us apart do not succeed."
Coptic and Muslim leaders both feel they must emphasize to their congregants that Coptic Christians should not be condemned for the actions of one individual, any more than all Muslims should be blamed for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Shedeed added.
Organizers hope Saturday's meeting at The Islamic Center of Jersey City also will send a message to people in Egypt.
"It's our duty as Muslims to protect the churches, and the churches' duty to protect the mosques," Shedeed said. "By giving a united front, we're trying to give an example of two Egyptian communities uniting together, to send a message to people over there (in Egypt) that we see the whole picture."
That picture includes a tolerance for freedom of expression, said Shedeed, who said Muslims in the U.S. value the right to express their anger over the film in a peaceful way.
"I may have thought about holding a rally when the movie first came out, but the people overseas ruined our chances to educate people about Muslims," he said. "And by killing the ambassadors, they've made it difficult for us to do anything to show people where we stand."
Coptic leaders in the U.S. also have been fearing a backlash.
His Grace Bishop Serapion of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California and Hawaii issued a statement this week saying he doesn't support the views portrayed in the movie and condemns the murders of the U.S. ambassador and three others.
Serapion added: "Holistically blaming the Copts for the production of this movie is equivalent to holistically blaming Muslims for the actions of a few fanatics. Even though Christians often face persecution, injustice and calls for open attacks over the airwaves, we reject violence in all its forms."
Coptic Christians, once a majority in Egypt, now make up about 10 percent of that country's 85 million people. They are the largest Christian community in the Middle East.
Many Egyptian Christians fled to the U.S. to escape what they say is religious discrimination in the majority Muslim nation.
Egyptians are the largest group of Arab Americans in New Jersey. Muslims and Coptics live side-by-side in the Journal Square neighborhood of Jersey City, New Jersey's second-largest city, located just across the river from Manhattan. Churches, mosques, temples and other houses of worship representing the area's diverse immigrant diaspora sit in close proximity on the densely populated urban streets.
The Egyptian Coptic expatriate community in the U.S. numbers about 300,000. In addition to New Jersey, the largest concentrations are in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Cleveland.
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