Egypt's Christians uneasy about Islamist president
By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa
Cairo (dpa) - Holding a fan in one hand and her ID in the other, Mona Magdy stands with friends in a line outside a polling station in northern Cairo to vote in Egypt's presidential run-offs.
Their conversation turns to the country's lack of security since last year's popular revolt forced Hosny Mubarak out of power.
"We want to feel safe again. I do not want to be worried every time my children leave the house," says Magdy, a Christian mother of three, at the Shubra district polling station.
"Obviously, we also want a civil state," she adds, saying that she will vote for Ahmed Shafiq.
Shafiq, Mubarak's last prime minister and a former air force commander, is facing the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi in the final round of what is seen as Egypt's first free presidential election.
Magdy's statement echoes increasing fears among the Christian minority. Christians - who account for around 10 million of Egypt's 82 million people and complained of discrimination under Mubarak - have been alarmed by the rise of Islamists.
"There are a lot of fears among the people, but it applies to both Shafiq and Morsi. We do fear that the value of Egyptian citizens will diminish, and Christians will be the first to pay the price, followed by liberals and leftists," said Coptic analyst Kamal Zakher.
The two presidential finalists have polarized Egyptians. Those who back Shafiq fear an Islamist state. The other group sides with Morsi because they are worried that his rival will re-create the Mubarak regime if he becomes president.
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| A Christian woman voting in Shubra, Cairo. Flickr: Nehal ElSherif |
"The January revolution (against Mubarak) will always serve as a red light for anyone who takes office. Besides, Egyptians are not afraid any more to stand against tyranny of any kind," Zakher said. "Even if Mubarak came back, he would not be able to rule as he did for 30 years."
Yet, the Coptic analyst says drafting a new constitution that ensures a civil state is Egypt's "real battle."
The ruling military council has taken back legislative powers after a court invalidated the Islamist-led parliament on Thursday. With no constitution in place, it is not clear what the powers of the new president will be.
"Our path will not be strewn with roses. It will be a long battle with a high price to be paid," Zakher said.
The past 16 months since the anti-Mubarak revolution have been traumatic for Egypt's Christians. The worst month was October, when 27 Copts were killed in clashes between military forces and protesters in central Cairo.
"I rallied against Mubarak in the hope of having a democratic state where I would not feel marginalized for having a tattoo of a cross on my left hand," said Rami, who declined to give his full name.
"We do not want to face more trouble when we want to build a church, for example," said the 25-year-old man.
For years, Christians have been calling for a unified law on the legalization of places of worship to make it easier for them to build churches. Under Mubarak, the president had the authority to approve or reject each planned new church.
Both Shafiq and Morsi have been trying to woo Christians and liberals.
Morsi's discourse uses fears about the potential revival of Mubarak's police state, should his rival win. Shafiq, meanwhile, has campaigned on a law-and-order message, depicting the Brotherhood as a harbinger of darkness and theology.
While thousands were queuing Saturday to vote for a president, Hani Shukrallah, another Coptic analyst, said he was boycotting the election.
"Did we forget that Egyptians, and Arabs in general, had the choice between a police state and an Islamist state for decades?" he asked.
"The Egyptian revolution has introduced a new option, why should we abandon it?" Shukrallah added, hinting that neither candidate met the democratic aspirations of the revolution.
