Sad. Sad. From CNN.
Shooters opened fire at a gathering outside an eastern Egyptian church, killing six during the celebration of a Christian sect’s Christmas Eve, Egypt’s Interior Ministry reported.
The situation for Copts has been deteriorating. This story about Egyptian ID cards and the difficulties Copts (or Christians generally) face reminded me of a case of “reverse” branding. The Nazis forced Jews to wear a Star of David as a purely discriminatory sign. Here the Copts tattoo themselves as a sign of their faith. From the BBC website:
Ayman Raafat Zaki, 22, also bears a cross.
He has been a member of St Michael’s church in Cairo for nine years and he is now an altar boy.
Every Sunday, dressed in his white robes, he helps lead a large Christian congregation.
He chants readings from the Bible, as the young boys circle the church, spreading thick plumes of fragrant incense.
And yet Ayman’s overt spirituality – and his tattoo – are not enough to convince the state he is a Christian.