Arabs, Muslims condemn Egypt church bombings

April 10, 2017

Jeddah, Apr 10: Terrorist attacks targeting two Coptic Christian churches in Egypt, which killed at least 43 people and wounded as many as 100, have unified Arab and Western nations to further their efforts to defeat extremist violence.

ArabsEgyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi announced a three-month state of emergency following twin church bombings.

King Salman on Sunday made a phone call to El-Sisi, expressing his condolences and sympathy to the Egyptian president, following the terrorist bombings.

During the phone call, the king expressed in the strongest words his denunciation and condemnation of the two sinful criminal terrorist acts and reiterated the Kingdom’s solidarity with Egypt and its people against whoever attempts to tamper with its security and stability.

Security and political analysts told Arab News that while the international community combines resources to fight terrorism, the strategy also makes their countries targets of retaliation. Yet it also strengthens their resolve to defeat groups like Daesh.

Bombs exploded at two Coptic churches in different cities in northern Egypt as worshippers were celebrating Palm Sunday in an attack claimed by Daesh. The claim was published by the militant group’s Aamaq news agency. It provided no further details.

The blasts came at the start of Holy Week leading up to Easter, and just weeks before Pope Francis was due to visit the Arab world’s most populous country, which has been beset by extremist violence against its minority Christians.

In the first attack, a bomb went off inside St. George’s Church in the Nile Delta city of Tanta, killing at least 27 people and wounding 78, officials said.

A few hours later, a suicide bomber rushed toward St. Mark’s Cathedral in the coastal city of Alexandria, the historic seat of Christendom in Egypt, killing at least 16 people and wounding 41, the Interior Ministry said.

Foreign, Arab and Muslim countries quickly condemned the terrorist attacks.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry issued a condemnation in a statement issued in the aftermath of the attacks.

Extremists have claimed previous attacks against Egypt’s Coptic minority, and had recently vowed to step up violence against Christians, who they view as an ally of the West in a war against Islam.

Regional police chief Brig. Gen. Hossam Elddin Khalifa was fired over the incident, with Maj. Gen. Tarek Hassouna replacing him, the state-run newspaper Al-Ahram reported.

Pope Tawadros II had held Palm Sunday services at the cathedral, but his aides said he had escaped unharmed. The timing of the attack raised the question of whether the bomber had sought to assassinate the pope, leader of one of the world’s oldest Christian communities.

It is a serious security breech that calls on the Egyptian security institution to revise all its security measures, said Hani Nusseira, an expert in the affairs of Islamic groups. However, he said these attacks always have an opposite effect of what terrorists intended.

“The Egyptian society is known for their reliance,” he told Arab News on Sunday. “Every time a terrorist act takes place the people become more united and more supportive of any government measures to counter the terrorists.”

He added that despite authorities’ knowledge of being a target by the terrorist groups, they have yet to implement adequate security measures to ensure the public’s safety, especially during national or religious events.

Nusseira stressed that despite the attacks, the Egyptian case is not an exceptional one, but rather its fight against terrorist groups makes the country more subject to retaliatory acts.

Hamdan Al-Sheheri, a political analyst and international relations scholar, said the question is who is benefiting from these terrorist acts in the first place.

“This barbaric act is an attempt by terrorists to defragment the international focus, especially the US administration, which has started to see recently from the Syrian regime, back to fighting terrorism. This implies that the Syrian regime backed by the Iranians are trying to shift the pressure in a way that serves their agendas in the region,” Al-Sheheri told Arab News on Sunday.

The US administration in the wake of the recent chemical attack in Syria and the US missile strike against the Syrian regime could be a reason triggering these terrorist blast in Egypt, he said.

He said that it is also an attempt to put pressure on the Egyptian government not to support any international pressure on the Syrian regime and to keep their efforts focused on supporting a political settlement in Syria.

“Terrorism does not distinguish between countries or religions. The terrorists consider any successful breech of security in any targeted country a success to their agendas,” he said.

Over the past years, the Coptic community in Egypt has been subject to several terrorist attacks, he said.

“From the terrorist perspective, what is making them a target is their support to the current political system,” he said. “They are Egyptians, after all, and they are affected by whatever political development that takes place in Egypt, which gives them the right to take a political stance just like any other Egyptians.”

Nabil Haddad, founder and director of the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center, said, “This cowardly act was committed at the hands of terrorist individuals who have nor regard to faith or humanity. Terrorism does not differentiate between religions and those cowardly groups are only tarnishing the image of Islam, which calls for tolerance and peaceful coexistence among different faiths.

“This will not deter us from living together in peace and harmony. On the contrary, it will make us more united and adamant to defeat terrorism."

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News Network
April 2,2020

Dubai, Apr 2: A senior Saudi official urged more than 1 million Muslims intending to perform the hajj to delay making plans this year in comments suggesting the pilgrimage could be cancelled due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

In February, the kingdom took the extraordinary decision to close off the holy cities of Mecca and Medina to foreigners over the virus, a step which wasn’t taken even during the 1918 flu epidemic that killed tens of millions worldwide.

Restrictions have tightened in the kingdom as it grapples with over 1,500 confirmed cases of the new virus. The kingdom has reported 10 deaths so far. The Middle East has more than 71,000 confirmed cases of the virus, most of those in Iran, and over 3,300 deaths.

“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is prepared to secure the safety of all Muslims and nationals,” Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Muhammad Saleh bin Taher Banten told state television. “That’s why we have requested from all Muslims around the world to hold onto signing any agreements (with tour operators) until we have a clear vision.”

Saudi Arabia has barred people from entering or exiting three major cities, including Mecca and Medina, and imposed a nighttime curfew across the country. Like other countries around the world and in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has suspended all inbound and outbound commercial flights.

Each year, up to 2 million Muslims perform the hajj, a physically demanding and often costly pilgrimage that draws the faithful from around the world. The hajj, required of all able-bodied Muslims to perform once in their lifetime, is seen as a chance to wipe clean past sins and bring about greater humility and unity among Muslims.

Standing in Mecca in front of the cube-shaped Kaaba that Muslims pray toward five times daily, Banten also said the kingdom was already providing care for 1,200 pilgrims stuck in the holy city due to global travel restrictions. A number of them are being quarantined in hotels in Mecca, he said.

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News Network
March 23,2020

Dubai, Mar 23: All inbound, outbound and transit passenger flights to and from the United Arab Emirates – home to one of the world’s busiest hubs – are to be suspended for two weeks.

The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) and General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has announced that passenger flights to, from and through the country will be suspended from 25 March for a period of two weeks, in order to “curb the spread of the Covid-19”.

Freight and emergency evacuation flights will still be permitted to operate.

The suspension affects major global hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Dubai-based Emirates has already announced that it will suspend most of its passenger flights from 25 March.

“Additional examination and isolation arrangements will be taken later should flights resume, in order to ensure the safety of passengers, air crews and airport personnel and their protection from infection risks,” state the NCEMA and the GCAA.

Dubai International Airport was the third-busiest airport in the world in 2018, handling 89 million passengers.

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News Network
April 24,2020

Riyadh, Apr 24: As many as eleven Indian nationals have died due to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.

"As per information available with the Embassy as of April 22, eleven Indian nationals (four in Madinah, three in Makkah, two in Jeddah, one in Riyadh and one in Dammam) have passed away due to COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia," the Embassy of India in Saudi Arabia said in a press release on Wednesday.

It urged the Indian community to remain calm and avoid spreading of rumours amid the COVID-19 crisis.

"The Embassy also reiterates the need for the community to remain calm and avoid spreading of rumours that may create panic. It is important that social media is not used to disseminate false messages and spread hatred along communal lines that can vitiate the atmosphere," the Embassy said.

"As stated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, COVID-19 does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or borders before striking, and our response and conduct should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood," it said.

Moreover, several measures on the supply of food, medicines and other emergency assistance to Indians in need are being implemented across the Kingdom.

Earlier, Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ausaf Sayeed on April 22 had interacted with Indian community volunteers from the smaller towns all across the Kingdom to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 situation, and evaluate the implementation of various measures to ensure the welfare of Indian nationals.

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