[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 866]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        BOMBING OF SAINTS CHURCH

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, shortly after midnight Mass during the 
early hours of New Year's Day, a heinous suicide bombing attack at the 
Saints Church in Alexandria, Egypt, killed 21 innocent worshippers and 
injured dozens of others.
  My condolences go out to the families of the victims and to the 
Coptic community. This was a devastating loss for the Christian 
community in Egypt and Christian communities around the world, 
including in my home State of Illinois.
  I urge the Egyptian government to work swiftly and within the rule of 
law to bring those responsible for this heinous crime to justice.
  The Obama administration already has offered U.S. law enforcement 
assistance, which I encourage Egypt to accept--particularly in light of 
findings that indicate al-Qaida or other international terrorism 
networks were involved.
  Unfortunately, this bombing attack is not an isolated incident in 
Egypt. Just about one year ago, three men armed with automatic weapons 
killed six Christian churchgoers as they emerged from a Christmas Mass 
service in the Egyptian town of Naga Hammadi, along with one Muslim 
off-duty police officer.
  While I commend the Egyptian government's quick arrest and ongoing 
prosecution of the four suspects in that case, the fact that these 
incidents of violence against their own Christian community have 
continued in Egypt is very worrying.
  Coptic Christians have been practicing their faith in Egypt since 
antiquity. Egypt is home to some of the oldest Christian schools in the 
world, where students have been taught theology and the text of the 
Bible. Coptic Christians are an important part of Egyptian society and 
make up approximately ten percent of Egypt's population. Protecting 
them and other religious minorities from acts of violence should be a 
top priority for the Egyptian government.
  The New Year's bombing in Egypt is, unfortunately, also part of a 
disturbing pattern of violence against religious minorities in the 
Middle East.
  For example, on October 31, 2010, Our Lady of Salvation Church in 
Iraq was the victim of a vicious attack by an al-Qaida affiliate, where 
over 50 innocent lives were taken.
  Such despicable acts of aggression should not be tolerated. They 
force minority communities, who deserve greater protection, to live in 
fear of random acts of violence.
  Such violence and discrimination cause members of minority 
communities to become refugees in their own country or to seek refuge 
in other countries. The ability of religious minorities to worship 
freely and safely should be a basic tenent of any modern society.
  It is incumbent on Egypt, as a leader in the Middle East, to promote 
an atmosphere of tolerance where members of all religions are given an 
equal opportunity to thrive and participate in the life of the country.
  Earlier, Senator Whitehouse joined me in a letter to President 
Mubarak expressing our concern for the protection of minority 
communities in Egypt, including the lack of representation that Coptic 
Christians have in government as well as the government's failure to 
fully prosecute those responsible for acts of violence against Coptic 
Christians in the past.
  We are concerned that the current situation may embolden extremists 
and foster increasing religious intolerance and sectarian violence.
  I have joined Senator Robert Menendez on a resolution condemning the 
New Year's Day attack in Egypt and expressing condolences to all 
Egyptians who have suffered from terrorist attacks in the past.
  Egypt has a reputation as a peaceful, moderate Arab state, where, as 
provided under its laws, all faiths are free to practice their religion 
without fear of retribution or violence. Egypt is a leader in the 
region and a close friend of the United States. But there is no place 
in Egyptian society for the kind of extremists who attacked and killed 
peaceful churchgoers on New Year's Day.
  I again express my deepest condolences to the members of Saints 
Church and join all of America in prayers for the victims of this 
tragedy.

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