Joining Hands in Cairo

Egyptian Coptic Christians and Muslims raise a cross and the Koran in Tahrir Square (MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images)

Egyptians from all backgrounds continue to protest Mubarak’s continued reign in Tahrir Square, though in this third week of protests, the crowd has grown smaller. Mubarak insists that steps toward transition have already been taken, but for many, especially the younger protesters, this gesture is not enough.

What has remained constant (and what should be noted by those who want to think of this as an Islamic uprising)* is the diversity of the protesters and the solidarity they have shown. On Friday, Coptic Christians protected their fellow Egyptians, joining hands to encircle Muslim protesters while they prayed.

On Sunday, the favor was returned:

[The Muslims] surrounded Christians celebrating Mass in Cairo’s central plaza, ground zero for the secular pro-democracy protests reverberating throughout the Middle East.

“In the name of Jesus and Muhammed, we unify our ranks,” the Rev. Ihab al-Kharat told the crowd in his sermon.

“We will keep protesting until the fall of the tyranny,” he said.

Some of the worshipers began to cry as the congregation sang, “Bless our country, listen to the cries of our hearts.”

Afterward, the crowd of both Muslims and Christians chanted “one hand” – meaning “we are one” – and held up a Koran and a cross.

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