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FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2011
Special section starts on page 25
Tony Sourial is a deacon at Saint Mary Coptic Church. Before coming to Canada, he worshipped at the church in Egypt that was bombed on New Year’s Day, ❚PHOTO/Lisa King killing 21 and injuring 97. “It’s sad,” he said. “We cannot figure out a reason.”
Coptic churches on alert ‘Static security’ from Mounties at two places of worship in Whalley, following attacks in Egypt SURREY — Surrey’s Tom ZYTARUK Coptic Christians will Staff Reporter be praying for peace this Christmas Day — today, on their calendar — as the Surrey RCMP keeps vigil over their services in light of a terrorist bombing and subsequent threats made here in Canada and elsewhere in the world. Today (Friday) marks the Coptic Christmas as the ancient church follows the Julian rather than Gregorian calendar. Surrey Mounties are keeping watch over Whalley’s two Coptic Orthodox churches — St. George and Saint Mary — in light of a deadly terrorist attack against their church in Alexandria, Egypt on New Year’s Day. The suicide bombing killed 21 people and injured 97. According to news reports, nobody has yet declared responsibility for the attack but authorities are investigating
a group of Islamic hardliners in Egypt. It’s also been reported that threats have been posted against Coptic Christians here in Canada, on an al-Qaeda website. As a result, churches in Montreal and Toronto have called off some of their Christmas celebrations. The local churches have curbed festivities for the weekend, in memory of their lost brethren. Surrey’s churches have not received any threats but local police aren’t taking any chances. “This has gained a lot of notoriety for obvious reasons,” Sgt. Dan Gibbons told the Now. “Without a doubt there’s heightened awareness that we have to be vigilant at times like this, and that’s what we’re going to do. “We’ll definitely have a uniformed police presence and a marked police car in
and around the area.” Cpl. Drew Grainger said local Mounties are providing “static security” at Saint Mary and St. George. “We feel it’s important to be aware of any potential threats that can spill out,” Grainger said. Surrey’s two Coptic churches serve Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Tony Sourial is a deacon at Saint Mary, which has a congregation of 45 families. “We cut down on weekend festivities basically because of our brethren in Egypt. In sympathy, obviously,” Sourial said. Sourial used to attend the bombed church, before he moved to Canada. “I used to pray down there,” he said. “We feel every minute. “It’s sad. We cannot figure out a reason. Anyone in his mind cannot really put it together. We’re just praying in a church,
coming out, enjoying ourselves, chitchatting, and there you go — a bomb. I don’t know. Some lunatics, I guess.” Coptic Christians make up about 10 per cent of Egypt’s population, which is otherwise Muslim. Sourial said “moderate” Muslims there have been working against violence wrought by “extremists.” “They belong to all kinds of organizations, one of them, I’m sure you’re aware of, which is al-Qaeda. It’s a very big organization. It’s spreading like cancer. “But so far we have friends — Muslims — we have friends back home. Back home, as we speak, there are some riots as well from the Muslims, moderate Muslims, and they are basically working against what’s happened in that church in Alexandria. So, they are side by side with us.” tzytaruk@thenownewspaper.com