“We either live together, or we die together” Muslims make selves "Human Shields" at Midnight Mass

This photo found at The Truth Pursuit site

You Tube url here Al Jazeera's publication is entitled "Midnight mass in tense Egypt" where there are over 8,000 readers' comments

The Muslims organized under the slogan “We either live together, or we die together,” inspired by Mohamed El-Sawy, an Egyptian artist:

Egypt’s majority Muslim population stuck to its word Thursday night. What had been a promise of solidarity to the weary Coptic community, was honoured, when thousands of Muslims showed up at Coptic Christmas eve mass services in churches around the country and at candle light vigils held outside. From the well-known to the unknown, Muslims had offered their bodies as “human shields” for last night’s mass, making a pledge to collectively fight the threat of Islamic militants and towards an Egypt free from sectarian strife.

“We either live together, or we die together,” was the sloganeering genius of Mohamed El-Sawy...whose cultural centre distributed flyers at churches in Cairo Thursday night, and who has been credited with first floating the “human shield” idea.

See several other postings and titles such as this one at thetruthpursuit.com "Egyptian Muslims Become Human Shields to Defend Christians from Terrorism here

There may be a reasonable debate as to whether or not the holding of this service and/or the gathering of this group of courageous people who became "human shields" should have made this choice. Yet, given this event took place, perhaps Christians and Muslims have thereby moved a few large steps closer to one another and toward peace worldwide.

Thousands of Egyptian Muslims Show Up as "Human Shields" to Defend Coptic Christians
as posted Saturday 08 January 2011 in Truthout where over 4,000 Readers' Comments have been indicated...

On New Year’s Day, a devastating terrorist bombing at a Coptic church in Egypt killed 21 people and injured 79 others. Although the identity of the culprits was not known, it was assumed that they were Muslim extremists, intent on targeting those they saw as heretics. Religious tensions immediately rose in the country, and angry Copts stormed streets, battled with police, and even vandalized a nearby mosque. The riots and heightened tensions between the Muslim and Coptic communities was likely what the terrorists wanted — to divide the Egyptian community and create sectarian strife between different religious groups.

Yet by Coptic Christmas Eve, which took place Thursday night in Egypt, things had changed completely. As Egyptian Copts attended mass at churches across the country, “thousands” of Muslims, including “the two sons of President Hosni Mubarak,” joined them, acting as “human shields” to protect from terrorist attacks by extremists. The Muslims organized under the slogan “We either live together, or we die together,” inspired by Mohamed El-Sawy, an Egyptian artist:

Egypt’s majority Muslim population stuck to its word Thursday night. What had been a promise of solidarity to the weary Coptic community, was honoured, when thousands of Muslims showed up at Coptic Christmas eve mass services in churches around the country and at candle light vigils held outside. From the well-known to the unknown, Muslims had offered their bodies as “human shields” for last night’s mass, making a pledge to collectively fight the threat of Islamic militants and towards an Egypt free from sectarian strife.

“We either live together, or we die together,” was the sloganeering genius of Mohamed El-Sawy, a Muslim arts tycoon whose cultural centre distributed flyers at churches in Cairo Thursday night, and who has been credited with first floating the “human shield” idea. Among those shields were movie stars Adel Imam and Yousra, popular preacher Amr Khaled, the two sons of President Hosni Mubarak, and thousands of citizens who have said they consider the attack one on Egypt as a whole. “This is not about us and them,” said Dalia Mustafa, a student who attended mass at Virgin Mary Church on Maraashly. “We are one. This was an attack on Egypt as a whole, and I am standing with the Copts because the only way things will change in this country is if we come together.”

Al Jazeera English covered the attacks and reported from the site of one of the solidarity events where Muslims and Christians stood side by side, protesting discrimination against Copts and calling for an end to violence.

It is a frequent complaint among opinion makers in the United States that the global Muslim community does not condemn and prevent terrorism. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has even said that Islam needs a civil war similar to the one the United States fought in order to deal with its extremists. But the truth is that moderate and progressive Muslims all over the world are battling extremism. Here in the United States, one-third of al-Qaeda related terror plots have been broken up thanks to intelligence provided by Muslim Americans. It is up to the press to report these positive stories and not exaggerate the sway that extremists hold over the global Muslim community. (end posting by Truth Pursuit)

Final note by blogger:

There are of course many other events with a similar spirit between peoples...to name just a few -- many efforts to help the destitute, injured and bereaved in Gaza, Christians vigiling with Palestinian Christians, Muslims and others in Jerusalem at both masses and at Muslim sites; Rabbis for Human Rights and many other groups of dialogue for peace and solidarity with attacked Palestinians, the Parents Circle with dialogue between bereaved parents in Israel and Palestine; Vigils at various sites worldwide for peace; Christian Peacemaker Teams standing beside Iraqis and seeking understanding in in Iran as well as many peacemakers visiting in one another's nations and online sites seeking to break down walls of fear.

Connie