Egyptian Artists Condemn the Bombings which Took Place At The Saints’ Cathedral

A large number of Egyptian artists have condemned the bombings which took place in front of the Saint’s cathedral in Alexandria during events marking the start of the New Year. Furthermore the artists have also declared a period of mourning for the victims of the blast and have requested that immediate and strict measures be enforced in order to prosecute those responsible.Musician Shereen A’bd Al Wahab issued an urgent call to all Alexandrians through her facebook page, asking all Alexandrians to donate blood for the victims of the blast. Thus Shereen has announced the following: “A call to all Alexandrian youths… You must make your way as soon as possible to the German Hospital located on 56 A’bd Al Salam A’arif Street, or to the East City Hospital in order to donate blood…. There are people dying and a single drop of blood could make all the difference.”In the meantime performer Ashraf A’bd Al Baqqy announced angrily: “I don’t understand what message these people (the bombers) are trying to convey, or what they have gained from this action. I am sure that this attack did not target the Copts solely, but rather the entire nation as a whole. I would hope that the Egyptian people do not get carried away emotionally in the wake of this event so as not to create a sectarian divide.” A’bd Al Baqqy further added “Culture and art have never contributed to these events in the past as we simply present an objective picture of reality, most of the responsibility is in the hands of the state which I call upon to take decisive measure to prosecute those who committed the bombings.”Performer Dalia El Beheiry who was recently named Good Will Ambassador has expressed her frustration with regards to what has occurred and said: “This makes my heart ache. I am sure that those responsible don’t prescribe to any religion to begin with because they did not target one sect in particular but rather the entire nation. We should present works that promote national unity over the coming time period and these works should be original and not characterized by superficial and conventional thinking.”Performer Hala Sedky has commented that despite the fact that the bombings which took place on the first day of the new year have hurt all Egyptians, they have also had a reverse effect and that is that they have promoted unity between Muslims and Christians who have held the same opinions towards what happened. Hala has also said that she is quite certain that the bombings were planned outside Egypt and that this is particularly so because of the threats that Egypt has received in recent times. Despite all of this Hala believes that the loss is limited to the loss of lives as Egyptian unity has been bolstered by these events.Ashraf Zaky, head of the Egyptian acting syndicate, has asserted that whoever is responsible has no links to Egypt. This is because those responsible have not targeted a specific group but rather an entire nation. Zaky then called upon security services to prosecute those responsible with great harshness. He also further added: “We as the Actors Syndicate add our voices to all of the other art syndicates in a joint statement to condemn what has happened.”Screenwriter Wahid Hamed has stated that he considers the bombings to be a humanitarian catastrophe that has not singled out the Copts as a target but rather the Egyptians as a whole. Thus Hamid has said: “The state should be adopt strict and decisive measures against such terrorist groups which deal with people with the utmost violence.”Mounir Al Wassimi, head of the Musician’s Syndicate has called on the nation’s leaders to pursue those responsible and execute them in front of the Saint’s cathedral in Alexandria. Thus Mounir has stated: “The actions which were committed do not affect the Copts alone but rather the nation as a whole. These are people who try to take advantage of any occasion observed by the Egyptian people to commit their low acts.”