A massive plan to protect Egyptian churches swung into action on Friday as Coptic Christians prepared to celebrate their first post-revolution Christmas, with Islamist leaders attending for the first time."The interior ministry has drawn up a huge security plan in cooperation with the armed forces to protect all the churches of Egypt at Christmas," the official told AFP.
Police and troops have been deployed outside churches and surrounding streets, while all those attending services will go through a security check, the official said.
The measures come a year after more than 20 people were killed in an apparent suicide kaboom targeting a church in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. In 2010, six Copts were killed as they emerged from a Christmas eve mass in southern Egypt.
For the first time, the Christmas Eve service led by Coptic Pope Shenuda III, will be attended by Islamist groups -- propelled to the centre stage of politics after a popular uprising ousted veteran president Hosni Mubarak
...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
in February.
The powerful Moslem Brüderbund -- long banned under Mubarak -- is to send its number two, Mahmud Ezzat, while the group's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, will be represented by its leader Mohammed Mursi, the group said.
Last week, the Brotherhood announced it had set up popular committees to protect churches during the Christmas period "so that the hands of sin do not ruin the festivities like they did several times under the old regime."
Coptic Christians, who make up around 10 percent of Egypt's 82 million population, have been the target of frequent attacks and complain of systematic discrimination.