Will things ever be the same again?

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THE RIOTING that took place in Alexandria's Muharram Bek neighbourhood last week ended with three dead, scores injured, and a great deal of property -- like the car in the photo above -- damaged. Most ominously, perhaps, it may have also resulted in a tangible rise in the tension between Muslims and Christians throughout the country.

Last Friday's incident -- which began when thousands of Muslims gathered in front of the Saint George Coptic Church to protest what they said was a play that defamed Islam -- will not soon be forgotten. Political experts agreed that the tension, which has been building up over the years, is the result of an array of factors, the most prominent of which is the politicising of religion. Analysts warned that unless the root causes of such a recurring phenomenon are "wisely and thoroughly" dealt with, the repercussions would be "disastrous".

For now though, the blame game -- about how and why the incident was sparked -- is currently in full force. The church is trying to find out why a CD of a play that was performed two years ago suddenly found its way to the press. Security officials are laying the blame on Islamists who, they said, were trying to score points with the public in the lead up to next month's parliamentary elections. And while the Interior Ministry condemned the protesters as "fanatic elements" who had "escalated a negative reaction to a play", Coptic thinkers also pointed fingers at their own church leaders and the expatriate Coptic community.

The residents of Muharram Bek, meanwhile, are stunned at how quickly the events unfolded, and are wondering what the future will hold. Mohamed Hussein told Al-Ahram Weekly that what happened was "really sad. We have been living together as one big family, Muslims and Christians, for all of our lives, but now things will never be the same."

Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/766/fr3.htm