- Title: Egypt's Christians organise mass iftar meals for Ramadan
- Date: 21st June 2017
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (JUNE 18, 2017) (REUTERS) CAIRO'S 'JEWISH ALLEY' CROSS ON A CHURCH MEN PUTTING FOOD ON PLATES PLATE OF RICE VARIOUS OF RESIDENTS ORGANISING IFTAR TABLE PEOPLE SEATED AT IFTAR TABLE FOOD ON TABLE WOMAN SEATED AT TABLE FOOD ON TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CHRISTIAN IFTAR ORGANISER, DAWOUD RIYAD, SAYING: "Of course, in this neighbourhood we have none of that. We are all brothers and friends in this neighbourhood. I raised this child and he is a Muslim. His son is here and is the one who got the food with two other family members. We are all brothers and sisters and there is nothing that can separate us." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE BREAKING FAST (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MUSLIM GUEST AT IFTAR, TAREK ALI, SAYING: "They invited us to the table, all of us me, and my family. I was surprised to find this table with no separation between a sheikh or a Christian or a Muslim. They are asking everyone to break their fast here. I was so happy. I love them even more for doing this." (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LOCAL RESIDENT, MOSTAFA KHATTAB, SAYING: "Previously there was an attack on the Minya bus which had Christians on it. It does not discriminate. They die and we die and it has been like that forever. In the war of 1973 the Christian was fighting next to the Muslim. There is no distinction." VARIOUS OF MEN EATING ON IFTAR TABLE
- Embargoed: 5th July 2017 12:36
- Keywords: Iftar Muslim Christian fast eating
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- City: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0016M7XX05
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:A Christian community in one of Cairo's oldest neighbourhoods is organising daily iftar meals for their Muslim neighbours during the holy month of Ramadan.
Dawoud Riyad and other members of the Coptic Christian community serve up free home-cooked meals to hungry passers-by as dusk falls.
Despite a step up in attacks claimed by Islamic State against Egypt's Christian minority, Riyad says that the meals are a way for people of different faiths to come together during a holy time of year.
"Of course, in this neighbourhood we have none of that. We are all brothers and friends in this neighbourhood. I raised this child and he is a Muslim. His son is here and is the one who got the food with two other family members. We are all brothers and sisters and there is nothing that can separate us," said Dawoud.
Last month, gunmen ambushed a group of Coptic Christians travelling to a monastery in Minya in southern Egypt, killing 29 and wounding 24 on the eve of the beginning of Ramadan.
In April, twin church bombings on Palm Sunday marked one of the bloodiest days in recent memory for Egypt's Christian minority with at least 44 killed.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks.
But this violence has not discouraged families in this neighbourhood from breaking bread together.
"They invited us to the table. I was surprised to find this table with no separation between a sheikh or a Christian or a Muslim. They are asking everyone to break their fast here. I was so happy. I love them even more for doing this," said Tarek Ali, a Muslim resident who had come to eat.
Local resident Mostafa Khattab added that attacks "do not discriminate" and that there is "no distinction" between faiths.
Copts make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 92 million people, the largest Christian minority in the Middle East. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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