UN Secretary-General condemns church bomb attack in Egypt

UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned the deadly church attack that killed 21 people in Alexandria, Egypt.

According to Martin Nesirky, spokesman for the Secretary-General, the UN chief was appalled by the terrorist attack that also injured over 70 individuals at the al-Qiddissin Coptic Church in Alexandria during New Year's Eve festivities.

Ban also called for the Egyptian authorities to act swiftly and bring to justice those responsible for the terror bombing. In addition, he conveyed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims.

The international community also condemned the explosion that killed 21 and wound 97 people. The blast took place outside the church as worshipers were leaving the New Year's mass in the early hours of Saturday (January 1), according to the Daily News Egypt.

Initial reports indicated it was a car bomb but the Ministry of Interior later informed that the terror attack was perpetrated by a suicide bomber. President Hosni Mubarak said that the attackers were not Egyptian and they will be found and prosecuted.

"All of Egypt was targeted by the attack," said Mubarak. "Blind terrorism does not differentiate between Muslims and Christians."

Authorities informed that the situation in Alexandria is tense but everything is under control. The Egyptian government alleged that the attack was made by foreigners attempting to divide citizens.

The Muslim Brotherhood also strongly condemned the crime. The officially banned opposition group stated that this crime is not accepted by any religion, and that Islam calls for protecting the rights of non-Muslims and Muslims alike.

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by Eric Reitan

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But why think that? The knee-jerk response of Christian conservatives is to say that it is always possible to love the sinner while hating the sin. Now, since sin is by definition toxic, I actually agree that one can’t love sinners without hating what really is a sin. But sometimes it’s unloving to take something to be a sin in the first place. Sometimes it’s the condemnation of a behavior, rather than the behavior itself, that’s toxic and should be called sin.

Consider a father who forbids all childhood play. Such a prohibition is devastating to the healthy development of children. Even if the father means to promote his children’s welfare, he’s seriously misguided, and his actions reveal a sharp disconnect between what the father means to do and what he’s actually doing. No loving person would endorse this prohibition if he or she knew the truth.

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