A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

The Khusus Vandals Weren't Christian, and the Cross Was a Swastika . . .

The sectarian violence that rocked Egypt this past weekend — first at Khusus in Qalyubiyya north of Cairo on Saturday and outside the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo on Sunday — left at least seven dead (five in Khusus and two in Cairo. And what started it all?  As is far too often the case, a combination if rumor and misunderstanding, After youths reportedly painted graffiti on an Islamic institute in Khusus, Muslims claimed that the young people were Christians and they had been painting crosses on the building.

Well, it turns out they weren't even Christian; they're identified as youths named Ahmad and Saleh. And the "cross" was not a cross, but a sort of swastika (actually a reverse swastika), shown below. They reportedly did not even know what the symbol meant.

And yet, seven people are dead.
From Egypt Independent

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