Egypt's Sisi attends Coptic Christmas celebration amid tight security

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (C) speaks during a Coptic Orthodox Christmas Eve mass at the new Nativity of Christ Cathedral in Egypt's new administrative capital, about 50km east of Cairo, Egypt, on Jan. 6, 2018. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

CAIRO, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattahal-Sisi attended on Saturday evening the Coptic Christmas Evecelebration held at a new, partly-opened cathedral in the country'snew administrative capital city eastern Cairo.

"This partial opening of the cathedral is a very importantmessage of peace and love not only to Egyptians but to the wholeworld," said the Egyptian president in his remarks at the cathedralaired on the state TV.

The new unfinished cathedral, named the Nativity of Christ, issaid to be the largest in the Middle East region.

"We love you. We are one united people and no one can everdivide us," Sisi told the cheering Copts ahead of the ChristmasMass that is rarely held outside the main St. Mark's Cathedral inCairo.

Copts constitute to about 10 percent of Egypt's 100-millionpopulation and most of Egypt's Copts belong to the Coptic OrthodoxChurch, which celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7.

Sisi's remarks came amid a wave of anti-Coptic church terroristattacks that killed over a hundred since late 2016, with most ofthem claimed by a Sinai-based terrorist group loyal to the regionalIslamic State (IS) group.

In late 2017, a terrorist shootout outside a church southernCairo killed at least 10 people, including a policeman and one ofthe two perpetrators.

In late May 2017, the IS claimed responsibility for shootingdead at least 30 Copts heading to visit a monastery on the deserthighway in Upper Egypt's Minya Province.

Earlier in April 2017, the IS-claimed bombings at two churchesin northern provinces of Gharbiya and Alexandria killed at least 47and wounded over 120.

A similar suicide bombing at a Cairo church in December 2016killed at least 29 worshippers, mostly women and children.

Sisi told the attendees at the cathedral that "the people ofevil" will not be able to harm Egypt as long as the Egyptians areunited.

In the meantime, tens of thousands of soldiers and policemenwere deployed across the country on Saturday to secure theChristians and their churches on the eve of Orthodox Christmas.

"The security patrols and joint combat groups have alsointensified their deployment at the streets and main squares todeal with any law-breaking attempts and provide security and safetyto all citizens nationwide," the Egyptian military spokesman saidin a statement Saturday.

The beefed up nationwide security comes as a precaution againstany possible IS anti-Copt attacks.

Egypt has been suffering terrorist activities that killedhundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military removal offormer Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response tothe mass protests against his one-year rule and his now-outlawedMuslim Brotherhood group.

Terrorist attacks were centered in restive North Sinai provincenortheastern Cairo and targeted security forces before theygradually extended to other provinces and started to target dozensof the Coptic minority with church bombings.

Terrorism in Egypt did not stop at targeting security men andCopts, as a terrorist attack in late November 2017 against a mosquein a village of North Sinai's Arish city killed at least 310 Muslimworshippers and wounded over 120 others, marking the deadliestterror attack and the first against a Muslim mosque in Egypt'smodern history.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the mosque attack,although fingers point at the Sinai-based IS affiliates.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian security forces have killed hundreds ofterrorists and arrested a similar number of suspects during thecountry's anti-terror war declared by President Sisi, the armychief then, following Morsi's ouster. Enditem