Lebanese soprano Tania Kassis performed Sunday in Egypt’s new administrative capital during the simultaneous inauguration of a mosque and a Coptic cathedral, attended by the presidents of Egypt and Palestine.
In a tweet, she said she “was very honored to have been invited to perform for the inauguration of Egypt’s largest church and mosque ... in a symbolic message of tolerance.”
The newly built Cathedral of the Nativity, which holds 8,000 people, is the largest cathedral in the Middle East, with the major Al-Fattah al-Alim Mosque recently constructed nearby.
The musical centerpiece of the inauguration ceremony was a fusion of “Ave Maria,” a Christian prayer famously arranged by Schubert, sung by Kassis, and “Mawlay,” a traditional, devotional Sufi song, performed by Egyptian singer Osama El-Khouly.
Behind the two singers, a screen showed Christian imagery and whirling Sufi dervishes, reinforcing the message of religious plurality.
The government of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi had presented the event as a symbolic message of tolerance on the eve of Coptic Christmas, resulting in what it described as “an epic moment of national unity.” Sisi said during his speech at the cathedral, “We are one and we will remain one.”
But recent events belie this message. The occasion took place under heavy security, after a bomb blast near a Coptic church killed a policeman Saturday. And Sisi’s 2015 call for “religious revolution” has done little to protect Christians in rural Egypt, who are frequently targeted in attacks: More than 100 Christians have been killed by Islamist militants over the past two years.
Critics also say the government imposes stringent restrictions on the building of new churches, despite a law passed in 2016 designed to make it easier to establish and build them.
The international community met the ceremony with enthusiasm.
U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday, “Excited to see our friends in Egypt opening the biggest Cathedral in the Middle East. President Al-Sisi is moving his country to a more inclusive future.”
The opening also included recorded video messages of support from the region’s foremost Christian figureheads, as well as Pope Francis, who said, “With joy, I greet all of you on the joyful occasion of the dedication of the new Cathedral of the Nativity, built in the new administrative capital. May the Prince of Peace give to Egypt, the Middle East and the whole world the gift of peace and prosperity.”
The new mosque and cathedral are located in Egypt’s new administrative capital, which as yet remains unnamed. According to Sisi’s government, the new city will be about double the size of Cairo and will cost $45 billion. It is the largest of several new projects, including the construction of new roads, housing projects and the expansion of the Suez Canal. The government has compared Sisi’s projects to the pyramids of Giza, whereas critics have called the new city a “vanity project.” - With AP
This article has been adapted from its original source.
