Uneasy in Cairo: Egypt’s new constitution

Concerts that were scheduled for New Year’s Eve to mark the 2011 Egyptian revolution were canceled in Cairo after a protester was shot that day in Tahrir Square. Instead of attending those events, many people of different denominations and faiths flocked to nearby Kasr El Dobara Church, the largest Protestant church in the Middle East, for a prayer service.

“Our land is sick, our thoughts are sick. God, heal us and help us welcome the New Year without fear,” prayed Sameh Maurice, the head pastor. “If we do not change from the inside, our circumstances will not change.”

Mina Malak, a Christian, said, “We came here to pray and to take a promise from God—that he will heal us and our country in the coming year.”