The Washington Post editorial board, on the need for peace and justice between Christians and Muslims in Egypt:
To their credit, leaders of Egypt’s transitional government swiftly denounced the violence and floated measures to discourage it, but that’s not enough. Authorities must prevent religiously motivated attacks and punish the perpetrators consistently in civilian courts — not through the discredited state security forces, as the government has suggested so far. Otherwise, the situation on the streets could polarize, forcing more members of the Muslim majority and the Coptic minority (roughly 10 percent of Egypt’s 83 million people) to take sides.
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If democracy is to work in Egypt, it must rest on a foundation of fair and equal treatment of all citizens, regardless of faith. As the U.S. government nurtures a new political order there, it should encourage Egypt’s transitional government and the moderate majority of its people to defend the revolution against those who would tear it apart along sectarian lines…
