OPEN
SEASON
secretly got his diving license. If he
gets out of prison, he hopes to be
a diving instructor, teaching and
traveling all over the world.
Ammar contemplates these aspirations and fears his brothers
will spend their lives in prison. He
fears he will land there, too.
“Since Rabaa, all the men in my
family have been running away
from home,” he says. “My nation
is stolen from me.”
This is far from an idle threat.
In the Egypt of the moment, concerned citizens are encouraged
to report suspected Brotherhood
members by calling into hotlines
run by Egypt’s National Security
Agency. The numbers ar e broadcast on television screens across
the country. Homes are raided,
and many Morsi supporters have
gone missing or fled underground.
The Egyptian government has
labeled the Brotherhood responsible for a string of attacks on security offices across the country.
Buses full of young conscripts
have been hit by roadside bombs,
police headquarters blown up, and
officers shot to death. Sinai-based
militants claimed responsibility
for many of the attacks, while the
Brotherhood denied involvement.
The government has also ac-
HUFFINGTON
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cused the Brotherhood of violent sectarian attacks following
Morsi’s ouster in July, with many
Copt’s rallying behind the military, fearful of what lasting Islamist rule could mean for their
minority religious group.
Bold letters reading “Islam”
have been spray-painted on
churches following pro-Morsi rallies. Residences and homes of Coptic families have been torched. In
late October, masked gunmen on
If your house is ruined, you
have to build pillars first,
and then you hire guards
outside your building. And
then things come in order.”
motorcycles gunned down a Coptic
wedding in Cairo, killing several
people, including an 8-year-old
girl. While the government said
it arrested Brotherhood members
who carried out the attack, the
group denied any connection.
When asked about the attacks
and political rhetoric targeting
Copts, Ammar professes ignorance.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” he says. “Nothing
stands out in my mind.”
Reports of violence have only