Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Thursday attended an Orthodox Christmas Mass in Cairo, apologizing to Coptic Christians for their suffering at the hands of Islamic extremism and promising to return them to their homes.
The Coptic Church celebrates Christmas on Thursday because it follows the Julian calendar and not the Gregorian calendar of the West,
The American Thinker reports. Al-Sisi first attended a Christian Mass in Cairo last year, marking the first time an Egyptian president has attended a Coptic Christmas celebration.
Al-Sisi, 61, who was elected last June, also called for educating Egyptian children of all religions — saying that it was good to live as one people.
His visit was praised by Bernard Kerik, the former New York City Police Commissioner who served as the interior minister of the Iraqi Coalition Provisional Authority under former President George W. Bush.
"Since his election as president of Egypt, I've continually said that Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is one of the most critical components to fighting the radical Islamic movement in Egypt," Kerik said on
Facebook. "Since his election, he has targeted the Muslim Brotherhood and radical extremism, removed religion from the schools, and has called for unity of all religions.
"Unfortunately, there aren't many heads of state in the Middle East that has the common sense and courage that he has," he said. "I hope that he can last long enough to make the changes that must be made in Egypt — and maybe their neighbors will follow suit."
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