CAIRO, Egypt, Jan 7, 03 (CWNews.com) - Worshipper's filled a Cairo cathedral on Tuesday to celebrate Christmas according to the dating of the Orthodox calendar, the first time Christmas has been a national holiday in the predominantly Muslim nation.
In the past, only Christians--about 10 percent of the population, most of them Coptic Orthodox--received the day off from work. Now Christmas has been added to the list of national holidays, including several Islamic holidays.
Among those attending the midnight liturgy at the Coptic cathedral, presided over by Pope Shenouda III, the Coptic patriarch, was Gamal Mubarak, son of President Hosni Mubarak.
The declaration of the holiday was not without controversy. Some Muslims objected that Mubarak had made too many concessions to Christians and said there were too many holidays. Christmas is Egypt's 18th national holiday.
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7. januar 2003