A number of Egypt's cultural institutions declared three days of mourning starting Sunday 11 December till Tuesday 13 December, after an explosion near the Coptic Cathedral in Abbassiya district killed at least 25 people and injured 49.
The venues, who announced the halting of all culture activities during the three days, include the Cairo Opera House, across all its venues in Cairo, Alexandria and Damanhour; the Artistic Theatre House with all of the theatres that operate under its umbrella; and Bibliotheca Alexandrina's Arts Centre.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi declared in a statement that the country will observe three days of mourning.
Meanwhile, iconic Egyptian actress Sherihan showed solidarity with the church by addressing a statement on her Facebook and Twitter pages to the attackers.
Sherihan told them that "I don't associate myself with your act on the day of Prophet Muhammad's birthday; each to their own"
She also referred to the attackers as "the devils on earth," pointing out that God has forbidden killing innocent people or attacking places of worship.
The disgusted actress also talked about the peaceful teachings of Islam, while declaring her solidarity with the church and Christians everywhere.
In a telephone interview with Egyptian TV host Amr Adib, Lebanese superstar Majida el Roumi expressed her deep sadness at the incident, which she said she learned about from a text message sent to her by a friend.
Majida told Adib that she believes the goal behind the attack is to target Egypt's national unity and its tourism.
The "Kalimat" singer also pointed out that "terrorism has many faces across the Arab world; they're trying to control our entire region's resources."
The explosion is the largest attack targeting Christians since 2011, when 23 people were killed in an explosion at the Two Saints Church in Alexandria.
An Albawaba News editor has contributed to this report.
