IRISH LOYALISTS AND THE BIG TENT

The BBC reported that the Chief Constable of Northern Ireland had issued papers against a prominent loyalist to have him kept in jail. I don't so much care about that as I care about the name of the loyalist. He is Ihab Shoukri, and he is described as being "from Alliance Road in north Belfast."

Shoukri and his brother Andre are the sons of an Egyptian Copt who emigrated to Northern Ireland, settled in Belfast, and married. I can only assume that (a) the loyaists are all about the Big Tent, and (b) Troubles have taken on a street gang aspect, with "Protestants" sometimes being led by the children of Coptic Christians, and the "Catholics" sometimes being led by Marxists.