generalspeaking

Meeting the Egyptian Sectarian Challenge

"Christians are approaching Christmas with disappointment, grief and complaints, fearing not only their problems but Egypt's situation in general. During the reign of [ousted president Hosni] Mubarak and the [military rulers], mainly Christians were facing problems, but now with the Muslim Brotherhood leaders, each and every moderate Egyptian is facing problems."
Amir Ramzy, Coptic christian, Cairo Court of Appeals Judge

Obviously, Judge Ramzy sees the plight of Christians in Egypt having been made a little more complicated than previously.  But on the other hand, he also sees Christian Copt problems being shared now with secular-oriented Egyptians, and leftists.  On the surface it appears from what is published in news media that the Muslim Brotherhood's President Mohammed Morsi is eager to demonstrate that Egyptian Christians are safe in his new Egypt.

Blindfolded child selecting the new Coptic Pope

President Morsi called Pope Tawadros to extend Christmas greetings in recognition of the ten percent of Egyptians who are Christian in the country.  And he dispatched one of his aides to attend the Christmas Mass.  Yet there are many within the Christian community who are contemplating leaving the country where their ancient religious lineage seems increasingly under siege by the growing confidence of Egyptian Islamists.

The new draft constitution has enshrined within it a legal protection for minority religions in the country, specifically mentioning Christianity and Judaism.  Jews, long resident in Egypt, certainly for millennia, just like Christians, were subject to deadly pogroms and then expelled in their tens of thousands upon the creation of the State of Israel.  A close adviser to Mohammed Morsi recently called for the descendants of the Egyptian Jews to return to Egypt.  He has since resigned.

And Islamists promise fervently to kill any Jews presumptuous enough to believe that they can, with full confidence, return to their former homes in Egypt.  Yet they may rest assured that their human rights and the sanctity of their religious protection is ensured through the newly drafted constitution.  Perhaps the Christian Copts feel almost as assured as the Jews that they will remain safe in this new Egypt, with its new president and their newly ordained Pope.

"I felt like he's my father (Pope Tawadros).  Having him lessened the severity of my grief", said a Christian woman whose brother was killed during the 2011 sectarian violence.  "I definitely thought about leaving the country, but two things stopped me. First the churches and the monasteries in Egypt, our heritage that I'll be missing. Also, I decided not to let my brother's blood go in vain."


Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights states: "It is not actual frequent sectarian violence, it is fear of further marginalization and second class citizenship", that now concerns Egyptians faithful to the Orthodox Coptic Church.  The drafting of the constitution deeply polarized the population.  Christians and liberals refused to take part in the committee writing the draft.

They insisted that the Islamists were not addressing the concerns of the minorities.  The editor of Egypt's main Coptic newspaper Watani feels that legislation based on the new constitution is the focus of fear that restrictions on the Christian way of life and their freedom of worship and expression will be compromised.

"Egypt is stepping into 2013 split and divided between Copts and moderate Muslims on one side confronting political Islam and fundamentalists on the other side. It will only be [resolved] through reconciliation, and this is the challenge that we will have to meet."

Labels: Christianity, Egypt, Heritage, Human Relations, Islamism, Muslim Brotherhood

posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, January 08, 2013