Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) are being investigated after attending a Ramadān iftār celebration held by Dr. ‘Abd al-Mun‘im Abū al-Futūh, a presidential candidate in the upcoming elections and dissident member of the MB.

Hours after the killing of Egyptian soldier by Israeli forces, the Egyptian deputy ambassador to Israel took iftar at Israeli President Shimon Peres' house in Jerusalem.  The Egyptian ambassador, Yasser Reda, had declined the invitation. Peres expressed his regrets at the death of Egyptian citizens, and said he hoped the issue could be resolved in a way acceptable to Egypt.
 

Inter-faith dialogue can take on many forms, in the article Al-Dustūr calls on Jews, Muslims and Christians to put aside their doctrinal differences and engage in open dialogue.

Drs. Hulsman discusses the accessibility of information in Egypt, and points to a number of articles that deal with this issue.

The article is an interview with Sir Derek Plumbly, the British ambassador in Cairo who is about to leave Cairo and return to Britain. At the end of his tenure, Plumbly reflects on his feelings toward Egypt and how the country has changed.

The following presents the continuation of a lengthy interview with Bishop Bīshūy in which he expresses his opinions on different issues.

Copts have well-known problems that will be undoubtedly resolved through adopting the principles of citizenship and democracy.

In the Ifṭār banquet held by Cairo International Lions Club, Pope Shenouda criticizes Coptic emigrants and laymen pointing out they do not represent Copts at large, and Shaykh Fū’ād ‘Abd al-‘Azīm, undersecretary of the Ministry of Islamic Endowments, stresses that Muslims and Copts are one people.

The author discusses the tradition of Ramaḍān Ifṭār banquets, and the “rosy picture” that they present of Muslim-Christian relations.

Max Michel organized an Iftār celebration that was attended by representatives of different Christian denominations and Christian and Muslim public figures. At the Iftār Pope Shenouda III was severely criticized and only the journalist Louis Gries supported him.