al-Khānkah / Qalyubia

Saad Eddin Ibrahim said that because he is currently being tried before Egypt’s Higher State Security Court on charges which include his lectures and writings on religious freedom and minority rights, including those of Egyptian Copts, his defense lawyer requested him to decline the invitation to meet with the members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The introduction of the Coptic researcher Hani Labib’s "Religious protection crisis.. Religion and the state in Egypt" is written by Prof. Mohammed Selim Al-Awa, an Islamic thinker. Labib believes that the most dangerous tool of globalization is religion. Religion is the most explosive and dangerous among globalization’s tools as it could lead to civil war within the targeted countries.

Dr. Ahmed Kamal Abul Magd, Dr. Said El-Naggar, Dr. Abdel Moneim Said, Dr. Mohamed El-Gohary - members of the Center’s Board of Trustees - and Dr. Ibrahim Shehata, former deputy chairman of the World Bank, five public figures called by Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, chairman of Ibn Khaldoun Center, were unanimous in characterizing the accusations against Dr. Ibrahim and his staff as inconceivable. Dr. Said El-Naggar insisted on concluding his testimony by addressing strong criticism to the ruling powers in the country. "I would have expected President Mubarak to grant Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim the highest decoration in the country instead of allowing this social scientist to be put behind bars."

The issue of Coptic candidates is now being debated and Coptic intellectuals, like Milad Hanna, reject the idea of isolating Copts and keep them waiting until the end of the nomination decision. The author listed many names expected to take part in the next election campaign and compared the current situation with the old honorific situations between the Copts and the government.

For three days, Al-Khanka had lived in nervousness after a sit-in-strike, by Copts inside a Church which was closed ten years ago, threatened to cause communal unrest. The published report tells of the crisis, and the wise role of Pope Shenouda who was responsible for it ending peacefully.

In this article, Youssef Sidhom wrote about "Unifying the rules that control building, expanding and restoring the worship places in order to achieve equality among all citizens in spite of their different religions." Sidhom wants equal rules for building mosques and churches.

"Giving statements requires being logical and fluent, and everything that lacks reason and does not reveal a truth is not a statement, even in signed by a hundred "intellectuals"!!, whether headed or not headed by Said Al-Naggar [Al-Naggar means the carpenter], the blacksmith, or even Said the car-repairman..." Al-Usboa publishes its attack on the "Statement of the Hundred".

This is a statement about the recent events of Al-Kosheh. Hundreds of cultured people in Egypt signed it. These people care about the country’s concerns.

The author looks at why the State insists on maintaining certain policies, and overlooks certain mistakes occurring within the political, media and security sectors. These mistakes have proved to have a disastrous effect on Egypt, especially in areas that suffer from deterioration of economic and social levels, and where fanatic groups flourish.

The author briefly outlines the nationalist cooperation and generally peaceful coexistence of Muslims and Christians in Egypt over the last century. Yet in view of certain repeated accusations of Coptic Christians he asks the questions: Is there a deterioration in the principle of citizenship that started in the middle of the nineteenth century and was tried to be established in our century that is about to end? Have the Coptic requests remained without solutions throughout the century? Is there a minority that wants to gain even by raising foreigners against their country?...