Qena / Egypt

Muḥammad ‘Abd al-Laṭīf reports on cases of administrative and financial corruption found in the Department of Possessions at the Institution of Antiquities in Qinā.

97% of Egyptian women are circumcised. The Fatwá of the Egyptian Muftī prohibiting female circumcision, the official rejecting stance of legislative institutions in the country, and the highlighted dangers of the operation seem to have little influence on the conservative traditional opinions of more traditional people men of religion. The task seems more difficult in the south of the country, where circumcision is a deep-rooted tradition.

Religious, medical, and social milieus in Egypt witness heated discussions about the legitimacy of female circumcision. The Muftī of the republic considers it Ḥarām, physicians consider it necessary in some cases, and many Islamic men of religion consider it a Farīdah relying on the Ḥadīths.

al-Aḥrār published a file about the three minorities in Egypt: Copts, Shī‘ah and Nubians. The file sheds light on the historic backgrounds and the current situations of these minorities. Nāhid al-Nibrāwī, editor of the file presents an observation of reality and viewpoints of minorities leading figures.

The Administrative Judiciary Court has found the Ministry of Interior not guilty of evacuating Christian families from al-Hijjāwah village, where sectarian violence broke out.

Policemen used tear gas to separate the angry protestors sparked by a decision to

repeat the elections between two nominees in Qinā one of the nominees represented the Bedouins and was nominated by

the ruling National Democratic Party, and the other was an independent nominee, also a member of the same party.

The author reports on incidents of forgery in Qinā during the

Shūrá Council’s elections.

This article talks about an Egyptian nun who has been serving the poor and sick in the Malakal province of Sudan for the past four years. Sister Lisa al-Hakīm stresses that people should give to the poor in times of need, and be thankful for what God has bestowed upon them.

Security authorities in the governorate of Qinā managed to control incidents of Muslim-Christian sectarian sedition in the village of al-‘Ulayqāt. Rumors about Christian residents of the village intending to build a church led the Muslim youths to organize demonstrations and to clash with Christian men from the village.

The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church held its annual meeting. Contrary to all expectations, the Holy Synod did not decide on any punishment in the trial against clergymen who had made allegations against Bishop Bīshūy and the Holy Synod. Rumors have spread about the church’s boycott of Waṭanī weekly following their coverage of the laymen’s conference.