Developments in Muslim-Christian relations in the Arab world

Al-Tahrīr learned that the emergency meeting called for by Dr. Muhammad Mursi (Mursī) and Defence Minister ‘Abd al-Fattāh al-Sīsī was to deal with the security attacks at Saint Mark Cathedral which occurred during the funeral of the victims of al-Khusūs (Amīrah Ibrāhīm, al-Tahrīr, Apr. 11, p. 3). Read original text in Arabic.

A number of Coptic activists have submitted an official request to Colonel General ‘Abd al-Fatāh Sīsī, Commander-In-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Minister of Defense and Military Production and the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, asking the intervention of the army to protect the Copts from attacks against them. The request was made at a conference organized by a group called "Copts under siege" (Author not mentioned, al-Watan, April 12, p. 1).  Read original text in Arabic.

Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II ended his retreat from public life and returned to Saint Mark Cathedral on Apr. 14 to visit the victims of al-Khusūs and Cathedral sectarian violence at Al-Hayat Hospital (‘Imād Khalīl, Muhammad Gharīb, Mahmūd ‘Atāllah and ‘Abd al-Hakam al-Jindī, al-Misrī al-Yawm, Apr. 15, p. 1). Read original text in Arabic..

Coptic Church apologizes for the three Christian journalists who were attacked and dragged off Virgin Mary Church during the ceremony commemorating Virgin Mary’s first apparition.

The church apologized in its statement, signed by Bishop Raphael, Secretary of the Coptic Orthodox Holy Synod, to the three journalists who were attacked by scout members in Virgin Mary Church in al-Zaytūn area at April 2, 2013 (John ‘Abd al-Malāk, al-Misrīyūn, Apr. 7, p. 4). Read original text in Arabic.

Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II will return from his retreat at Saint Bishoy Monastery (Dayr al-Anbā Bīshūy) in Wādī al-Natrūn on April 15, according to Archpriest Sergius Sergius, Deputy of the Patriarchate for Administrative Affairs. Pope Tawadros' return to his headquarters will end the controversy about his retreat from public life as a protest to the attack on Saint Mark Cathedral  (Yūsuf Sha’bān and Peter Majdī, al-Tahrīr, Apr. 14, p. 13). Read original text in Arabic.

Presidential officials met with five prominent Coptic figures for four hours. Presidency had called for that meeting to listen to the opinions of the Coptic figures in order to assess the current political situation in Egypt, in particular the problems faced by Copts (Michael Fāris, al-Yawm al-Sābī, Apr. 2, p.3). Read original text in Arabic.

Al-Tahrīr published an article commenting on a statement that was released in English and Arabic by the presidency. The English was sent to embassies and Western foreign ministries and the Arabic was sent to Egyptian newspapers.  Additionally, the English version was posted on the “Office of Assistant to President of Egypt on Foreign Relations – Official” Facebook page by ‘Isām al-Haddād, the Assistant to the President of Egypt for Foreign Relations and International Cooperation (Amīrah Ibrāhīm, al-Tahrīr, Apr. 10, p. 5). Read original text in Arabic. 

Unknown individuals had kidnapped two Coptic children, Mīnā Safwat Fāyiz, 8, and his brother Yassá, 10. Both children were on their way to school at Kūm village of al-Manshā’ah Township in Sohag Governorate when they were kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of one million Egyptian pounds to return the children. Mīnā and Yassá’s family blocked the Cairo-Aswan agricultural road to demand the return of the two children (Hasan ‘Abd al-Qādir, al-Sabāh, Apr. 1, p. 3). Read original text in Arabic.

Below is the full texts of foreign newspapers reports about clashes occurred at the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Egypt.

THE scenes shown Sunday night on Egyptian television channels from Abbesseya Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Cairo, epitomise what many Egyptians view as a nightmare: a crowd of Muslims attacking the biggest church in the country with rocks and Molotov cocktails, as the police idly stands by.