Al-Ahrām

Christians are partners in the nation and must enjoy their rights and do their duty toward Egypt, rejecting quotas for Christians in parliament and public positions and calling for efficiency to be the criteria regardless of religion. [‘Abd Ilāh Muhammad, al-Akhbār, March 8, p. 6] Read text in Arabic

Differences between the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists over the constitution have taken a new turn after al-Nūr Party and the Building & Development Party called for amending Article II of the Constitution to clearly indicate that the Islamic sharī’ah is the main source of legislation while Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) stuck to the current text that reads “the principles of Islamic sharī’ah are the main source of legislation”. [Wā’il ‘Alī, Hamdī Dabash, Hānī al-Wizīrī and Mahmūd Ramzī, al-Misrī al-Yawm, March 7, p. 1] Read original text in Arabic

The Coptic Orthodox Church would choose Coptic men of law to participate in the constituent assembly that would write a new constitution for Egypt but would exclude the clergy, a source at the papal office said on condition of anonymity. ['Abd al-Wahāb Sha'bān, al-Wafd, March 5, p. 3] Read text in Arabic

Dr. Munīr Hannā Anīs, the head of the Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, said Christians of Egypt are for keeping Article 2 of the constitution that reads Islam is the official religion of the state and principles of the sharī’ah are the main source of legislation. [Author Not Mentioned, al-Ahrām, March 2, p. 6] Read original text in Arabic

Dr. Nājih Ibrāhīm, a key founder of the Jamā’ah Islāmīyah in Egypt and the first chairman of its shūrá (consultative) council, offered an apology to Copts for “what has befallen them as a result of the Jamā’ah’s mistakes during the 1970s and 1980s”. [Robeir al-Fāris, Watanī, March 4, p. 5] Read original text in Arabic

The Azhar’s Academy of Islamic Research approved that a Christian family may have custody of and bring up Christian orphans in Egypt. [Michael ‘Ādil, Rose al-Yūsuf newspaper, March 1, p, 3] Read text in Arabic

Strict Islam infected restaurants and cafés after demands to allow beard growing were raised inside the army, interior ministry and judiciary. [Rānyā Nabīl, al-Ahālī, Feb. 29, p. 3] Read text in Arabic

Head of the Coptic Evangelical Church Dr. Safwat al-Bayyādī revealed that he would lead a church delegation today to meet with leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoot Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) at the MB’s headquarters to have discussions on several issues, including the position of Christians and their beliefs in the new constitution. [Ahmad al-Sa’dāwī, al-Shurūq al-Jadīd, Feb. 28, p. 6] Read text in Arabic

The People’s Assembly Religious Committee under Shaykh Sayyīd ‘Askar on Sunday (February 26) recommended that one of the lawmakers in the committee would propose a draft law to punish any person offending Islam. [Author Not Mentioned, al-Ahrām, Feb. 27, p. 4] Read original text in Arabic

In the first round of parliamentary elections the Freedom and Justice Party received 3.56 Million votes (party lists) which equates to 37 seats in parliament [Reviewer: the headline of the original text mentions a different number] . After the runoff the FJP, political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, got 44 seats (party lists) and 29 individual seats and thereby won the first stage of the elections by far. Their main competitor seems to be the Salafist al-Nūr (light) Party which garnered 2.37 Million votes in the first round. They won 27 seats by list and 4 individual seats. While the gap between the FJP and al-Nūr is wide, the gap between these two frontrunners and the other 8 parties, who reached the parliament in the first round, is even broader.

[Reviewer's Note: There is incoherent information inside the text and in the media about the exact amount of the seats before and after the run-off. For accurate information see the High Elections Commission official website.]

Read original text in Arabic