Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

Grand Shaykh of the Azhar Dr. Ahmad al-Tayyīb called on the members of the Egyptian parliament, the first after the January 25, 2011 revolution that unseated President Husnī Mubārak, to keep in mind the impoverished, downtrodden and marginalized citizens and the people who reside in graveyards and slums, adding those categories look forward to justice. [Dīyā' Abū al-Safā, al-Akhbār, Jan. 23, p. 4] Read original text in Arabic

Islam criminalizes attacks on churches and non-Muslim houses of worship as Islamists, namely the Muslim Brotherhood and a number of Salafī parties, volunteered to protect churches during the New Year celebrations. [Dīyā' Abū al-Safā, Akhbār al-Yawm, p. 7, Jan. 1] Read original text in Arabic

The proposed draft law to regulate the construction of houses of worship would strip governors of the power to license building, al-Usbū' learnt from reliable sources.

The United States of America is now seeking to find alternative means to interfere in the Middle East and the Arab world.

Hence why the U.S. appointed an envoy to protect minorities' rights in the Middle East, especially Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and put Copts in Egypt at the top of those minorities. 

Journalist Sanā' Sa'īd interviewed Dr. Ahmad al-Tayīb, Azhar's Grand Shaykh, who, commenting on the protests, said that civil disobedience sometimes can wreak havoc to the nation as a whole.

Sa'īd asked him how to activate the Azhar's document and stress the right Islam, al-Tayīb said that this document was issued after several meetings with the elite in different social, cultural and media fields and hearing all point of views.

Tayīb expressed his pleasure that the Cabinet adopted this document and decided to consider it one of the political documents because by this, the document will have a political dimension.

Islamist groups, including the salafists, refused the sixth apology offered by Coptic businessman Najīb Sawiris for publishing a cartoon depicting Mickey Mouse sporting a beard and Minnie Mouse wearing a niqāb (all-face veil) on his social networking Twitter page.

The cartoon had stirred the anger of hard-line salafists in what was described as a clear threat to Sawiris' political future and investments, particularly after 90,000 subscribers withdrew from his cell phone operator MobiNil.

A leading salafist, Abū Ishāq al-Hūwaynī, said no apology will be accepted from "that man" so he may know that he would never get away with any offense he makes against Islam.

A spokesman for the salafists in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, 'Abd al-Mun'im al-Shahāt, said Sawiris' apology will never be accepted because he apologized only after his financial losses mounted over a Muslim campaign to boycott his cell phone company's services.

The writer [not mentioned] of this article criticizes Eng. Najīb Sawirus, Egyptian Coptic businessman, for the cartoons he put as a profile on his Twitter page. He states that because Sawiris is wealthy he can get away of anything he does and just apologize.

He added that Sawirus had reached a great deal of power because of his money, and always make critical statements without being accounted for it, as the last thing he did by putting a cartoon of a bearded Mickey Mouse and a niqāb-clad Minnie Mouse as a profile picture for his Twitter page.

Coptic Pope Shenouda III had been interviewed by Sanā' al-Sa'īd in light of the celebrations of Jesus Christ's Resurrection feast.

Commenting on recent events Pope Shenouda said, that punishing the criminal for what he did will not solve the problem because the evil will still be inside him. He added that there is no spiritual disease that can destroy the human being more than egocentricity.

He added that it is not surprising for a rumor to come out but is another step to  believe in this rumor.

Pope Shenouda believes that dealing with oneself from the inside has to be done before applying the law.

Dr. Rafīq Habīb writes that secular movements are trying to make Copts afraid of Islamists in order to influence Copts into supporting secularism.

Copts support secularism because they believe that it will protect Copts rights.

 A confederation called "the confederation of servants of Rayat Al-Mahdy" tries to collect information about persecuting Copts and forcing underage girls to convert to Islam.