Anyone who reads the declarations of emigrant Copts and the declarations of the centers adjoined to them thinks that Egypt is an apartheid society like South Africa in the past. Some might even think that every Muslim in Egypt carries an machine-gun on his shoulder all the time to deal with any Christian he meets on the street.
Emigrant Copts have their interests and connections with dubious circles. They are at many times used against the country. In the West and on our borders there are enemies who wish that the Lebanese model be repeated in Egypt, considering that Egypt will always remain the place that threatens their occupation of an Arabic land. They would not feel safe even if Cairo makes a thousand peace agreements with them. That is why foreign circles encourage them [emigrant Copts] to make a sectarian speech that shows Copts in Egypt as "the other". It also tries to show that there is persecution in all areas of life.
It is true that Copts have problems, but they are not based on religious grounds; [they are the] same as the problems suffered by other social levels, like workers under the burden of privatization and politicians under the burden of the emergency law. To place these problems in their normal size, we present the requests of emigrant Copts and discuss them with several Coptic leaders in Egypt.
Requests from abroad:
With a simple perusal of the declarations of emigrant Copts, we find that it limits the requests of Copts to canceling the Hamayouni Law that goes back to the nineteenth century, according to which the president must agree to the building of a church or even the repair of a toilet, while mosques are built without any limitations.
Copts also request the specification of radio and television programs to broadcast Christian religious programs. They also want to regain back the remaining lands of the church [the Coptic endowments] and to use the income of these endowments to help Copts in need. These lands went to the ministry of endowments in spite of the verdicts that say they should be returned back to Copts.
Copts want the newspaper of Watani, which is the only Coptic newspaper in Egypt, to get a permanent permit. They want to cancel the blank of ’religion’ in the identity cards and job applications, so that Christians are not subject to discrimination. They request the revision of education curricula to secure the teaching of Christian ones. They also want to put an end to the discrimination against Copts in public positions. They say that a small number of Copts are assigned the higher positions like governors, police officials and local councils [officials]. Copts also request to be allowed to enter military collages and to be appointed in the staff of top faculties. They also request a [parliamentary] representation proportional to that of Muslims. That is what emigrant Copts and the pressure groups outside want to show as the requests of all Christians.
[Some of the requests of] The Canadian Coptic Association and the International Coptic Federation and other organizations and unions that are trying to harm the country are true, others are just a mania by which they want to ignite the fire of conflicts. We presented that to Copts inside Egypt to find out whether things were as pressure groups describe or not.
Frankness:
The start was with Gamal Asad Abdel-Malak, former People’s Assembly member who presents the problems from an Egyptian patriotic position. He stresses the fact that he agreed to discuss the problems that concern Copts of Egypt. [He says that] we must concentrate on the atmosphere and the sectarian attitudes, which are things that cannot be overlooked. In addition, these problems must be discussed on a ground of frankness and objectivity, taking into consideration that one of the sides of the problem is Muslims.
Gamal Asad explains himself saying: "We must not sit as two conflicting parties in front of each other for each side to take its rights from the other. We must not think that rights given by one would be a deduction from his account. Problems of Copts are an original part of the problems of all Egyptians. Solving them would be a major tool for stabilizing conditions and conquering the sectarian atmosphere, cutting the road off for any outside interference. It will also assure that constitution and law do not differentiate between a Moslem and a Christian. However, the problem is in sectarian attitudes that deep roots that discrimination in everyday dealings sometimes. There are problems concerning the government that can be solved by issuing a decree like:
- Repairing churches, renewing them and even building them must be organized by a modern developed law. It cannot be the Hamayouni Law that is organizing that issue.
- The numbers that enter military and police colleges: there is no law limiting these numbers, so they can be increased. That will bring to existence the joint trust between sides. Also, for the sake of Egypt, working the rule of accepting the other and the existence of the other must be done urgently. That must be done in a framework of education, media and culture. How come that television is not playing a role in bringing into existence the Egyptian character to deep root in the feelings of the Muslim child that there is another [child who is a] Christian. Also, the Christian child would know that he or she exists in a country that he or she must belong to. Such problems can be easily solved by a governmental decree.
For the request of the presence of a proportion of Copts in certain positions, that must be done through creating the appropriate Egyptian atmosphere, for instance: I do not care that a number of Copts are in the positions of governors or security leaders, but there must be a number of Copts in the positions of deans [of educational institutions] because that is a position that needs scientific effectiveness and I do not think that Copts lack that. Then, there are [other] positions in which there must be Copts, and other positions whose time did not come yet because it implies the removal of the sectarian atmosphere."
Gamal Asad diverts to another side saying: "If we go back to the historical facts when we say that Muslims have elected a Copt in a Muslim constituency, [it was because] the political atmosphere was suitable for that. The whole atmosphere was political. Copts were present politically and participated socially. It made their presence in such positions only natural."
Gamal Asad adds: "If I am speaking of the sectarian atmosphere that must be conquered, [I say that] Copts must get out from their church seclusion to really participate in all aspects of life in their country. That would make it natural that they are present everywhere, and not by requesting that right from the other side. That is why the solution must be political on an Egyptian patriotic position and not on a sectarian one. A solution on a sectarian position will deep root the principle of two not one. That will provoke each side against the other. We must agree first that these are Egyptian problems that concern the whole Egyptian people."
A Political Atmosphere:
From Gamal Asad to Counselor Dr. Edward Ghali, the former president of the state court [Hay’it Qadaya el-Dawla], and a member of People’s Assembly. He starts his speech by refusing the principle of outside interference and says that Copts have refused that throughout the ages. He says: "The problems that Copts suffer from are a few, and the state is trying to treat them in a rational and wise way. Among the problems is the one about repairing churches. The president had issued a decree to delegate governors to issue the repair permits. The second thing is the return of the Coptic endowments. Dr. Hamdy Zaqzouq has taken the initiative to return some back and we are waiting for the return of the rest. For the talk about a proportion in positions, [governmental] positions have lost their sparkle after economic openness and privatization. That is why speaking of a proportion of Copts in positions that have lost their content is some kind of frivolity. The problem of Coptic representation in the People’s and Shura Councils is a different problem. In the declaration of February 28, 1922, the British tried to ignite fires but failed because Egyptians, in unanimity, agreed that it was a political issue and not a religious one. The correct democratic atmosphere does not discriminate between a Muslim and a Christian. There was the deputy Wissa Wassef, the Coptic nominee in an all-Muslims constituency. In spite of that he succeeded with the votes of Moslems."
The National Party:
Novelist Magid Tobia sees that the most important problems of Copts are those concerning the building and repair of Churches and equalizing them with mosques in the operation of issuing building permits.
He says: "There is also the problem of Copts taking places in some public positions. There is not a single Coptic governor. What is even more dangerous is that what is called the National Party did not nominate a single Copt in the last elections. This is a scandal because some Copts succeeded by their own efforts and by people’s love for them, without being members of the National Party that has conspired to make them fail. Then, the National Party is practicing apartheid. Muslims were not screened from that discrimination as long as they are not members of the Party. All that makes us lose the pointers that show the movement of society. That is why we are surprised with unfortunate incidents like those of Al-Kosheh."
Magid Tobia sees that the failure to solve the problems of Copts results in its enlargement. The problems of Copts need studying and objectivity from everyone because it concerns the concept of citizenship. Security would not be able to perform the role of parties. Also, it is not just the problem of Copts.
Qummus [Qummus: archpriest or hegumen in Coptic Orthodox Christianity] Salib summarized all the problems of Copts in the phrase that they occur in one society. However, the most important of these problems is the one concerning the apolitical aspect. [the problem of] Parliamentary representation threatens the rights of three elements: the opposition, Copts and women. Also there are also some positions for which Copts are not assigned like governors, deans and authority bodies.
