Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church held an emergency session on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 to settle the debate about the recent Supreme Administrative Court and announce the official stance of the church. The Holy Synod’s official annual session usually takes place once a year, on Pentecost.

 

Bishop Marqus of Shubrā al-Khaymah, head of the information committee of the Coptic Orthodox Church, had on June 7, 2010 called on the People’s Assembly and the Constitutional Court to reconsider the ruling of the Supreme Administrative Court before any possible escalation of the feelings of persecution Egypt’s Copts already feel. He further denied approving khul‘ in Christian personal status affairs. [khul^c is the right of a woman in Islam to divorce or separate from her husband] Al-Wafd of June 7, 2010 also reported on Najīb Jibrā’īl’s announcement of a campaign to sign petitions in the Coptic Orthodox Churches supporting Pope Shenouda’s stance in rejecting the ruling. Bishop Marqus’ statements came during the course of a press conference that was held at the Egyptian Center for Human Rights.

 

On the same day, al-Misrī al-Yawm reported on the same statements of Bishop Marqus, highlighting his reference to the obstacles Christian converts who want to re-embrace their original religion face in having Christianity reinstated on their official papers. Bishop Marqus also stated that the court ruling was based on the regulations known as the “list of 1938”, which is officially rejected and not avowed by the church. Therefore, he believes, the ruling is not binding to the church.

 

Conversely, Coptic thinker Jamāl As‘ad believes that the ruling is 100 percent correct, denying that it implies any persecution against Copts.

 

Al-Wafd of June 7, 2010 published Bishop Bula of Tanta’s warning of the consequences of the Supreme Administrative Court ruling, which obliges the church to authorize the remarriage of divorced Copts. Bishop Bula is also head of the Clerical Council and responsible for personal status affairs in the Coptic Orthodox Church. He stated that the ruling will result in a direct clash between the church and the State.

 

In a meeting with the Coptic satellite channel CTV, Bishop Bula further called for taking the example of neighboring countries, where Christians’ personal status affairs are the responsibility of the church and not of the state. He described the ruling as “catastrophic,” asserting that the church does not submit to this kind of rulings.

 

On June 7, 2010, Al-Shurūq al-Jadīd reported on Pope Shenouda III’s confirmation of the Coptic Orthodox Church’s rejection of the court rulings. He declared on CTV that no one can force the church to violate the Bible. He also stated that if a clergyman performed second marriage he will be excommunicated, along with the person who is getting married for the second time. Pope Shenouda stated that anyone who gets a civil permission for a second marriage can accordingly have a civil marriage, far from the church.

 

The Giza Bishopric of the Coptic Orthodox Church issued a petition signed by Bishop Domadius, metropolitan of Giza, and Bishop Theodosius, general bishop of Giza, in which they expressed their rejection of any rulings or decisions that force the church to violate church doctrines and traditions and the Bible.

 

The bishops who signed the petition called for urgently issuing a unified personal status law for Christians, which has been approved by all Christian denominations in Egypt and presented to the relevant judicial and legislative institutions.

 

The press published full page petitions signed by the different churches in Cairo. Watanī of June 6, 2010 devoted page 5 to a petition, signed by 129 churches in Cairo, approving Pope Shenouda’s rejection of the ruling. On page one, Watanī published an announcement of the petition signed by Bishop Domadius and Bishop Theodosius.

 

Page 13 of al-Wafd on June 9 was devoted to a similar petition, signed by the clergymen and public of the parishes of Shibīn al-Qanātir, Shubrā al-Kahymah and Hilwān. The petition held the names of 144 churches in the mentioned parishes. Similarly page 24 of al-Ahrām of the same day was devoted to an announcement in the name of the people and clergymen of the churches of al-Zaytūn district, al-Harfayn district, Heliopolis district, Shubrā al-Gharbīyah, Shubrā al-Sharqīyah, downtown, al-Fajjālah, al-Dāhir, al-‘Abbāsīyah, Old Cairo, Sharq al-Sikkah al-Hadīd, al-Ma‘ādī and Turrah, ‘Ayn Shams, al-Matarīyah, ‘Izbat al-Nakhl, al-Muqattam, Hadā’iq al-Qubbah and al-Wāylī, al-Tajammu‘ al-Khāmis, the Holy Virgin and Saint Antonius Church, Badr city, al-Shurūq, and al-Rihāb.

 

Al-Ahrām of June 9, 2010 also published a small announcement on page 15 in the name of the Holy Virgin Church in Shubrā.

 

In a related context, Mathias Nasr Manqarius, editor-in-chief of al-Katībah al-Tayabīyah announced the organization of a demonstration to support the pope’s stance, to be held after the Pope’s Wednesday sermon at Saint Mark’s Cathedral.

 

On June 6, 2010 al-Wafd reported that the Alexandria Clerical Assembly had issued a petition calling on President Mubārak to urgently intervene and pass the unified personal status law for Christians, presented by Pope Shenouda to the relevant legislative institutions about 30 years ago. 120 clergymen from the assembly signed the petition.

 

The clergymen of Alexandria confirmed their adherence to the Biblical texts about personal status. The petition ended by confirming the assembly’s support for Pope Shenouda and its approval of all his holiness’ decisions.

 

Al-Akhbār of June 4, 2010 reported on Pope Shenouda’s statements that not every second marriage is rejected by the church. Pope Shenouda explained that the church approves second marriage when it does not violate the Biblical principles. He elaborated that second marriage is permitted in certain cases, like that of a widower whose wife passed away, or the wronged partner in the cases of adultery.

 

In its extraordinary session, the Holy Synod approved Pope Shenouda’s rejection of the Supreme Administrative Court ruling approving second marriage without conditions. Pope Shenouda, in a press conference held on June 8, 2010, declared that the church respects the law but does not accept rulings that violate the Bible and its religious freedom granted by the Egyptian Constitution. Pope Shenouda stated, however, that people who want to have civil marriage in civil institutions are free to do so. He also confirmed that the regulations known as the list of 1938 were rejected by the church.

 

Al-Ahrām of June 9, 2010 reported Pope Shenouda’s denial of having called President Mubārak to seek his intervention to solve the problem. Al-Ahrām also reported Pope Shenouda as saying that the church’s rejection of the ruling does not prove what some people have claimed about the church’s alleged will to be independent from the State. Pope Shenouda declared that the timing of the ruling was wrong, because it came immediately before the parliamentary and presidential elections, noting that the court had known the church’s stance on the matter. It is noteworthy that the final ruling was an approval of a previous ruling, which was issued in 2008 and rejected by the church, who filed an appeal. 81 bishops, members of the Holy Synod, approved Pope Shenouda’s stance and officially rejected the court ruling.

 

Pope Shenouda and the Holy Synod asserted that the ruling was against the Islamic Sharī‘ah, and consequently against the Constitution, where the second article stipulates that the Islamic Sharī‘ah is the main source of legislation. According to the Qur’ān, Christians’ affairs should be settled according to their religion:“Let the People of the Gospel judge by that which Allah hath revealed therein. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are evil-livers.” 47, The Meaning of the Glorious Qur&rsquo;ān by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, <a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/pick/005.htm">http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/pick/005.htm</a> .

 

Al-Sharq al-Awsat of June 9, 2010 reported on Pope Shenouda’s description of the controversy around marriage and divorce in the Coptic Orthodox Church as unexcused exaggeration. Pope Shenouda stated that the total number of divorce cases among Orthodox Copts in Egypt and abroad is 200-650 cases every year. However, in some media it was announced that there were two million divorced Christians waiting for authorization for second marriage.

 

Lawyer Najīb Jibrā’īl announced that Copts were willing to organize a demonstration on June 9^th.

 

In a small column on its front page, al-Jumhūrīyah of June 10, 2010 reported that an official source at the State Council had declared that it was impossible for the executive authorities to stop the consequences of a judicial ruling issued by the Supreme Administrative Court, noting that Pope Shenouda has the right to complain and ask for a stay of execution of the ruling. He also has the right to claim for the annulment of the ruling.

 

The press of June 10, 2010 reported on the Coptic demonstration that was organized on June 9^th after the Wednesday sermon of Pope Shenouda. Newspapers differed in reporting on the numbers of Copts who participated in the demonstration.

 

Al-Misrī al-Yawm published that 1000 Copts demonstrated in the Saint Mark Cathedral in al-‘Abbāsīyah in Cairo announcing their support to Pope Shenouda and their rejection of the ruling of the Supreme Administrative Court. Demonstrators called their protest “the day of Coptic wrath.” al-Misrī al-Yawm reported that five thousand people attended the Wednesday sermon of the Pope, in addition to 700 priests from the different parishes in Egypt. Amongst the audience reportedly was a number of public personalities, heads of other Christian denominations, writer Anīs Mansūr and Munīr Hannā, head of the Anglican Church.

 

On its home page, al-Dustūr of the same day reported that hundreds of Copts demonstrated in front of the papal residence in al-‘Abbāsīyah. Demonstrators carried signs reading: “We do not challenge the judicial authorities, but we call for respecting Copts’ rules,” “No for violating the biblical teachings, no for the second marriage of sinners,” “No life for Christians without Christ’s teachings.” Hānī ‘Azīz, spokesman of the movement Copts for Egypt, stated that the demonstrators did not face any troubles with the security forces and that they wanted to express their support for Pope Shenouda and his stance.  

 

Al-Wafd and al-Ahrām of the same day reported on the demonstrations of hundreds of Copts.

 

‘Abd al-Wahāb Sha‘bān of al-Wafd reported that Najīb Jibrā’īl, head of the Egyptian Union for Human Rights expressed his optimism for canceling the ruling, allegedly stating that some “sovereign bodies” asserted the possibility to cancel the ruling after accepting the complaint filed by Pope Shenouda.

 

Al-Shurūq al-Jadīd reported that sources who are close to the pope had reported that Pope Shenouda received a phone call from a high-level official, who promised him of a prompt discussion and implementation of the unified personal status law for Christians, on the condition that order is preserved. Meanwhile Pope Shenouda referred to the ongoing communication with Dr. Mufīd Shihāb, the state minister for legal affairs and legislative councils, concerning a prompt pass of the law.

 

On the other hand, Rose al-Yūsuf reported that Councilor ‘Ādil Farghalī, head of the Administrative Courts and vice president of the State Council, had rejectedthe Holy Synod’s and Pope Shenouda’s refusal to implement the ruling, describing Pope Shenouda’s declarations as emotional, denying justice and a refusal to apply the law.

 

Farghalī told Rose al-Yūsuf that asking the president to intervene and provide a stay of the execution for the ruling will be the equivalent of a waiver.. He added that criminal courts sometimes  issue rulings that are not consistent with the Qur’ān, like in cases related to adultery and theft.

 

The Supreme Administrative Court had explained, in the details of the ruling, that making a family is a Constitutional right that cannot be refused, according to al-Misrī al-Yawm ofJune 4.

 

Al-Shurūq al-Jadīd reported on the Supreme Administrative Court’s explanation that the task of looking after Orthodox Copts’ interests is that of the state, which gave the church the authority to take care of certain matters. It also demonstrated that the Church’s role in this respect is administrative and not religious; as such the decisions taken are administrative and not religious, and consequently they are subject to the judicial authorities.

 

Al-Usbū‘ published the opinion of Kamāl Zākhir, the Coptic Orthodox layman activist, who expressed his belief that the church’s refusal to divorce people who have problems in their relationship leads to increased social problems and to more adultery. Zākhir claims that Christian families suffer from defects in the spiritual care offered to them.

 

The Evangelical Church also had its word about the matter. Al-Wafd of June 4, 2010 reported that Rev. Safwat al-Bayyādī, head of the Evangelical Church in Egypt stated that any judicial ruling that violates the church code should be reconsidered.

 

Pastor Rif‘at Fikrī suggested amendments to the personal status’ laws in a way that makes divorce the last solution. Fikrī approved two systems of personal status; one civil and the other ecclesiastical. Pastor Ikrām Lam‘ī criticized Pope Shenouda’s rejection of the “list of 1938”, arguing that the nine conditions of divorce implied in it are sufficient to protect people from adultery and sin. Lam‘ī stressed the significance of dealing with the spirit of the Biblical text.

 

On June 9, 2010, Rose al-Yūsuf headlined on its homepage: “the Church: we reject second marriage and we will resort to the president.” The title contradicted was reported in other publications about Pope Shenouda’s denial of having asked for the President’s intervention. In the article Rose al-Yūsuf published: “[Pope Shenouda] refused the demands of some people to call on the President to intervene stating: ‘I do not want to embarrass the President because he does not interfere in the judicial bodies’ affairs. However, I ask him to intervene in the rulings’ consequences and the confusions and division it has created in Coptic families.’”

 

Al-Maydān of June 9, 2010published that Councilor Najīb Jibrā’īl had stated that the ruling transgressed the Church’s authority and had stirred confusion among 15 million Christians in Egypt. He also stated that the ruling was against the Constitution and that the court had made a mistake.

 

[This text will be elaborated on soon, regarding the different reported numbers of divorce cases in the Coptic Orthodox Church and other observers’ comment.]