Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

In a severe reaction to Pope Shenouda's refusal to adhere to the court ruling that stipulates divorcee's rights to re-marriage, the Azhar Scholars Front has issued a statement entitled: "To his holiness Pope Shenouda, who dominated," accusing him of being motivated by the "the Coptic nation."

 

The Front also accused him of supervising a number of Christianization centres spread throughout Egypt, where the statement noted that priest Makārī Yūnān, under the Pope's sponsorship, has built ten palaces behind Dīnā Farms. Here he retains Muslim boys and girls for more than five years, during which the Church changes their identity cards, extracts forged passports and sends them secretly to Cyprus, where they were distributed to Canada, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand for Christianization. [Editor: This is not confirmed, and is an allegation]

 

Najīb Jabrā’īl, Coptic activist and head of the Egyptian Union for Human Rights Oraganization, asserted that what the Azhar Scholars Front did was not a new calling, as it attacked the Azhar scholars and late Grand Imām Shaykh Sayed Tantāwī after his death. It is no wonder that it attacks the Pope and the Church, while the Pope has pursued legal methods to declare his objection to the ruling.

 

He also attributed the reason for issuing such a statement to the fact that the Front is illegitimate and tries to cause strife between Muslims and Copts in order to realize its own interests, such as fundamentalist groups.

 

Mamdūh Ramzī, lawyer and Coptic activist said he plans to sue the Azhar Shaykh and Mufti, given that the Front is affiliated with them.

 

Mustafá Murād, professor at the Azhar University, asserted that the Front doesn't represent the Azhar, and has no legal existence.