The Dutch journalist Lex Runderkamp is neither familiar with Arabic nor an expert in journalistic writing on Muslim-Christian relations in Egypt.
I will list here some facts collected from my personal experience.
First, a rule of thumb that should be adopted in any good press report is to listen to the different points of view and the perspectives of all parties involved in a given case. In fact, Runderkamp has only listened to a Muslim resident of Mārīnāb called 'Abd Allāh in addition to some Christian villagers.
He has not managed, though, to meet with Father Salīb, the main priest of the Church there who could be a better source in clarifying the perspective of Copts regarding the issue.
Second, I have visited Mārīnāb in the company of an Egyptian Muslim student on October 1st, a few hours after the assault on the church there. I have met there with same persons Runderkamp met with. But, I have also met with Father Salīb and General Muhammad Badrān, Deputy Security Chief of Aswan, who revealed that a group of Muslim youths had attacked the church under construction and set it ablaze.
Moreover, during our visit no Muslim in the village, including the above-mentioned 'Abd Allāh, has denied the fact when asked by us. Both Muslims and Christians have clearly emphasized that they were living in peace until the outbreak of the incidents.
The controversy was mainly over whether Christians obtained a valid construction license, the identity of people who called the fire brigade and the estimation of losses as well as the number of persons involved in the attack.
The main Imām of the village has strictly denied allegations that he had incited the mob to start the attack. The truth is that no one on October 1st has claimed that Christians have burned their own church; it is surprising that such claim has surfaced only recently. (More details can be referred to and found in the investigative report by Lamīs Yahyá on Mārīnāb, published by the Arab-West report)
Third, the argument concerning whether the building in Mārīnāb is a church or not is nonsense. Any building where people gather for prayers is either a mosque or a church. Christians were gathering in that place for years and this was known to the Muslim locals. Although the building, which had been already there for many years, was not officially registered as a church, this does not change the fact it was used for prayers and both the local villagers and authorities were aware of it.
Fourth, I totally agree with General Muhammad Badrān that the main thing that sparked these troubles has been the attempt by Christians to change the external appearance of the building. There is also a row over the legal validity of the documents. A definite thing, however, is that this kind of disputes should be resolved in courts, not through violence.
Fifth: Another fact is that building churches in Egypt is a complicated matter. As a result, Christians attempt to build churches without obtaining a prior license, a matter which requires a radical solution by implementing and enforcing adequate legislation.
All in all, I would like to stress that Runderkamp’s report has been full of obvious fallacies. So, the report cannot be used under any condition to prove that Christians themselves burned the church then framed Muslims, as claimed al-Masrīyūn, a claim that is absolutely untrue.
For many times, I have criticized through my writings in Arab-West Report some Coptic activists when they published false information on Egyptian issues. I have also criticized some Western figures who tried to propagate the concept of Islamophobia.
I will always do so but concerning the Mārīnāb issue, I confirm that it is acceptable to believe that Christians have violated construction laws but it is completely irrational to believe they have set their own church ablaze.
[Reviewer's Note: News story was also mentioned in Rose al-Yūsuf, page 57, December 16, 2011.]
العربية