I feel disgraced Mr. President; we have a very sensitive file, a deep wound that yields severe pain. How can such shameful deeds occur after two glorious revolutions, for which our Coptic brothers paid a dear price? Copts have stood tall in both revolutions, defending their ancestral land of dreams and memories, a land where we all co-existed in a melting pot for thousands of years. A homeland we have loved, defended and embraced, where we all revolted in defense of its honor. So how could we even start to imagine what's happening now? We see Christian families displaced in Alexandria, Minya and Beni Sweif, under the eyes and ears of state authorities with the excuse of protecting them. How can we ever accept that, in your presence Mr. President? Egyptian Copts have tolerated these practices for long years. They have endured pain numerous times, awaiting the coming of an Egyptian Muslim citizen who would put all these things to right, a citizen that upholds the ethical values of Abdel Fattah Al Sisi. And you did come, Mr. President, bearing good tidings for the Copts, especially when you set the example yourself and congratulated them on their holy days. You made the first ever official visit of an Egyptian President to the Cathedral last Christmas. But 'the old dog returned to its old tricks' and quickly enough the same practices returned. These actions, which we thought were gone never to return, are coming back to haunt us. We feel ashamed; we can confess this only to you Mr. President, because you are the tolerant and ethical citizen that we know. The real Coptic tragedy started, Mr. President, at the onset of late President Mohamed Anwar Al Sadat's rule when he made the famous reconciliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. This step marked a major rift with the icons of the Nasser era and heralded a huge coup against Nasser's heritage. The incident at Al Khanka church also marked the complete transfer of the Coptic file to the State Security Investigations Service (SSI). The agency was and still is unqualified to handle such sensitive issues. Then came the incidents of Al Zawya Al Hamraa in 1980, which exposed the SSI's methods in handling the problem. President Sadat, taking in a historic scene, said that it was just a simple feud between Muslim and Christian families, repeating the words his Interior Minister Al Nabawy Ismail had written about the events, which escalated as more neighbors got involved. The reality of the matter was far more serious than that, and the irony here is that these incidents were the final dress rehearsal before the 'Power Parade' performed by extremist and violent groups prior to Sadat's assassination. These groups attempted to challenge State Security institutions thus testing their power. A huge force came to Cairo from Upper Egypt to start the incidents; their alibi was to stop the building of a church on an empty piece of land in that district. The extent of their defiance went so far as to demand the replacement of a Christian officer, who, by coincidence, had been appointed Head of Investigations department in Al Sharabia. Their demand received a quick response and the Christian officer was transferred immediately. Not satisfied with this victory, they still fueled the clashes which left seventeen dead including a Muslim, and caused the burning down of Christian and Muslim properties. Security forces, as usual, seized some thugs as well as suspects wanted by the police, presenting them as the criminals responsible for these acts. This was a common practice at the time, to avoid headaches and close the file. The display of power by the Islamic Group preceded the military parade of October 6, 1981, during which President Sadat was assassinated. Had this group been exposed and the truth revealed to the President in time, it is quite probable that his assassination could have been prevented. The same formula was applied to all the persecutions the Copts were subjected to in the past. On June 16, 1981, four masked people led by Ali Al Sherif, a member of the Islamic Group's Shoura Council proceeded to Nagaa Hamadi in Qenna where they killed six of the top gold merchants and robbed their shops. The stolen jewelry funded Sadat's slaying and the Assuit assassinations that followed. According to security sources close to this file, suspects in this case were tortured to confess the crime. They were then detained the file was closed as always. The whole game was uncovered after Sadat's assassination, while investigating the accused. Strangely enough, the officer in charge of investigations received a promotion and became an SSI Major General. Matters did not change much during the nineties of last century, as the wave of violence escalated to reach everyone. The Egyptian Gamaa Al Islamia took Copts as hostages to force the system to comply with their requests. The persecution went as far as applying Al Hedood (religious punishment) on Copts at Al Rahman Mosque in Al Minya. These acts were all witnessed by authorities, as well as the hanging of severed heads on light poles, as observed between 1992 and 1994 in Abou Korkas, Minya. Tens of families were also displaced at the time. The peak of this unprecedented persecution was reached in the nineties when more than one hundred Copts were killed in different incidents. Authorities continued to call these events isolated cases, performed by people whose hearts are filled with hatred. Then-head of the Assiut security, Maj. Gen. Magdi Bassiouni described the massacre at the Ezbet Al Akbat as an accident. This massacre resulted in the death of eight Copts, but it was resolved by festivities, Sheikhs and Priests kissing and hugging after each incident. These festive reconciliations were all the more practiced the more violent the incident. One of these violent incidents was the storming of the Mary Girgis Church in Abou Korkas, February 1997. Worshippers were shot in the back during prayer, resulting in thirteen deaths. Another reconciliation festival was held, involving Sheikhs and Priests from both sides, and was attended by Minya's Governor Maj. Gen. Abdel Hamid Badawi. Speeches were given by Sheikhs and Fathers alike, expressing the shared emotions between Copts and Muslims. A few years before these incidents, I had covered the Abou Korkas 1990 incidents when buildings and cars belonging to Copts were burnt in the city. The allegation behind the violence was that a Christian young man had incited Muslim girls to commit scandalous acts to convert them to Christianity. This allegation became the subject matter of many great writers such as Fahmy Hewidy and Selim Al Awa among others. But things got even worse as far as the security handling of such a serious matter goes. When we travelled to Senbo in 1992 to cover the massacre of fourteen Copts, we were surprised to find the security protecting the very terrorists who committed the massacre. Not only that, they were creating channels of communication between the perpetrators and the people to convey their complaints. We were able to obtain a written complaint which was signed by the Chief Detective in charge of the case; the note read "Sheikh Arrafa should deal with this". Sheikh Arrafa was the Emir of the Gamaa Al Islameya responsible for the Senbo atrocities in the first place. Maj. Gen. Abdel Halim Moussa was the Interior Minister at the time. He preferred to call the Senbo massacre a 'family feud' that had nothing to do with extremism or sectarianism. He even attacked me personally and accused me of causing further strife, because I called these events the 'Senbo Massacre'. Al Moharak and Demina monastery, Ezbet Al Akbat, Ezbet Dawood and Al Temsahia: these are names of villages and monasteries that witnessed horrendous massacres against Copts between 1994 and 1997, leaving dozens of victims. The state continued to deal with the matter in the same way. It did not prosecute the offenders, nor present them to justice. It was a real tragedy, a total loss of the rule of law in a country that brags about its civilization dating back to seven thousand years. A country that allows the building of night clubs, casinos, bars, dance halls and food outlets yet thinks a thousand times before authorizing the building of a place of worship for Christians. I have discovered, during almost twenty five years monitoring that file, Mr. President, that the main reason behind sectarian strife was the refusal to build churches. The other reasons are the inequality in applying the law and the loss of respect for the rule of law. How can a pre-pubescent girl be allowed to get married only because she is Christian in love with a Muslim young man? How can the Egyptian law allow a guardian other than this child's parents to approve her religious conversion? What if this was to happen to a Muslim girl? The law should be applied equally to all no matter their religion or political inclinations. Church Building and Vital Shifts: Al Odayssat in Luxor, Al Ayat in Giza, Monaketeen in Samaloot, and in many other cities across Egypt, ordinary Muslims have burnt churches that were used for worship by Copts for many years. The only reasons behind these acts of arson were rumors that Copts were rebuilding fences without prior permission from state authorities. The question is: how did simple ordinary people become extremists? These violent deeds were confined to terrorists, with specific political aims. So what was happening here? Surprisingly, there is no one to ask this question and no one interested enough to give an answer. It is much simpler to let things be. Not only is it simpler, it is the preference of state authorities which alone have the right to allow the building, restoration and protection of Egypt's Churches. It seems to me that it served a purpose to pour oil on the fire of sectarian strife, to maneuver, use it for pressure or flag it when needed. This is what I felt, Mr. President, when you said that the times of 'political realignments' were over. What these people have maybe intentionally disregarded is that this file should never be used for political gains, whatever the reasons or motives. It must be placed at the heart of the state's concerns in general and its President in particular. This file should be considered the most dangerous and important in Egypt, especially now that we've seen many entities lying in wait for our downfall. They secretly wish that our demise comes from that angle. The Egyptian Christians' needs are specific and clear, they were revealed through all the incidents and problems that the country has faced in the past five decades. Meeting their needs should be easy and straightforward: building churches and finding solutions for their political representation. We also need to completely eradicate the sectarian tension with laws guarding the freedom of faith and prohibit all forms of sectarian strife and incitement. We need to equally apply the law and protect Coptic women against organized kidnapping under the pseudo cover of the so-called 'Serpent Love', a passion that is only allowed between a Coptic female and Muslim male and never the other way around. Finally, we have to delete once and for all the term of 'Forced Displacement' from our vocabulary. This is a scandalous and shameful term, Mr. President, especially after two glorious revolutions. A unified law governing worship houses, whether Muslim or Christian, should be put in place for the long run as well as a fair Coptic representation as per the June 30 constitution. Moreover, a Supreme Assembly for National Unity should be formed constituted of the best thinkers and lawmakers from both sides. This Assembly should have the authority to rapidly intervene and suggest definite procedures to remedy the negative phenomena causing sectarian tension. We may then secure a safe route for Egypt to enter a well-deserved haven of harmony.
