Addressing the prodigals

A bold address from Pope Shenouda threw the weight of the Coptic church behind President Mubarak ahead of his US visit. But will expatriate Copts heed the call, asks Omayma Abdel-Latif
When President Hosni Mubarak leaves for Washington on Saturday, he goes with the full backing of Egypt's Coptic Church. In an unprecedented move, , head of Egypt's Coptic Orthodox church, urged Copts living in the United States "not to act in a way that dishonours Egypt's reputation and hurts the interests of the church."
In an open letter published in national dailies on Tuesday, the 75-year-old pope addressed the expatriate Copts, saying that he would not accept "unruly" behaviour harmful to the church, warning against disparaging words that go against the "spiritual nature of Christianity". The letter, which follows on the heels of the visit to Egypt by a US fact-finding committee investigating religious persecution, mirrors a similar address to the Coptic community ahead of Mubarak's annual US visit last year. Then, the trip had come close after the Al-Kosheh incident, when 20 Copts and one Muslim were killed in an outbreak of riots fuelled by religious tensions in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Sohag.
The violence caused an uproar within the Coptic community, both in Egypt and abroad, and Pope Shenouda had to interfere in order to halt a damaging campaign highlighting sectarian strife. In his remarks this year, the pope was forced to return to the case of Al-Kosheh, as a new controversy has erupted in the wake of the court rulings, issued in February. Of the 96 defendants tried in the case, only four were convicted.
Al-Kosheh remains a hot issue for the Copts abroad, particularly in the US. Only a few days before President Mubarak's visit to Washington, extremist Coptic groups stepped up their anti-Egyptian campaign and in the US, the Coptic community reportedly organised a "black coffin demonstration" during which protesters carried 20 empty coffins draped in black and raised banners urging the US administration to "stop the war on Copts in Egypt".
It was noted that this year's papal statement maintained a slightly harsher tone than last year. Aside from the Al-Kosheh rulings, Pope Shenouda took on other tough issues, including the destruction of a building affiliated to the Shubra Al-Kheima church and the much-criticised law requiring permission of the president to build or restore churches. "I don't deny that there are problems," Shenouda conceded, "but they are like any other problems that take place in any country in the world."
Most importantly, the pope emphasised President Mubarak's role in helping to solve the difficulties faced by Copts, saying that problems are "settled and resolved as soon as the president knows about them." Shenouda cited the destruction of the Shubra Al-Kheima building as an example. Addressing the Coptic community outside of Egypt, the pope said: "You were upset when this happened, and we too were upset. We talked to the president about it and it was resolved on the very same day. The building was reconstructed immediately."
On the Al-Kosheh rulings, the pope noted that this was a judicial ruling, which the president has nothing to do with. "The rulings have been contested before a superior judicial body; we cannot ask the state for more than that. We have to wait for the results," the pope said.
The visit by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom last week is closely associated with Coptic groups lobbying for support in the US. The three commission members charged with gauging the status of religious discrimination against the Coptic minority received a cool welcome and triggered a strong reaction from both Muslim and Coptic leaders in Egypt. During a meeting with the commission, Shenouda stressed that Egypt's Copts do not face systematic persecution.
He is not alone in his claim. , president of the Protestant Churches of Egypt, also spoke of the common history and culture that binds Muslims and Christians together in Egypt. "In villages all the people, Christian and Muslim, share the available resources," El-Bayadi told Al-Ahram Weekly. "A piece of land may be owned by a Christian, but it is given to Muslims to cultivate. At the harvest, all share the crops together." El-Bayadi pointed to the freedom to congregate and meet at any time as just one expression of the freedom to worship in Egypt. He added that in new cities, the government not only allows the building of churches, but also donates land for the construction of places of worship. "Our hospitals and clinics are appreciated," El-Bayadi said. "Our schools enjoy strong support. In some areas land has been donated to build new schools."
The stance of Coptic community leaders is clear, but the important question remains: will Copts outside of Egypt heed their call for tolerance and support? Will they "act in one spirit," as the pope urged? "Quite unlikely," answers Samir Murqus, former head of the Middle East Church Council. Though it is only a minority of the Coptic community that orchestrates this anti-Egypt campaign, Murqus said, they are not going to listen to the pope because they have a "vested interest" in portraying Egypt as a minority-persecuting country. "What the rest of the community should know is that they are definitely not doing this for free," Murqus said.
Recommend this page
Related stories:
Christian concerns
The cold shoulder
On the inside
US commission faces closed doors 22 - 28 March 2001
Al-Kosheh rioters released 14 - 20 December 2000
Meeting Mr Seipel 25 February - 3 March 1999
Emerging from the shadows 19 - 25 November 1998
A bill that might backfire 15 - 21 October 1998
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
Send a letter to the Editor