Date of source: Sunday, May 9, 2004
Al-Ahram daily wrote that “The French magazine Le Point has written that Copts enjoy their full legitimate rights and that controversy over Copts’ rights as Egyptian citizens living on equal terms with Muslims, has ended It is clear from the original Le Point text that al-Ahram printed only part of...
Date of source: Sunday, May 16, 2004
Following the lamentable incident which took place two weeks ago in the village of Taha al-‘Ameda in Samalut, and which left in its wake three dead and three wounded. Lieutenant Ahmed Al-Kilany was suspended from service, in preparation for an inquiry. Lieutenant Al-Kilany will be questioned on his...
Date of source: Sunday, May 16, 2004
Among the grievances long placed ‘on hold’ in Egypt is the attitude of state administrative and security apparatuses towards citizens who practice their right to convert from their original to another religious faith. If a Christian converts to Islam, officials welcome him or her with open arms and...
Date of source: Sunday, May 23, 2004
Readers might remember the story of the church of the new town of Rihab, to which I referred a few weeks ago. On 26 April, the representatives of the Coptic Orthodox Church received the 3000 square meter plot of land allotted to the church in Rihab. The New Urban Communities Authority had...
Date of source: Sunday, June 20, 2004
The book al-Mowarana il Awlama: al-A qbat fi Alam Motaghayer (Citizenship and Globalisation: Copts in a Changing World) by Hany Labib, published by Dar al-Shorouq in 2004 in Arabic, tackles the relationship between Copts and their homeland, in the era of globalisation. Within the context of present...
Date of source: Sunday, June 20, 2004
Expatriate Copts usually fell among one of two groups: a majority who left Egypt in quest of a better life abroad, and a minority who left to escape bitter instances—usually with the authorities—at home. A ‘silent majority’ and a ‘loud-voiced minority’ then emerged and came to characterize the...
Date of source: Sunday, June 27, 2004
When I. visited the monastery of the Holy Virgin on the Western Mountain of Dronka in Assiut, I saw at the foot of the mountain a vast area covered with gloomy brushwood. The monastery tried hard to clean up the area and cultivate it with timber-producing woods—watered by the drained water—but the...
Date of source: Sunday, June 27, 2004
Watani International met with the Grand Mufti of the Republic, Dr. Ali Goma’a, during his visit to London in which he headed a delegation comprising Dr. Muhammad Abu Lila, Dr. Gaffar Abdel Salam and Dr. Zaghloul Al-Naggar. The objective of the visit, as the Grand Mufti stated during a seminar held...
Date of source: Sunday, June 27, 2004
Archpriest Rofael Sami present a lengthy review of the history of Taha Al-‘Ameda and its the Church of St. Mina. Archpriest Sami also presents an architectural description of the Church of St. Mina, stressing the historical significance of the ancient well inside the church. The author concludes...
Date of source: Sunday, July 4, 2004
Last week, Watani International printed an interview with Dr. Aly Gomaa, Egypt’s mufti. Some of the questions directed to the Mufti concerned the comparison between the absolute freedom with which Muslims in Egypt build mosques, and the parallel restrictions imposed by law on the building of...