The Abū Fānā ordeal continues to steal the limelight in the press. Some newspapers try to provide plans and documents related to the issue. From his residence in the United States, Pope Shenouda III called to postpone the negotiations until all culprits in the attacks against the monks are captured and taken to court. Th following lines also shed light on an interview with Father Bula, spokesman of the bishopric of Mallawī to which the monastery of Abū Fānā is related.
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Being in the spotlight of incidents, the Abū Fānā issue continues to steal the limelight in the Egyptian media. AWR has published detailed reviews on the issue, in addition to the special reports on the visit paid by a team of the office.
Rose al-Yūsuf of July 5-11, 2008 published an overview of the entire issue of Abū Fānā, hinting to the official fact-finding committee that was assigned to provide a detailed overview of the incident.
Dr. Fatimah Sayyid Ahmad who wrote Rose al-Yūsuf’s article mentioned that the monks took over lands more than permitted.
Rose al-Yūsuf reported that General ‘Umar al-Shawādifī, head of the national apparatus for planning and state’s lands protection stated that the law gives individuals, not institutions, the right to benefit from a land that they have been living on since 2006, provided that it is no more than 100 feddāns and that it is seriously cultivated. At that point they can rent the land as a social community whose stability should not be disturbed because they are on the lands obtained through wad‘ al-yad before the law outlawed it.
General al-Shawādifī stated that if the Agricultural Development accepted that any of the two parties cultivated the land subject to conflicts; it would be on the basis of a rental contract that can be renewed every five years.
It is noteworthy that the National Apparatus of the State Lands did not participate in the official fact-finding committee that was formed to resolve the problem and legalize the land possession. Al-Shawādifī argued that the apparatus did not participate because the lands are within the territories of Minia governorate. Hence the governorate is responsible for these lands.
Dr. Sayyid Ahmad further reported that after the committee’s decision, lawyers from the Metropolitan Dimitrius of Mallāwī asked to have satellite photos of the site before the survey of the land and the final determination of the land borders of the monastery. Consequently a smaller committee was formed of five of the members of the 20-member official fact-finding committee.
The committee used the satellites to survey the whole area and provide the necessary maps.
Dr. Sayyid Ahmad stated that the committees’ works proved that the issue of Abū Fānā does not have any sectarian or religious dimension and that it is a mere conflict on lands. Then She listed the final decisions of the committee.
Rose al-Yūsuf published maps of the site of Abū Fānā. It reported that one of the maps was issued by the survey institution with the state properties and the Department of Antiquities. It also published a copy of the first page of the minutes of the meeting that was held in the governorate on June 18, 2008 to study the situation of the lands surrounding the Monastery of Abū Fānā.
Furthermore, in her article Dr. Sayyid Ahmad noted that the monastery had taken over 224 feddāns without having the right to, according to what the maps proved, Dr. Sayyid Ahmad hinted.
In the same context, al-Misrī al-Yawm of July 2, 2008 reported that the security could prevent new clashes between the tribal communities and aspirants at the monastery. The so-called “Arabs” alleged that aspirants at the monastery photographed their women while working on the land.
Al-Misrī al-Yawm also published that the assigned specialized committee commenced its task of drawing the borders of the archaeological monastery and determining the track of the fence that is to be built around the archaeological monastery. The fencing wall will be one kilometer to the north, one to the south and 450 meters on each of the eastern and western sides. As such the total area of the monastery will be 252 feddāns.
On the same day, al-Misrī al-Yawm published what it presented as the prosecution investigations minutes in the case of Abū Fānā. In the interrogations, monks declared that 20 masked men attacked the monastery and shelled fire on them.
On its part, Rose al-Yūsuf of July 1, 2008 published that Councilor ‘Abd al-Rahmān Marz, attorney general of the Southern area of al-Minia formed a penta-committee of the concerned institutions in the issue of Abū Fānā. To identify the borders of the archaeological monastery and the and its periphery.
On the other hand, al-Dustūr of July 3, 2008 reported on Father Bulā’s assertion that the bishopric of Mallāwī does not reject re-identifying the borders of the monastery. Father Bula is the spokesman of the Bishopric of Mallāwī.
He further mentioned that the committee work proved that the Arabs are exploiting 75-100 feddāns of the area of the periphery of the monastery. Father Bula denied rumors about some of the monastery’s aspirants’ attempt to photo women of the tribal communities. Father Bula explained that what happened was that some of the Arabs’ wives quarreled with members of the penta-committee, while en where hiding behind trees with machine guns. He also thanked the urgent security intervention to prevent what could have been another attack on the monastery.
Ākhir Sā‘ah of July 2, 2008 interviewed Father Bula who said he did not know the exact area of the monastery. He also stated that the church does not refuse cooperation with the governor to solve the problem. He also thanked the governor to intervened to release the kidnapped monks.
Ākhir Sā‘ah asked: Most of the locals in the region assert that monasteries and churches have become warehouses of weapons, is it true?
Father Bula denied the allegations, stating that weapons have never been used in a monastery. He added that monasteries are opened to all people ad all the rumors are meant to defame them.
Q: Has the church in Egypt become a parallel state?
A: No; the church is a religious and social institution that abides to the state and the authorities, obeying the Biblical commands. The church will never violate the state’s authorities.
Q: Does monastic life mean taking over the state’s lands and opposing the government?
A: No. Monastic life is a life of worship, prayer, work, and unity. When a person leaves the whole world and goes to the desert to live this life, he never thinks of any possession. Monastic life means poverty, chastity and obedience. Monks are still living in their cells without electricity and without drinking water, although the electric cables are close to the monastery’s gates. The monastery uses electric machines that work with gas and drink from wells.
Q: Then why all the sit-ins in the monastery?
A: This is not true, and the media reported false news.
Q: Why do monks try to take over vast areas of desert lands to establish a farm?
A: He who does not work does not eat. A monk must work and cultivate the land in the day time and pray at night. A monk’s life is labor and prayer, and we do not transgress on the state’s properties.
Finally, Father Bula expressed that the solution of the problem can be brought about by establishing a fencing wall that surrounds the complete areas related to the monastery.
In a related context, al-Misrī al-Yawm of July 5, 2008 reported that lawyer Ihāb Ramzī, lawyer of Mallawī bishopric that Pope Shenouda expressed in a phone call his will to postpone all negotiations about Abū Fānā until all culprits are arrested and questioned.
Al-Misrī al-Yawm also reported that celebrations at Kūm Maryyā were canceled due to the tensions caused by the incidents.
