The following review sheds light on the recent events in the Abū Fānā crisis. While the conventional committee announces a resolution to the land conflict, the governor and the church seem to have other requirements. The Coptic Orthodox Church reacts to the Coptic expatriates’ comportments and asserts its rejection of any foreign interference in Egypt’s domestic affairs. The press praises Pope Shenouda high sense of patriotism.

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In this week’s articles, the press continued to discuss the updates of the Abū Fānā conflict. Different newspapers reported different details and different figures about the issue. Al-Akhbār of August 15, 2008 reported that the church gave up 25 feddāns of the planted land next to the monastery and 70 feddāns of the uncultivated land. Al-Ahrām of the same day, published that the church gave up 95 fedddāns.

Al-Sharq al-Awsat of August 14 published that the conflict of Abū Fānā was renewed after 37 feddāns of land was taken away from the monastery. Al-Sharq al-Awsat reported on Father Bula’s declaration that there was an agreement between the Bedouins and the monastery to calculate the total area of the monastery and give up any land that exceeds the 600 feddāns that the monastery legally owns. However, if the calculations revealed that the monastery had less than 600 feddāns, the monastery should be given the remaining number of feddāns to complete the 600 feddāns.

Father Bula added that the manual measure of the monastery’s area showed that it had 532 feddāns, which means that 68 feddāns should be added to the monastery’s area. The security apparatus of Minia was a witness to the agreement. However, Father Bula added that the church was surprised that 36 feddāns were taken over from the monastery without giving any justification.

Al-Dustūr of August 12 had published news about the conference which was supposed to be held on Thursday, August 14 at the bishopric of Mallawī at 2 p.m. Bishop Demetrius of Mallawī was supposed to head the conference and reveal the correct facts to the public, since he believes that the actual facts are not clear to the public. Bishop Demetrius announced that the monks who had been abducted and tortured would attend the conference and answer the media's questions. He also announced that the bishopric assigned a hall in the second floor for the media and another big hall in the ground floor for the public.

Al-Dstūr also reported on a church source declaration that member of parliament ‘Alā’ Hassānayn, a member of the committee delegated by Pope Shenouda to resolve the conflict of Abū Fānā traveled to the U.S. to update Pope Shenouda after certain glitches in the negotiations.

Al-Misrī al-Yawm of August 11, 2008 published the text of the first ‘urfī agreement between the Bedouins and the monastery achieved by the ‘urfī committee that was assigned to solve the problem. The minute of the agreement that was signed on July 31, 2008 was signed by 12 members including Monk Makārī, representing the monks of Abū Fānā monastery and Muhammad Samīr Abū Lu’ Lu’ ‘Abd al-Samī‘ representing the Bedouins.

The first article of the agreement stipulated that the monastery has the right to 600 feddāns of cultivated land without touching the archaeological periphery or the cemetery. The monks, accordingly, should build a wall around that area and has no right to expand outside it, according to the decision of the minister of culture number 112 in the year 2002.

The second article however, indicated an agreement on the existence of individual cells outside the specified area. The nine cells are located in one line about 1500 meters from the farms. The monks have no right to expand the cells or cultivate the land around them. However, they are able to use it for worshiping without being subject to any assaults.

The third article stipulates that the Bedouins of Qasr Hūr must recognize the monastery’s right to have the full area specified in article one. Monks or anyone representing them in those areas should not be attacked.

Article four asserts the two party’s and the committee members’ agreement of all the articles of the agreement that was signed by the two parties and the witnesses. ‘Īd Labīb, member of the ‘urfī committee stated that the committee did not fail and that it had achieved 97 percent of the its supposed tasks, adding that the break was only to take some rest.

Al-Misrī al-Yawm reported on Labīb’s statements that the current disagreement is over an area of 10-15 feddāns. He always announced that the committee would hold a press conference in a hotel in Minia instead of that which was supposed to be held in the bishoprics on the 14^th. The two parties of the conflict are supposed to attend the conference with the governor of Minia and senior officials. It is expected that the results of the negotiations and the agreements that were brought about in the conference will be announced.

On the other hand, Monk Kyrillos Aphaphini of Abū Fānā declared that the committee responsible for the conference which was supposed to be held at the bishopric on August 14 held a meeting to determine the final form that the conference would take. He added that intensive meetings had been held recently. The committee consists of five priests from Mallawī Bishopric, three Abū Fānā monks and two information and media experts from the Coptic Orthodox Church.

On August 15, al-Dustūr published that a reconciliation was achieved and that the church gave up 25 feddāns of cultivated land and 70 feddāns of the desert land. Al-Jumhūrīyah of the same day published that in a phone call with the governor of Minia, Pope Shenouda asserted that Egypt is the most important factor.

Member of parliament ‘Alā’ Hassānayn had headed to the U.S. to meet the pope delivering a letter from Fathī Surūr, speaker of the Egyptian People’s Assembly. Al-Jumhūrīyah published that when Pope Shenouda knew about the press conference that was supposed to be held by the Bishopric of Mallawī, he called Bishop Demetrius and asked to cancel the press conference. Al-Jumhūrīyah stated that the bishop was not content, since it was not the first time that he had cancelled a press conference that was supped to be held by the monastery.

Moreover, al-Jumhūrīyah mentioned that Pope Shenouda expressed his admiration for General Ahmad Diyā’ al-Dīn, the governor of Minia.

However, al-Hayāh of August 15, 2008 denied that a final agreement had been achieved on the ownership of the land. Al-Sharq al-Awsat of August 15, 2008 mentioned that after achieving an agreement between the two parties, the security apparatus refused to give the monastery an authorization to build the wall, assuming that they were waiting for the court ruling.

Al-Sharq al-Awsat quoted Father Bula as stating: “according to the agreement, the church gave up 25 feddāns of the cultivated land next to the monastery and 70 feddāns of the desert land. As such the total area of the monastery is 505 feddāns instead of 600.”

However, al-Jumhūrīyah of the same day reported the agreement brought about by the ‘urfī committee identified 600 feddāns for the monastery and transmitting all the cells which are outside [34 cells according to al-Jumhūrīyah] that area to be inside the fencings wall which is supposed to b established, with a path to the Bedouins’ land.

Al-Jumhūrīayh published an interview with ‘Alā’ Hassānayn and ^cĪd Labīb where both talked about their accomplishments concerning the issue of Abū Fānā and that facts that they said was not transparently revealed. Both Labīb and Hassānayn expressed their preference of the ‘urfī solution of this problem and provided details about their visits to the U.S. to meet Pope Shenouda They also reported Pope Shenouda’s keenness on maintaining the national unity and dominance of law.

Conversely, al-Dustūr of August 16 published a statement by Father Bula who denied, according to the newspaper, the church giving up of 95 feddāns and the church approval and signature on an agreement achieved by the ‘urfī committee. Father Bula declared that the monastery gave up only 25 feddāns and that signing the agreement is due to the building of the wall around the monastery.

However, Al-Fajr of August 18 reported that the governor of Minia will not allow the wall to be built before the monastery’s land ownership has been legalized.

Sawt al-Ummah of the same day reported that the security detained a handyman who had been hired by the monastery to start building the fencing wall.

Al-Misrī al-Yawm of August 17 reported that Dr. Ihāb Ramzī, lawyer of the Bishopric of Mallawī accused the ‘urfī committee assigned to solve the problem of Abū Fānā of misleading the bishopric and the monastery, adding that he was preparing to file a claim against ‘Īd Labīb and ‘Alā’ Hassānayn, members of the committee.

Al-Misrī al-Yawm quoted Ramzī as saying: “the committee misled us when they announced that they brought about a solution for the problem that soon proved to be rejected by the governorate and the security apparatus.”

In a related context, al-Jumhūrīyah of August 16, 2008 published a photocopy of a petition signed by 500 Copts denouncing tarnishing Egypt’s image in the international community.

However, Bishop Bīshūy, secretary general of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church reflected on the expatriate Copts’ demonstrations and comportments, saying that some of the expatriate Copts have crossed a line and have violated the Christ’s teachings in their protests. Bishop Bīshūy’s arguments were reported by al-Misrī al-Yawm of August 12.

On August 11, al-Fajr published what it considered to be a scoop, which was the script of an alleged phone call between Samīr Lu’ Lu’ [also known as Samīr Lūlī, or Abū Lu’ Lu’] and an unknown girl in which Lu’ Lu’ admits being involved in what al-Fajr called the “massacre” of Abū Fānā.