Discussing the ‘Umrāniyyah riots last Wednesday, Orascom Telecom Board Chairman Najīb Sawirus argued that Christians in Egypt are not in such a dire need for churches that they should build them illegally, pointing out that during al-Qā‘idah’s threats to Egyptian churches, half of them were empty. Pope Shenouda III said that the authorities need to understand that most Coptic residents of ‘Umrāniyyah are of Upper Egyptian decent and should be treated in a specific way. He called upon the Governor of Giza to deal with the situation in a calm manner in order to avoid violence. The Progressive National Unionist Party blamed the riots on the government for deliberately “stalling” on the unified law for places of worship.

Key Words: Najīb Sawirus – ‘Umrāniyyah - al-Qā‘idah – Pope Shenouda III