Sāmih says that the building of churches has always been a controversial issue in Egypt that causes a lot of sectarian friction.
He says that the issue is a result of the huge gap between the legislative and constitutional frameworks. The Egyptian constitution does not mention anything about limiting the building of churches, he says, and the government’s refusal to issue permits is not based on anything specific.
In fact, says Sāmih, a court ruling dating back to 1952 stated that there should be no limitations on building new churches and that building new churches does not require the permission of neighbours. He then tells the story behind the court ruling.
Political activist Mamdūh Ramzī says that the solution is twofold: the first is breeding a culture of equality between Muslims and Copts. The second is establishing a unified law for building places of worship.
Majdī Hannā Wilson said that before the 1952 revolution, the Egyptian authorities had a better approach; that Egypt is for all Egyptians regardless of their religious beliefs.
Mīkhā’īl Mansūr was surprised to hear about the old court ruling and said that he finds it strange that it is never brought up today.
