Meanwhile, Muftī of the Republic Shaykh 'Alī Jum'ah said Egyptians in general are religious and that explains why they chose that religion should have a role to play in public affairs, but this should not a source of concern for the people inside Egypt or the world

"Under no circumstances should differences reach the stage of clashing. Differences have to be at the level of ideologies, not between persons," Shaykh Jum'ah in an interview to the independent newspaper al-Misrī al-Yawm.

He said that no one can undermine national unity in Egypt. "The blood of Muslims has mixed with the blood of Christians for the good of the nation."

"I have called on Muslim and Christian charity foundations to activate an initiative of cooperation and establish joint ventures through integration," he said. [Ahmad al-Buhayrī, al-Misrī al-Yawm, Jan. 11, p. 12]