Thinker Jamāl As’ad said the decision to appoint the first Coptic vice-president is a right one, adding Marqus is a good Egyptian patriot known for his eagerness to serve the masses.

“Marqus’s appointment is not an overture to Copts. Persons who say that he would focus his attention on Copts just because he is Christian is dead wrong and such talk would jeopardize the nation’s security,” said As’ad.

Jamāl Hishmat, a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, said there is no problem having a Coptic vice-president as this has always been a pledge by President Mursī, noting the FJP expects Marqus to offer much for this country. [Hadīr Subhī and Manāl Sulaymān, al-Misryūn, July 26, p. 3] Read original text in Arabic