Bishop Yuhannā Qultah, Deputy Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church and President of the Middle East Council of Churches, commented on the mixing politics with religion in Egypt. He sees the recent fatwás issued by some Islamist scholars against Muslims greeting Copts at Easter as part of the rise of Qutbism in Egyptian politics, and characteristic of sectarian tensions within the country. Despite these concerns and President Mursi (Mūrsī)'s refusal to attend Easter Mass, he said that the Church would continue to invite the President to the event as a matter of public duty. He stated that sectarian violence affects every part of society, and that it is a product of a general disrespect of the law and authority of the state, the weakness of the police, and the disregard of successive governments for human rights. He clarified that this lack of security meant that Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II was unable to attend certain events. During his time in the Constituent Assembly he expressed his concerns about the lack of constitutional, legal and societal equality between Muslims and Christians but they were ignored by the Ministry of Justice. Although he admitted that the government has not directly persecuted Copts, he believes it is in the interests of the Muslim Brotherhood to see them marginalized resulting in the loss on many Copts and venture capitalists.

Bishop Qultah fears that the inclusion of radical religious discourse in politics will lead to a deterioration of the situation in Egypt, adding to a sense of pessimism and anxiety about the ascension of Islamist political parties to power throughout the Arab World. He described the recent emergence of Shī'ah Islam in Egypt as part of an American game to create religious turmoil, which he sees as the quickest way to destroy a country, benefiting American interests in the region. Furthermore, he described Israel's invite to the Pope to come to Jerusalem as a ploy to gain influence. He concluded by expressing his amazement that the Copts had survived despite a history of religious persecution in the region (Asmā' al-Mahalāwī, al-Misrī al-Yawm, May 5, p. 8). Read original text in Arabic.