Al-Jamā’ah al-Islāmīyyah has continued to listen to the complaints of Copts, amid recent controversy over laws to restrict the distribution of permits to build new churches. In an announcement by the Building and Development Party (BDP) (Hizb al-Binā’ wal-Tanmīyah) Safwat ‘Abd al-Ghanī, representative of BDP’s parliamentary body at the Shūrá Council denied proposing a law of building churches, stating, “Laws come as a result of national dialogue in which the church is an important part in it”. Speaking about the new “One Nation” initiative, ‘Ismat al-Sāwī, responsible for the Coptic file for the party, specified the initiative will “continue to heal the rift with Muslims and plays an important role in pacifying sectarian strife".

The initiative was welcomed by Rafīq Habīb, Secretary General of the “Copts 38” group, saying the initiative represented a positive role which had been awaited for by the state, not the party or Al-Jamā’ah al-Islāmīyyah. He expressed his belief that the Copts will not be put at a disadvantage by this well-intentioned initiative, which will strengthen bonds between them and Muslims (Husayn 'Umrān, al-Duwaynī Fūlī and Tāriq al-Dīb, al-Misrīyūn, May 17, p. 3). Read original text in Arabic.