Pope Tawadros's recent interview on MBC Egypt has provoked widespread response from the political community. Coptic thinker, Kamāl Zāhir, said Pope Tawadros tried to distance the Church from political issues but he was forced to be more open in some parts. Meanwhile, the writer, Sulaymān Shafīq, said Pope Tawadros has been drawn into a battle for Coptic rights with the government by opponents for the first time in the history of Egypt. He added that the Muslim Brotherhood is a young and very weak institution compared to the two thousand year history and foundation of the Church. Dr. 'Amr Hāshim Rabī', political researcher at the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said that Pope Tawadros' comments were an indirect demonstration for Coptic descent allowing them to participate in June 30. Dr. Hasan Nāf'ah, professor of political science at Cairo University, said that Pope Tawadros comments on the Cathedral attack are to be expected, whilst his comments on wanting a resolution to the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis show that the Church is in touch with the Egyptian public (Peter Majdī and Ahmad Sa'īd, al-Tahrīr, Jun. 19, p. 7). Read original text in Arabic.