Yesterday, the Church of St. Damiana in Wardian in Alexandria lost a man called Ramses Poulos. He was not a victim of the Corona epidemic, but a martyr of hatred. In fact, he was slaughtered in broad daylight and on the roadside in front of his neighbors. I knew this man when I was appointed to serve in his church in the nineties. Therefore, I was surprised at the killing of Ramses and the attempt to kill his brothers at their shop and because of their religious identity, as part of a repeated collective assault on Copts because their are weak and different. His life had been condensed by the killers and his blood was shed for reasons that there is no room here to discuss. We should resort to the authorities that quickly grant licenses for the madmen in order to advise them not to specialize only and exclusively in targeting the Coptic citizens, because they have turned the right and left cheek!

Qatar for a long time and almost since year 2000 tries to support what its called new middle east movements for Democracy, although the real support was for the religious group in especially in Egypt, Libya and Syria. Lately, there is news that Qatar and the gulf countries along with Egypt started new negotiations round trying to reestablish their relationship with Qatar. The Emirate and Egypt confirmed that there was a negotiation and they are trying to reach an agreement.

The decision of the Coptic Orthodox Church to suspend all its services and holy message in Alexandria and Cairo was indeed hard and important at the same time. This is the second time to take this decision in the year 2020 and it comes to prevent the spread of covid-19 and to save as many lives as possible. 5 priests have already died this month to raise the total number of priests killed by the new Coronavirus to 30 since the start of the pandemic. I think the decision is very wise though it was very hard to be taken during the holy month of Koiak when the Coptic people are used to spend hours in the church to attend prayers and praises. Yet, it should save many lives before it s too late.

Despite his handicap that prevents him from moving and working properly, he works hard on the hand-loom to make handmade carpets that reflects his talent and effort. Mahmoud Islam is a 20-year-old who was born with brain paralysis that affected the nerves of his hands and legs as well as his tongue. However, you barely feel such handicap when he starts working on his hand-loom for many hours each day. Once, Mahmoud received a piece of advice to find a job and life. Soon, he found hope and profession. It was not easy in the beginning, but now he knows the way. Mahmoud had also worked very hard to get educated and obtain a diploma in industrial development. Now, he announced that he will teach women in his village how to work on the hand-loom as well.

In our lives, there are many lessons to learn in order to have a good relationship with the other based on love and fear of God. His Holiness Pope Tawadros II in his article "Sweet-Spoken words” published in the Evangelism Magazine, talked about some pieces of advice including that money is a good servant, but a very bad master. It should be a method and not a goal. Happiness is to find love and be loved without condition. Change is important as I grow old and wiser. Those who seek other people’s satisfaction can’t feel happy. Avoid getting angry, even if you have right. Your anger is a wrong method to express what is right. Losing confidence in yourself or in the others is one big gate to lose happiness. Losing confidence is harder than losing friends. My father is the best friend I have ever had. Ones beauty lies in his tongue. It’s not what you say, it’s when. Some words are like fragrance or stones, be careful what you through on the others. If you don’t build your future, some one will hire you to build his. Friends are like warm rooms in cold winter. A good friend takes our bitterness away. God is above all. God hears the lowest voice in your heart. Let’s learn from such words in our lives.

The thought of enlightenment was considered to counter the rigidity of the fundamentalist vision and this hostile trend for human peace, equality, coexistence and national unity. Defendants of enlightenment in the Arab countries adopted the Western methods and called for complete equality, relativism and pluralism in visions, perceptions and beliefs. Accordingly, the Arab Enlightenment people relied on the concepts of the West and its political and social systems based on equality, openness to others, and the aspiration for national unity and nationalism, and contributed to spreading it on secular foundations. For example, Al-Tahtawi wrote in his book about Paris that its people are predominantly cheerful in the faces of strangers, and treat them well, even if they belong to different religion. They accept such difference and never mind building houses of worship for other religions. Concerning enlightenment, the "Sunday Schools" Coptic magazine received an important and wonderful message from the Dean of Arabic Literature, Dr. Taha Hussein, calling on the religious establishment to correct and reform some matters, so the magazine publishes it comfortably. In his message, he called to give greater concern to the preparation of Coptic clergy and calls for equality among Muslims and Christians in both rights and duties.

It seems that women are not welcomed in Kuwaits Parliament after the election resulted in no success for any woman to be represented in the parliament. Arab countries failed once again to represent all sectors of society in the parliament which opened the possibility for thinking about different ways to have women in most if not all sectors in the country.

he lost his two hands in middle school, when a land mine exploded in him from the remnants of the World War, more than 40 years ago. Yet, the artist Talaat Nabih was able to write his name in history of art after he was able to prove his talent as great artist who paints with his mouth. Six months after the incident, Talaat , who is now 51 years old, decided to hold a pen with his teeth and mouth, entered the preparatory and general secondary examinations and the Faculty of Social Service, and excelled in drawing paintings with his teeth, and participated in many competitions, the first of which was a competition in the Youth and Sports Directorate, where he painted a painting about Jerusalem, and won the first place. Soon, he learned to write and draw with his elbow, and excelled in several Arabic hand writing including the Kufic and Diwani script, and was appointed at the Social Solidarity Directorate in Beni Suef to be an employee who writes official documents with his teeth! Greetings to Talat, his family, to everyone who supported him to overcome his obstacles and achieve success.

She is a model that amuses her followers by publishing her photos on Facebook. She decided to have one of her photo sessions in the area of Saqqara, next to the pyramid of Djoser in Giza. She put on Pharaonic clothes and appeared so sexy. Publishing her photos made huge reacts between supporters and opponents who decided to defend the sanctity of the historical archaeological areas! Senior officials opened investigation in the account and called to hold the responsible accountable! I think that we exaggerated the matter and it doesn t deserve such noise. Yes, she is beautiful and sexy, but all women can be so if they find the key to their beauty. I remember here the prince of poets "Ahmed Shawky" who said all women pretty or even sexy, but this doesn t mean they should be punished for being so!

Social media proves its power day after another, just like retardation and fanaticism is deeply rooted in the minds of many Egyptian officials. A girl called Salma al-Shimi made a photo session at the ancient Saqqara area wearing Pharaonic clothes, which are the clothes of the ancient Pharaonic woman, Facebook turned from hardliners and Salafists to a major attack on the girl s clothes, to make officials open investigation in the case! She published the photos on her Facebook account before Dr. Mohamed Youssef Ouyan, Director of the Saqqara Archaeological Zone, opened investigation describing the filming as against Egyptian customs and traditions! Did the pharaonic clothes become contrary to customs and traditions? is photographing in an antique area with Pharaonic clothes a crime? and what about the Pharaonic drawings of Pharaonic women that are painted on the wall of temples and museums and show the same dress of women? Are we controlled by the Salafist ideology that despises women and considers them genitalia!

The assassination of the Iranina nuclear Scientist “Mohsen Fakhrizadeh” proves that there is no moral in politics. Iran, lately suffers from big losses since American killed general “ Qasem Solimani”. Unfortunately, the world has a double standard when it comes to developing nuclear weapons, we see Pakistan and North Korea for example own nuclear weapons while Iran is always deprived of this right.

Many factors play a fundamental role in the success of spiritual struggle and making it on the right path. We can contemplate it from the book of Joshua, chapter six, as Joshua was able to enter Jericho, the first city in the Promised Land, and triumph over the evil inherent in it. HG Bishop Pachomius, former acting Patriarch and Archbishop of Behirah, Matrouh and North Africa, in his article "The walls of Jericho and the spiritual struggle" explained to us several factors that help us in our spiritual struggle, first: to work hard, for the Lord commanded Joshua that the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant and circulate with the people around the city for six days, and the number six in the Bible symbolizes the perfection of life and the six days refer to our whole life, this life that needs hard working in order to triumph over evil just as Joshua triumphed over Jericho (which symbolizes evil) and without struggle we cannot be victorious. Secondly: Belief is in God s powerful hand. Jericho needed the help of God along with the hard work. So the Lord commanded Joshua that the people turn around the wall seven times, then they shouted, and with the power of the Lord the city walls have fallen. Third: Repentance and return to God. Jericho, with its king and its inhabitants, was a symbol of the sins and weaknesses that dominate human life, so we need to repent and return to God who helps us and gives us victory over the weaknesses facing our lives. Fourth: Continuing the spiritual struggle, the people marched around the walls once every day for six days with the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, and this indicates the seriousness of strife, continuation and lack of spiritual relaxation that God warns against in the Holy Bible. Fifth: Self-control, a person must control himself, as St. Paul said "I suppress my body and enslave him". Our seriousness in spiritual struggle must suppress the body and its desires. Strive and do not despair, whatever your weaknesses and sins are, trust that God helps and gives you victory over the battles of Satan, with seriousness, repentance, continuity, and faith in God s help, inevitably you will succeed in your spiritual struggle.

Luke the physician, one of the seventy apostles, was a famous physician in Antioch and wrote the bible named after him. It is considered the third gospel and is known for being very rich in details. St. Luke was concerned with the history of the origin and growth of the Church with all its worship and traditions, and his Bible also mentioned the historical sequence of the revelation of the kingdom of God, and expressed the work of God with man. It talks about Jesus Christ and the salvation in a wonderful way. Likewise, his gospel has become a major reference in theology, history and apostolic tradition. He is called: the teacher, the physician, the painter, bearer of enlightened light, third evangelist, full of apostolic zeal, the virgin and martyr. He wrote his gospel in order to complete his mission and spread the correct evangelistic knowledge, and declared what was necessary to be revealed by the impetus of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, his writing of the Acts of the Apostles replete with Christian wisdom and correct teaching about the Holy Spirit. His gospel was called "the gospel of divine friendship" as it was called (the Ecumenical Gospel) as it represents the call of all humanity to the Savior and Friend of man. Some theological historians saw that St. Luke the Evangelist presented a history of salvation and promise, and that the plan of the Trinity would not be announced. His writing of the Book of Acts also complemented the Gospel. He revealed in his Gospel the depth of the work of salvation in the service of Christ, and revealed in the Book of Acts how the Church held on to the power of salvation from the hand of the Lord and took its power from the Holy Spirit. Luke the Evangelist, the first Christian historian, wrote a spiritually inspiring story about the emergence of the Church, which carried the strength and grandeur of the Christian beginning, and the cornerstone linking the books of the New Testament, "the Gospels and Acts", was characterized by meticulous examination of wounds that did not go beyond his observed eye as a physician and as a historian. . He had a strong friendship with Saint Paul, whom called him “the beloved physician” (Colossians 14: 4), as he called him to work with him. He was famous for his art as a painter, and the icon he painted for the Virgin, the Queen, the bearer of the Lord God, is his mark In Christian Iconography. He was martyred at the age of eighty-four, may his blessings be with us all, Amen.

The Egyptian short fictional film “Sixteen” has made several achievements for Egypt, which also bears the name “I am afraid to forget your face”. It has won the top prize at the Best Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Egyptian film to win the coveted award. It also did the same three weeks ago at the Moscow Festival, and seized the best film and became eligible on April 25. Next to strongly nominate the Oscar for Best Foreign Short Film, to put Egypt for the first time also on the Oscars map, after twenty-five participation over the course of nearly sixty years, we did not even get a mention. The names of our films were repeated a lot in the festival without a real coronation, even the Youssef Shahine Award in 1997 was in the festival s golden jubilee, and was reaped for the entirety of his work on the occasion of the festival s fifties.

The debate on whether mixed marriage is permissible, especially between a Muslim woman and a Christian man. It is much greater than a pure relationship or attraction between a man and woman. The patriarchal perspective sees that a non-Christian is not entitled to have the honor of being above a Muslim woman (during sexual intercourse)! The matter has a dangerous cultural dimension with a great difference between them in culture, the heritage reference and the value perspective for both of them in various walks of life including marriage, love, sex, values, relationships, upbringing, and life. If the marriage between a Muslim and Christianity today has resulted in dire societal results, and most of it came after enforced disappearance of the Coptic women. The fact that marriage between people of the same religion has achieved a tremendous failure in several cases, what much more can be achieved in cases of mixed marriages! I blame our society for having many values against humanity ​​and civilization, and we are clearly the product of religious oppression that made us not ready for regular marriage, not to mention the mixed one.

After the actor “Mohamed Ramadan” appeared in a photo with Isralie audience in Dubai all writers and who call themselves knowing everything started to criticize this step and claiming that Ramadan will lose a lot of his audience because of this step. Unfortunately, in Egypt people likes to bury their head in the sand like ostrich, Emirates and Bahrain already started normal relation with Israel and people still questioning someone taking picture with Isreali.

Although my parents refused to allow me to join the Muslim Brotherhood group, my father used to deal with the matter rationally and calmly. I was surprised by his his cool reaction until I knew the reason, as he knew I was going to leave this group sooner or later. At the time my mother was trying to force me to move away from them in a violent confrontational way, even by preventing me from leaving the house, which I didn’t like at all. My father used to resort to persuasion by convincing me about the bad morals of leaders of the group, showing me that they are a group of hypocrites who use youth as fuel and tools to achieve their personal interests. Once, I was arguing with my mom when she asked him to intervene, but he said I know he will leave them sooner or later, but I hope he will be sound and safe when he does. I didn’t expect so, but my father was right and I left them knowing they are just a group of religion traders who don’t care about Islam or the homeland. May God have mercy on my father. It seems that he knew about me more than I knew about myself

In my personal library, I found a nice book by the father: George Shehata Qanawati, entitled: "Christianity and Arab Civilization”. It is a medium-sized book but of great usefulness, in which its writer made an effort to clarify the role of Arab Christians and their cooperation with their Muslim brothers in building the edifice of Arab civilization and raising its status. The book shows that Arab civilization is the fruit of the effort of both Muslims and Christians, and it is the pride of all those who speak Arabic. Father George Qanawati divided his book into two parts: The first section: in which he studied the historical, social and cultural framework of Christianity in the Arab countries from its inception until the Abbasid era. The second section: a study of the Christian personalities who left their mark on the pages of Arab civilization, including poets, doctors, pharmacists, historians, philosophers, and translators. The book mentioned that the veteran poets such as: Amr Ibn Kulthum, Antara Ibn Shaddad, Al Nabigha Al Zebiani, Al Asha, Umru` Al Qais, Hatim Al Taie, Tarfa Ibn Al Abd were Christians. The book states that Sawiris ibn al-Muqaffa is one of the first Copts in Egypt who used the Arabic language in speaking and writing as a substitute for the Coptic language, and he was famous throughout Egypt as a public speaker and writer whose Arabic is excellent.

Deputy Governor of Minya, Dr. Muhammad Mahmoud Abu Zeid, launched the Speaking Hands initiative to train officials of public service departments on sign language and how to deal with people with special needs effectively. This way, Minya Governorate in Upper Egypt became the first governorate of the Republic to adopt this initiative. This announcement came in the presence of Dr. Iman Al-Sharif, consultant of training and entrepreneurship in the governorate, and a number of senior officials in Minya. The Deputy Governor of Minya stressed the importance of the idea to support the public service department to develop its service for the Egyptian citizens. I love the idea that aim to raise the efficiency of the administrative department and helps in integration of people with special needs hoping to be followed by all governorates in Egypt.

In my personal library, I found a nice book by the father: George Shehata Qanawati, entitled: "Christianity and Arab Civilization”. It is a medium-sized book but of great usefulness, in which its writer made an effort to clarify the role of Arab Christians and their cooperation with their Muslim brothers in building the edifice of Arab civilization and raising its status. The book shows that Arab civilization is the fruit of the effort of both Muslims and Christians, and it is the pride of all those who speak Arabic. Father George Qanawati divided his book into two parts: The first section: in which he studied the historical, social and cultural framework of Christianity in the Arab countries from its inception until the Abbasid era. The second section: a study of the Christian personalities who left their mark on the pages of Arab civilization, including poets, doctors, pharmacists, historians, philosophers, and translators. The book mentioned that the veteran poets such as: Amr Ibn Kulthum, Antara Ibn Shaddad, Al Nabigha Al Zebiani, Al Asha, Umru` Al Qais, Hatim Al Taie, Tarfa Ibn Al Abd were Christians. The book states that Sawiris ibn al-Muqaffa is one of the first Copts in Egypt who used the Arabic language in speaking and writing as a substitute for the Coptic language, and he was famous throughout Egypt as a public speaker and writer whose Arabic is excellent.