Coptic identity has been annoying the authorities in Egypt. Therefore, since the Islamic invasion to Egypt, it tried hard to completely eliminate the Coptic language, culture, history and religion if possible. On the other hand, the Copts resorted to a defensive mechanism for peaceful co-existence by using common names for their children and words that they can live in peace without being persecuted by the Muslim majority.
I found out that my love to my country, Egypt, is more of worship and my belonging to Egypt deserves to be a religion for all Egyptians As religions encourage people to be civilized and love all people. Yet, other religions divide people to believers and infidels. Egypt can only develop when it unite its people. Those who don’t believe in certain religion are deprived of their rights as believers or even humans. Yet, the Egyptian religion doesn’t differentiate between people based on richness, location, color, gender or even religion. People are allowed to choose their own religion freely, but without losing loyalty to his country.
"Good Morning neighbor, leave me alone" is one of the most provoking Egyptian idioms to me. I believe it has nothing to do with our very Egyptian culture that has never limited the relationship between neighbors to shaking one's head without even a smile! In the past, neighbors used to cook together. When one goes to shopping, the other took care of children. They lived together as one family. In crises, they used to share food together. The mothers used to serve a sick mother and her family until she recovers.
For the 1st time since 1979 when I left Egypt I write an article feeling really I am in a country, I do not know how to explain my decision to leave Egypt, at the time I felt really down and saw Egypt in its worst place since I was born – worst place comparing with fifties and sixties; but times sowed my way worst that that! I was brutally striped from my position in the academic staff of Cairo University, reason declared health problems, undeclared religious issues; but the problem was I would not be able to resume my higher studies, Master and Ph. D. If I was not a staff member due to lack of qualified academic personnel, so they were available to only staff members; the other reason of seeing future in Egypt so dark, sectarian violence that since Nasser –R.I.P.- died I start seeing it a lot! And the worst night mare was that new Wahabi imported tradition of veiled spreading so fast!
America wants Egypt to fail by any means. There were two actions America did which clarify my point exactly. The first is when the speaker of Foreign Affairs claimed that Egypt and the Emirates participated in strikes against Libya. The second is when Human Rights Watch intentionally put wrong information related to what happened in “Rab’a”.
On August 14, Rabaa Adawia sit-in was dispersed. This name reminds us of threatens, kidnap, kill, torture and terrorization. The yellow logo with four fingers hand became so popular around the world. However this place was named after Rabaa Adawia mosque in Nasr City, Cairo, we forgot about Rabaa Adawia, the Sufi ascetic monk who lived in Basra and introduced the idea of the Divine love in Islamic mysticism.
“Build churches in Egypt, or any Muslim country, is permissible unless it had bad effect on the national security” said Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, sheikh of Al-Azhar. I know that there are many other sheikhs who stand by such opinion. However, I tell them that building churches has nothing to do with you, as it belongs to Christians who don’t need you to permit them to build their houses of worship or prevent!This matter should be organized only by the law, as all Egyptians should have equal right of worship. The countries should be called by its religion no more. God gave freedom for all people to worship him. How much more should it be with states!
President Obama says that Daash in Iraq is a cancer that must be removed. This is apparently true, but why does he refuse them in Iraq, and welcome them in Syria? America has not hit them until they approached the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Yet, you left them to do whatever they want in Syria.
In the midst of many disputes in Egypt, a lot of Egyptians have forgotten about the most intense phase and the most dangerous stage experienced by our country with many conspiracies aiming to divide and destroy the Egyptian state and the Egyptian institutions. Such conspiracies have increased with the increasing sense of patriotism and belonging to Egypt that removed the Muslim Brotherhood from power.
For several hours, ex-minister of interior e.i police, secret service, national security in collaboration with the ministry of defence and secret services; I re-iterate that for several hours ex-minister of interior defended himself towards accusations he’s been in trail for 3 years so far, what attracted my attention was he spent this time telling secrets day by day of the events of January 25, 2011 revolution or what was named revolution. I’m not going to talk about this revolution or not, but the facts that are being slowly unfolded.
As I was saying last week, Sisi has the monumental task of building Egypt up without any solid ground, without any frame, without the knowledge of concrete. There is nobody to guide him in the right direction. On the contrary all he has are people opposing him, people causing destruction, nature causing strain. Any smart person who wants to build a house, or build a country, would realize that he doesn’t know the steps involved, and have to hire professionals. Of course, these professionals need to be sincere and honest, and not corrupt. That is a whole different story.
It is indisputable that Christians are indigenous citizens in Iraq. Their existence in this country is prehistorically and they embraced Christianity since its very beginning as well. This is verified with tons of historical monuments museums and documents in Iraq.They do not lack the efficiency in all areas: scientific, medical, literary, artistic, media, academic, and political. As for their role in Iraq's modern history is explicit. They participated in all progressive movements and shared the most injustices and oppression by the government as well as the terrorist organizations. Such oppression has reached the peak by the terrorist organization of Daash.
How may the people of Egypt, especially Christians, trust the President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, after he broke his promise to rebuild the burned and demolished churches by the Muslim Brotherhood after the dispersal of Rabaa Adawia and Nahda sit-ins, but fulfilled his promise restore Rabaa mosque.
Dr. Tawfik Okasha has chosen the wrong time to break the national unity in Egypt. He decided to join Dr. Abdul Rahim Ali in his incomprehensible campaign against the Coptic Christian businessman Naguib Sawiris. However, Sawiris had donated millions of Egyptian pounds to Okasha and his private television. Moreover, Okasha launched his campaign against all Christians in Egypt ignoring their important role in saving Egypt from many foreign plots during the revolution of June 30.
I have a friend who lives near Rabaa Adawia Square where the sit-in of the Muslim Brotherhood was held. His name is Eng. Hatem Fouda. He told me that the dispersal of Rabaa Adawia was violent indeed. He added that there were many other ways to disperse it peacefully like prevent other people and food from entering the sit-in. We could have cut off power and water..etc. This way we could have avoided many bad reports of human rights organizations that the Muslim Brotherhood has been trading on ever since. Also, we could have avoided many losses among the security forces as well. This is how my friend thinks.
Nobody can deny that Egypt has seen disaster after disaster since 2011. Yes, the environment under the Mubarak regime was oppressive, and people were stripped of their basic civil liberties. But even so, there was no societal instability. The Muslim Brotherhood was banished, the streets were safe, the economy was going. Ever since the 2011 revolution, Egypt has been lost, struggling to find it’s way back to peace. Just like any other tragedy that strikes, Egypt was left devastated without a leader, without a stable frame, and without direction. What was left for Egypt so? We were left with anger, aggression, religious fanatics, and violence.
Last week’s article had exactly same title added to it “The” that is it was The Trial of the Century; I focused on two things which were: 1. False Accusations of police brutality and killing people upon the 25th January demands. 2. My own testimony confirming what Habib El Adly said about the false accusations was true. As on Wednesday 16th August 2014 the hearings of that trial ended with a memorial last speech -probably- from former president Mubarak that ignited lots of reactions I deem it necessary to answer some questions or remarks about it. Mubarak’s accusations Former president Mubarak was on trial from over 3 years accused of Killing people of Egypt in riot, using his powers for illegal earnings and wasting national income selling Gas to Israel under priced! So far, in the Egyptian criminal law there is no crime called “Corrupting Political Life” or any similar wording accusation or crime to be tried for!
The Yazidi is a Kurdish-speaking ethnoreligious group who practice a syncretic religion that combines Shi'i and Sufi Islam with indigenous regional folk traditions. These traditions include elements shared with the Christian and Mandaean communities of the Near East, as well as with more ancient Gnostic, Marcionite, Zoroastrian and early Mesopotamian religions.
The existence of the ultra conservative al-Nour Party on the Egyptian political arena till now, in spite of the disband of the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, Freedom and Justice Party, refers to the continuation of the Saudi plans to humiliate Christian Egypt through many terrorist groups.
In the past few days, I experienced two different situations concerning relationship between America and Egypt. First, an Egyptian writer visited America asking the Coptic Diaspora in America and Europe to make some pressure on their governments to help the Egyptian economy. Later, another Egyptian writer wrote an article to complain about American insult to Egypt, describing it as impudent insult.
The Egyptian armed forces surprised the whole world by introducing the marvelous project to dig a new watercourse of the Suez Canal. The old one was opened in November 16, 1869 in a legendary celebration in the presence of the architect of French colonialism, Ferdinand Delesibs, and Khedive Ismail. Yet, the new heroes of the new project are the Egyptian armed forces and the brave and Egyptian leader President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Coptsunited
A video outlining the terrorist attacks of the Muslim Brotherhood against the Coptic Churches.