The parliamentary elections due to take place this year represent a crucial juncture in the future of political life in Egypt. The previous round of elections (2005) confirmed the division of the political landscape

Went to a big Washington dinner last week. You know the kind: Large hall; black ties; long dresses. But this was no ordinary dinner. There were 40 guests of honor. So here’s my Sunday news quiz: I’ll give you the names of most of the honorees, and you tell me what dinner I was at. Ready?

I have made it a rule never to get dragged into futile arguments or wars of words. But I hope it is obvious that the right-of-reply rule stipulated by the journalist code of honour includes the right of comment by the editor.

Today I go back to tackling the Shubral-Kheima conference on citizenship rights, which I began last Sunday by commenting on the viewpoints voiced by Qalyubiya governor Adly Hussein regarding Coptic

It's only a small grave, a rectangle of cheap concrete marking it out. Inside are the bones of up to 300 children, Armenian orphans of the great 1915 genocide who died of cholera and starvation as the

The short answer to that question, when I have asked various acquaintances of what I would call a "mildly liberal," or middle-of-the-road disposition, is: "Yes, but ..."

Last February the bishopric of Shubral-Kheima, Qalyubiya, held a conference to discuss citizenship rights. The conference, which was sponsored by the bishop of Shubral-Kheima Anba Morqos, hosted

This undated image, obtained courtesy of Fox News, shows a photo from a website that authorities say was maintained by terror suspect Colleen R. LaRose, also known as 'Jihad Jane' and 'Fatima Rose.'

The Coptic Christians of Egypt have experienced a tumultuous relationship with the country’s religious majority since the Arab conquest of 641 C.E. Currently, the Coptic minority comprises around 12

The last two months have seen significant action on the Egyptian scene. Following the Nag Hammadi Christmas Eve crime which left six Copts and one Muslim dead, what may be described as healthy

Christian minorities in the Middle East have roots deep in the region; their works bear witness to the ancient civilization. Suffered from the tidal wave of persecution and torture, the holding firm of the time

It is no overstatement to say that this month has been quite eventful. Given that a few of these events go contrary to all reason and to normal states of affairs, however, they definitely qualify as bombshells. Three incidents in specific warrant comment.

Refused ... anger ... sadness... negative feelings to run inside me since the night of the Christmas eve on January 6, inside the church where I celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with others amid a climate of spiritual comfort of the same, but I have a sudden contact to assure me that a number of Christian

Refused ... anger ... sadness... negative feelings to run inside me since the night of the Christmas eve on January 6, inside the church where I celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with others amid a climate of spiritual comfort of the same

It is now almost a month since Ahmed Zaky Badr became minister of education. I pray that he would muster the required wisdom and courage to confront the severely flawed climate which dominates the

What did the world see as Iran celebrated the 31st anniversary of its Islamic revolution? A hollowed-out regime that is better at repressing its own people than at governing, and that after three decades of fervent belief has reached a cynical middle age.

Many Christians in the west, Catholic and Protestant, are familiar with the penitential season preceding Easter that is known as Lent. But the observance of this season is unusually elaborate among the Orthodox Christians of the east, and unfamiliar to most outsiders.

More than one month has passed since the Nag Hammadi crime. The culprits are being tried in court. The numerous studies, analyses, and expert opinions published on the crime have been unanimous in

Grand larceny is alive and well at my multi-starred hotel. “Your taxi will cost $150 — the journey is 45 minutes.” The concierge raises his hands to the sky as if the price has been determined by a higher

From a distance the domed roofs and towers look like any other mosque in Cairo, a city where the architecture of Islam dominates the low skyline. But up close the minaret turns out to be a bell tower;

In his recent meeting with the delegation of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Minister of Religious Endowments Hamdi Zaqzouq said that the bill for a unified law for building places