In the 16th century, Azhar students noticed that their colleagues from Yemen drink a strong smell dark beverage with a bitter taste. The Yamani students were used to do this before exams and prayers. Soon, coffee spread inside Al-Azhar, and most of the students drank it. As usual, sheikhs started to interfere in all aspects of our life. One of them called Ahmed Abdul-Haq al-Sunbati forbade drinking coffee in any form assuring that everything that works to influence the mind is haraam. His fatwa was supported by many sheikhs and were discussed even in religious speeches and led to the destruction of several coffee shops.

While Al-Gouna just started its second Festival with high attendance from actors and actress from around the world, we have praise the owner of this Idea and the sponsor Mr. Naguib Sawiris for adopting such event. Some people might be mad and say why he needs to spend his money in something not helpful for the people especially with the economic crisis face Egypt recently. I have to big differ with all of these voices, because Egypt needs to show its pretty through such events, especially after what happened in the last 7 years since the 25th revolution 2011. In fact, such event might increase tourism rate in Egypt in that difficult time that Egypt needs foreign currency more than any time in the Egyptian history. In conclusion I want to congratulate Mr. Sawiris and tell him that your name will be always bright for you did and you are still doing for Egypt.

As many people denounced the call of Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark See, to Copts in America to welcome president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and support him during his upcoming visit to the states, an Egyptian newspaper published a letter by the late Pope Shenouda III, in which he calls Copts in America to welcome present Hosni Mubarak in the states in 1985. such call could be considered a national call with a political touch. Therefore, many people may don t like such political role for the Coptic church. Yet, it should be understood in its context and its goal should be supporting Egypt abroad.

The Lord Jesus taught us that words that come out of the mouth either justify and save him or destroy man and lead him to hell. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12: 37). Fahter John Nassif, priest of the Church of Our Lady in Chicago, said in his article about speech that it reveals the inner goodness of man or his evil. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

In one of the educational centers in Qalioubia Governorate, the 24 old Engineer Amr Salah was teaching some young people under the age of 16 how to make a robot. The steps of making a home robot was a campaign launched by Amr who offered free courses to teach young people about making robots.

As we fight terrorism at all levels, we have to pay attention to all our life practices at home, street, school, university and the club, and more importantly in the mosque and the church. We have to denounce intimidation and encourage enticement and reasonable speech. We may notice that our religious discourse is full of intimidation and exaggeration through its speech and even the way of delivering sermons. They are full of violence and shouting, especially when it comes to the other life and God s punishment to the bad people. This kind of speech has now its masters who pioneers.

One of the UN organization announced few days ago that half millions of children will die from hunger and most of these children are in Africa. Unfortunately, none of the media paid attention to that news as it is something normal to read or to see around us nowadays.

She is a mother of two children, a boy and a girl, but her husband was unable to work and had to stay home for the rest of his life. Om Aya decided she has to work, but had no education or experience, and therefore, she had to work as a cleaner in a school. However, the colleagues of her daughter decided to bully her and mock her mother for being an illiterate cleaner. Her daughter couldn t study and failed this year at school. The mother decided to put an end to such miserable situation and when to a school to learn how to read and write and then continued her education till she applied to nursery academy.

The first feast in the Coptic Calendar is the feast of Nayrouz, and martyrs and confessors are commemorated within the Coptic Orthodox Church on that day. This calendar started as the tyrant Diocletian reigned and started persecution of Christians killing thousands of Coptic martyrs. Nayrouz is a Persian word means the new day. Rituals of the Coptic church celebrate this day and remind its people to live for the Lord in each year and throughout our lives. It has a philosophy to make our Lord, God and Savior Jesus the axis of time. This is the goal and the meaning of it. Therefore, Coptic history and calendar depend on God s saving covenant and the work of His grace.

I used to look at any terrorist attack against Copts in Egypt as a failure of police and think that raising our children on a culture that disrespect differences in faith or color should cause such hatred. I always thought that there is a relation between the government and police from one party and with the Salafis and supporters from the other. Such relation that allowed the Copts and their houses and churches to be manipulated, attacked and looted in the midst of a deliberate security absence despite the change of leadership on regular basis. This has changed when a policeman entered into the church cursing and calling Christians infidels and could have killed few of them if he had a gun in his pocket. This reminded me of the policeman who killed five Christians in the train of Samalout days before the revolution of January 25. They said he had mental disorder, but the disorder has always been in the mentality of police.

Lately you can t read the news without read every day about someone commit a suicide for a different reason. Psychologists describe people commit suicide as needed help and he didn t get help in the right time and he didn t get this help from people around or the family beside him. As mentioned previously that committing a suicide could be for a different reason but I will discuss this time one of the main reason as of why do Egyptian committing suicide?

The Holy Sacraments of our beloved church are a gift from God to his children, through which he pours a flood of unseen blessings, which make them reach they destination without losing the way. Abba Moussa, Bishop of Youth, in his article The unity of the Holy Sacraments assured us that the sacraments are divine grants by which we receive many unseen graces. They are seven Sacraments: namely: Baptism, Holy Chrism, Holy Eucharist, Confession, Sanction of the sick, Matrimony, and Priesthood.

On September 9, 1981, President Sadat launched a war against Pope Shenouda and the Copts as he was calling himself a Muslim president of a Muslim country. He accused the late Pope Shenouda III of planning to separate from Egypt and establishing a Christina state in Assiut. Soon, he returned the Pope to his monastery and allowed the terrorists to attack the Copts everywhere promising that a threat of a civil war was at hand. We, the Copts, had fears about the reaction of our Muslim colleagues and neighbor. We were surprised to hear them condemning Sadat for his sectarian speech that was full of hatred, especially against Pope Shenouda III who was admired by all Egyptians.

As some new instructions are being issued by some bishops concerning dress code in churches and encouraging them to wear decent clothes, I would like to present this story in a short way, which was published in the photographer s magazine on August 26, 1927. The magazine reads: "A delegation of Italian women met with His Holiness Pope of the Vatican asking for his blessing and support in their fight against indecent fashion considering it corrupted taste.

Copts at Kasr Haidar village in Assiut had to hold a funeral of a deceased man in the streets in front of the church o St. Moses after the fanatics have forced them to shut down the church. I find such closure of the church in violation of the law is both shameful and disgraceful especially as the church was opened to prayer several years ago and before the draft of current law of houses of worship was passed in the parliament. Thus, the church can t be closed while it is waiting for legalization decision. Under the absence of law enforcement, Copts suffering is increasing and holding their prayers in several churches is getting harder. Their right to pray for God is being taken away by those who should be punished. I demand the reopening of the church immediately and empowering the Copts to pray freely and the person who issued a decision to close the church should be punished with the fanatics who attacked the church.

Lately the mister of education announced a new plan and strategy to amend the education system and no one dent that this is very important step. Having said that, I have some remarks should be mentioned here, one of them amending the education system with having half of Egyptian children out school is something will not help the country in achieving its goals. All Egyptian has to be in school by law like many other countries at least until high school. I believe enrolling all Egyptian children is the main and first step to raise the awareness among the community. In conclusion, I want to assure that what minister of education did is very good step but should be one step among other steps.

Many difficulties and obstacles hinder the way of the Christian man during his spiritual journey, but the Lord promised that those difficulties and tribulations would turn into glories. Bishop Bishoy of Kafr El-Sheikh and Damietta said in his article Why are you sad, my soul, why are you upsetting me? told us about the eternal joy promised by God. The Lord Jesus said to his disciples, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9: 23). This means that the Lord promised his disciples that their joy will surpass their sorrows all sadness because of their faith and following his commandments.

One year ago, the Law for the Building and Restoration of Churches went into effect and stipulated that non-licensed churches would be legalized provided they submit the required documents to a dedicated committee. Each single case had to complete its application. This means that all 3730 applications submitted to the committee had to fully meet the requirements otherwise they would have not been accepted and listed by the committee. Therefore, I was thinking that the committee will finish its work on a good rate, but the truth is I was disappointed by the slow rate. In 11 full months, the committee issued approvals to legalize 220 out of the 3730 churches and service buildings, which means that 3510 applications are still waiting in line.