After a long and fierce debate about the eligibility of Sheik Hazem Abu Ismail to run for the presidency, the competent committee decided finally to delete his name from the records of candidates after making sure his mother has gotten the U.S. citizenship. The decision of the Committee is not a subject to appeal and thus “it’s over”.

Late last week Egyptian Copts in Cairo booked private airline flights to Jerusalem to celebrate Easter holy week. Soon after, the joy they anticipated turned to anger when they faced rejection by a Coptic priest at the door of Jerusalem’s Saint Helena Chapel on Coptic Palm Sunday. This unlikely denial is understood only by comprehending the unlikelihood of the trip, for it was the first of its kind (a direct flight from Cairo airport to Ben Gurion airport) since the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979 signed by Sadat. Unfortunately, for Egyptian Copts, the intervention of an edict issued by their Pope Shenouda III in the same year known as, “the law that forbids Copts to travel to Jerusalem,” superseded the peace treaty.

Habiba is a young Egyptian actress who, like many actresses, was admired by and got married to a rich businessman from Qatar. Few years later, this rich man was killed and she was accused of murdering him. All evidence were against her. So, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and she has already served half of them.

You might wonder what would people pay for to watch and why? Actually I could not get a grip on why a movie that does not talk about reality would be making all this money. Here is the list of the movies that made over a billion dollars in revenues worldwide. Rank Title Worldwide gross Year Ref

* Meetings between US leaders (like: Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, John McCain, Jimmy Carter, etc) and Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) leaders were held. Furthermore, David Pierce, a member of the U.S. Congress, has reassured Israel after a meeting with Khairat al-Shater, the presidential candidate of FJP. Now the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) at the White House, the State Department and the International Monetary Fund are promoting for al-Shater as the next President.

Nominating General Omar Suleiman for the presidency had a huge feedback, some people have deprecated and others have welcomed. The Islamic movement rejected it as the nomination of the general will destroy their plans to control Egypt. New parties and movements have agreed with the Islamic movements as they think that if Omar wins, it would be an end for the revolution and a new start for the former regime.

As there are many debates about the struggle over the presidential elections and the formation of the Constitutional committee, I don’t watch a lot of talk shows as they repeat the same talk. I do not know if it was my bad luck that led me to this talk show whose host was talking about Copts visiting Jerusalem to celebrate the Holy week and Easter there.

Egypt revolution for freedom dignity food and pride is in a every bad corner.. I'll start this article with my status I posted on Facebook recently... "Circus replace dictator of Egypt" After the former dictator fell in Egypt, the situation down there very difficult to understand and get an overview. It looks like a circus with one surprise after another. Who controls the circus and who is behind the scenes is not easy to guess. Islamists, the military, Saudi and the rich Arabs or perhaps America? ...... I ask only ..

Last Friday of the Great Lent is the last day of the biggest fast in the Coptic Orthodox church. Prayers of this day concentrates on the visit of God for humans in Jesus Christ promising the salvation of mankind; judging the righteous and the evil according to the deeds of every one.

In fewer words: Nominating Khairat al-Shater for the presidency of Egypt is equal or even worse than nominating Al-Zawahiri, criminal of al-Qaeda who is a fugitive in Pakistan. It is also worse than nominating Osama bin Laden to be the king of Saudi Arabia. Only al-Qaeda terrorists and supporters would have accepted it.

HH Pope Shenouda 3rd has not died. He has merely lied down. He has lied down in the hope of the resurrection. He closed his eyes for the last time and his soul took off to heaven on the happiest and most beautiful journey he has ever taken after the many recent journeys for medical treatment and after the patriarchal visits he has made to the diaspora. HH Pope Shenouda 3rd

A lot of people use the term “State of MB General Guide” in their writings and conversations, either to make jokes about the religious state that Islamists dream of, or to warn people about that state. Others use this expression to indicate the principle of blind obedience, which every member of Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is adhered to.

We, Orthodox Christians and many other denominations, have a strong belief that the church is leaded and sponsored by the Lord himself. As it is the body of Him, and the Patriarch is the head of priesthood service not the head of priesthood.

Resuming my weekly articles about Copts = Egyptians As we are in the process of building our new constitution and as a fact I say: I like to point out a simple fact that is Egyptians are not just Christians or Muslims there are : Jews Christians – Orthodox Christians – Catholics Christians – Protestants or Evangelic and many more Muslims – Souna Muslims –Shia Muslims – and many more Muslims Bahai that Muslims in general do not acknowledge as Muslims Atheists and who used to be classified as communists in the Nasser era Any other one who is Egyptian but not any of the above categories or classes and can not be counted within them.

It was written in "History of the Wahhabis" by the Ottoman naval commander Ayoub Sabri: Saud bin Abdul Aziz sent his conditions to the people of Medina upon surrounding their city in the early eighteenth century, saying: Article I: worshipping God should be according to the provisions and beliefs of the Wahhabi religion. Article IV: Wahhabi religion and its provisions should be embraced instead of the religion of your forefathers which should be abandoned.

I understand very well why some people are thinking about the division of Egypt, though I don’t agree with them. After many terroristic attacks on Copts which have increased alarmingly during the previous decades, Many Copts have lost their hope in coexistence with Muslims in Egypt. They now believe that the only solution is separation. But, is it really the solution for the Coptic problem in Egypt?

I do have to interrupt my series of Proudly I am A Copt; as an unexpected event took place last week Pope Shenouda III died; He fought illness more than once, in the States and Germany and last time I saw his weekly teaching was so week and he had to interrupt his broadcast… I felt it was serious and very strong feelings I see him for the last time. Actually it was he apologized from the next session and before the following become due he was not with us any more!

Saturday, March 17th, at 5.00 PM, the Pope Shenouda III died. A great march of love for his great personality and his national role has started: massive crowds heading at St. Mark cathedral in Abbasia to pay the last respect for him, as well as the media talking about him for hours, mourning for his death and meditating his life.

We waited long for “the train” of the People's Assembly and Shura Council to take us forward where prosperity is achieved, the law is respected, freedom of speech, non-discrimination, economic progress and equality of women and men. We waited for it to take us forward, but we found it stops for little paper work, and an MP forgot where he is and stood up calling for prayers! After that, the train has moved quickly... backwards! What is happening and where are we going?

Pope Shenouda III has departed and his soul has rested in heaven. Egypt is mourning for her great son. A widow grieving for her wise man, the Church turned out to be. Orphans have become the Copts, for their father and leader has departed. For forty years and during a very hard time of the recent history, he was the patriarch, but he bound up the bruises and comforted his children, making his church flourish all over the world; neither to glorify himself nor to make himself famous, but as he said, to obey God’s will and make His name always glorified by his children all over the world; east and west. He was a great teacher with great knowledge who taught many all over the world. He was responsible with vivid consciousness that no ruler could break his spirit, or sickness was to put him to bed, or to prevent him from sacrificing himself wisely with patience to strengthen the faith and spread courage and confidence. He was always looking for the everlasting kingdom within his people doing and saying.

Now having understood what the word Copt means we can understand that Copts United means Egyptians United does not by any mean means Christian Egyptians so the call it to unify the power of Egyptians regardless of religion or colours only ETHNIC EGYPTIANS which are called Copts. And if you recall on January 25 they were UNITED and forced a 30 years old Tiran out of his sit! Unity means force, do you recall the famous story of that old father of 3 sons who was about to die and gave his last lesson to his sons giving a peace of wood asking his younger son to break it that he easily did he then then he gave him 2 pieces and three until being the youngest and weakest could not break it so he asked him on his failure to pass it on to the elder son and kept adding pieces until the second and stronger than the youngest son could not break it so he finally asked him to pass on this pack of woods to his elder and strongest son and he almost succeeded to break it but soon he too was unable to break the pack as it got thicker and thicker then the father gave him sons his last lesson …. When you are not united you are like these broken woods easily broken up, you and you brothers are a family you need to be united like this pack of wood very hard to be broken in the unity there is always extreme force!!