CAIRO: Blatant discrepancies between appearance and reality are the stuff of tragedy. And what happened at the Egyptian People’s Assembly last week is nothing short of tragic.

The renowned Coptic Christian priest Father Zakaria Botros was scheduled to speak in Vienna tonight, but the atmosphere created by Muslim threats was such the event had to cancelled.

I am not about to tackle court rulings or to criticise them. The judicial authority warrants all due respect and reverence; and there are legal, well established routes to follow if one is to question or contest a ruling. I am just about to comment on a few rulings which appear revolutionary in concept but, even

Maybe the Catholic Church should be turned upside down. Jesus wasn’t known for pontificating from palaces, covering up scandals, or issuing Paleolithic edicts on social issues. Does anyone think he would have protected clergymen who raped children?

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights’ recently-issued study on “Sectarian violence throughout two years” has been the subject of a thorough review which I presented to Watani readers in the last two editorials. I reviewed the various patterns of sectarian violence cited in the study, as well as the typical

Until he reached the White House, Barack Obama repeatedly insisted that the United States apply more pressure on Sudan so as to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur and elsewhere.
Yet, as president, Mr. Obama and his aides have caved, leaving Sudan gloating at American weakness.

A capacity crowd of 860 students, professionals, hijab-clad women, and others filled Cooper Union's Great Hall on April 8 to hear Tariq Ramadan deliver his first public address in the U.S. since the Bush administration revoked his visa in 2004. Earlier this year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton personally intervened to allow Ramadan to enter the country.

As volcanoes go, the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull on April 13, won't make the science books. Though scientists haven't yet been able to gather enough information on the eruption to give it a score on the Volcanic Explosivity Index — which ranks volcanic events on a 1-to-8 scale — it's unlikely to score

Article 18 of the international Declaration of Human Rights states that "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom to express his belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance, whether in secret or with the Community"

“Sectarian violence throughout two years” is the title of an eminently significant and serious study published this month by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR). The EIPR is an Egyptian NGO that monitors the situation of freedoms—especially religious freedoms—in Egypt, and issues quarterly

Last Thursday evening, April 8th, the vaunted hero of the American Left and the denizens of the “politically correct” intellectual enclaves made

Muslim doctors and nurses are to be allowed for religious reasons to opt out of strict NHS dress codes introduced to prevent the spread of deadly hospital superbugs.

In the space of a single week one fortnight ago, the Shubra Misdemeanours Court of Appeals issued two successive rulings acquitting two priests of the charge of carrying out unlicensed

Today we rejoice as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who by His death trampled down death, and bestowed eternal life upon those in the tomb. At the beginning of this year, the Church offered a group of righteous martyrs in Nag Hammadi. We pray

Today is Easter Sunday. Today we honour the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and His triumph over death. Humankind has been forever liberated from subjugation to death and a new covenant of Grace has

On this glorious day, as we commemorate the blessed Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, I would like to extend my hearty wishes to all, praying to the Risen Lord to grant us His Resurrection and make it real in our life.

The Copts, Egypt's indigenous Christians, like many other Eastern Orthodox Christians, celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, according to the Julian calendar. The midnight mass and Christmas day are joyous celebrations for Egypt's Christians, as they are for Christians around the world.

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