Samia Sidhom - Material on Dr Engr Rassem Bedwani contributed by Ahmes Labib Pahor
On 6 October 1973, Egyptians crossed the Suez Canal into Israeli-occupied Sinai, bringing victory to Egypt and ultimately regaining the Peninsula
Tuesday 6 October marks Victory Day for Egypt. It is the date in 1973 when Egyptian armed forces, covered by Egyptian air strikes, crossed the Suez Canal from its west bank on the Egyptian mainland to its east bank on the Sinai Peninsula which Egypt had lost to Israel during the June 1967 Six Day War. Since that time, Egyptian land of Sinai was under Israeli occupation, off-limits to Egyptians. The two armies of Egypt and Israel flanked the banks of the Suez Canal, each camping on one side, taunting one another and facing off in sporadic fire which came to be known as the War of Attrition, apparently endless but which never claimed a winner or loser. Apart from the loss of Sinai to the Israelis, the humiliating defeat left Egyptians with a collective bitter sense of indignity and inferiority to their enemy of some 20 years.
All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief
Women and Girls: Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief
Ideologically motivated sexual grooming
In an event for the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief organised by The Coalition for Genocide Response (view the event in full)
Dr Mariz Tadros, Director of CREID and Professor of Politics and Development at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, highlighted the need to recognise how ideologically motivated sexual grooming targets women from religious minorities in order for effective action to be taken.
Dr Tadros argued that there is an urgent need to:
Recognise officially ideologically motivated sexual grooming as a form of sexual predatory behaviour that targets many women who belong to religious minorities
Create an accountable police force that secures the return of girls who have disappeared without delay
Ensure that families and the girl who has disappeared are afforded a safe and neutral place to meet, while ensuring full protection from any harassment or mortal fear
The struggle of Arab secularists within their environments is a complex one with centuries of theocracy and tyranny. Over the last century and a half, Arab secularists have both progressed and been delayed repeatedly because of their bitter struggle with several forces. Among these forces are ignorance, illiteracy, tyranny, the power of religious institutions, and finally the Islamic tide that has hit the region since the failures of both the liberal project followed by the Arab national project. I am not pessimistic about the future of secularists in Egypt and the Arab societies though I realize the magnitude, dimensions and gravity of the battle between these two parties: the proponents of science, civil society and the values of modernity versus the proponents of tyranny and theocracy.
Egypt that I love is a combination of two histories : an old one (Ancient Egypt) and a newer one (Mohamed Aly : 1805-1952).
While the older one, is the spine of our glory, the second is the core of our Nostalgia. The two Egypts, in reality and as historic memories, have been significantly eroded over the past five decades since the late President Anwar el Sadat declared that he is a Muslim President of a Muslim Country.
The first time I met Anba Demetrious, brother of Fr Pigol, was when I accompanied my father Dr Pahor Labib on a visit to St Mar-Mina Monastery in Dairout. My father and the then Fr Archiledis spoke all the time exclusively in fluent Coptic. I also met Tassoni Angele during a visit to Abu Seifein Convent in Old Cairo to take the blessings of Mother Erine. So, I was looking forward to meet their brother, Fr Bigol.
(This was forwarded to me by a dear brother and I thought it well worth sending on as is. I did not verify its accuracy but have no reason to dought the accuracy)
The past few years {25 - 30} I always felt the news was spoon-fed to the masses, to see what and how much they would swallow.
It all becomes a little clearer now.
*YES, the Governor of Michigan used to work for George Soros
* YES, CALIF GOV. GAVIN NEWSOME IS NANCY PELOSI'S NEPHEW.
Missing Coptic women: a new, old, recurrent, perennial headache
By Hal Meawad
Lately, there have been talks, news, and rumors about this old/new/perennial subject of disappeared/kidnapped/runaway Christian girls in Egypt. Usually, they reappear after a while as newlywed and converts to Islam.
Some of these girls did what they did with their own free will, while others coerced, deceived, or even kidnapped, by the likes of organized criminals, and forced very likely with some help from some corrupt law enforcement officials.
The struggle of Arab secularists within their environments is a complex one with centuries of theocracy and tyranny. Over the last century and a half, Arab secularists have both progressed and been delayed repeatedly because of their bitter struggle with several forces. Among these forces are ignorance, illiteracy, tyranny, the power of religious institutions, and finally the Islamic tide that has hit the region since the failures of both the liberal project followed by the Arab national project.
EGY 010 / 1119 / OBS 100 Arbitrary detention / Torture / Judicial harassment Egypt November 29, 2019
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Egypt.
Description of the situation:
The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the arbitrary detention and judicial harassment of Mr. Ramy Kamel, a defender of religious minorities’ rights. He is a member of the Maspero Youth Union (MYU) [1], a Coptic human rights organisation.
In recent years, the Egyptian regime has promoted a new “vision” of Islam, both locally and internationally, to combat terrorism and religious extremism. President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi not only called for the renewal of “religious discourse” to fight terrorism at the beginning of his presidency, but he also has on numerous occasions highlighted the need for correcting the image of Islam by shaking the “dust” off the Islamic heritage in line with the modern age.
“Why does God let these people kill innocent people?” 11 years old Mariam.
Christian Children Face the Dark Realities of Persecution
By Claire Evans
11/19/2018 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) –
“Why does God let these people kill innocent people?” Mariam is only 11 years old, but her question was long expected by her parents.
Her family belongs to Egypt’s Coptic Christian community. Like other Egyptian Christians, they live in a perpetual state of forced marginalization and targeted violence. In Upper Egypt, the violence is especially potent. Attacks against Christians are, sadly, a normal part of life.
September 26, 2018 (Morning Star News) – Nearly a year after declaring that attacks on Christians had hit a level not seen in decades, a Coptic Orthodox bishop in Egypt continues to lament a stream of incidents of violence against churches in Upper Egypt.
Coptic Orthodox Bishop-General of Minya Anba Makarios this month confirmed that an Islamist assault on four Christians’ homes after mosque prayers on Aug. 31 left two Copts with knife wounds in the head and face.
Coptic Christian battles prejudice in Egyptian football
Bassem Aboualabass
Agence France-Presse
Alexandria, Egypt | Mon, May 21, 2018| 06:15 pm
Youth members of (AFP/Mohamed El-Shahed)
Mina Bendary dreamed of becoming a professional footballer in Egypt, but found his Coptic Christian name was an insurmountable barrier in the Muslim-majority country.
What Had Never Been Said In Saudi Arabia. A First For Tauran
By Sandro Magister
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, has been in the capital of Saudi Arabia since April 13, and will stay there until April 20, thereby repaying the visit made to the Vatican on September 20, 2017, by the secretary general of the Muslim World League, the sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa.
Welcomed by Prince Muhammad bin Abdurrahman bin Abdulaziz, vice-governor of Riyadh, Cardinal Tauran gave at the headquarters of the Muslim League, during his meeting with the sheikh Al-Issa, an address without precedent in the history of relations between Christianity and Islam, not because of the things that were said but because of the place where they were pronounced.
The U.S. military remains mired in countless wars in the Greater Middle East. Ironically – and tragically – it tends to combat Islamists that Washington either armed or birthed.
We, Americans, truly are a strange lot. Our government in Washington – ostensibly representative of "We the People" – speaks of peace, but wages endless war, prattles on about "freedom," but backs absolute monarchs and authoritarian strongmen the world over. A bipartisan array of politicians warns of the evils of radical Islamic (though Islamist is more accurate) terrorism; and yet, truthfully, the US once supported and/or funded those same extremists not too long ago. In some cases, and certain circumstances, it backs them still; until, that is, all those guns are turned on the US military, or those fighters threaten Washington’s (ever shifting) "interests."
I’m very much aware that what I’m going to argue here is not the way many from Middle Eastern origins regard the United States. The mere mention of “America” upsets some so much, pushing them over the edge. To many, hatred for America has becomea faith-like passion, very hard to change. Hence, my purpose here is not to change these people’s mind, nor am I trying to defend America, as it certainly does not need my defense! But for me this is a matter of principle and conviction, and it is my way of paying back some of the debt I personally owe to this great country. This is particularly true because I probably know more about America than many who criticize it claim they do. I have lived and worked in America for almost half a century, and I was fortunate enough to experience much of what life is really like here in America.
Mass inside the Arch Angel Michael Cathedral Asyut, EgyptRFI/ Pedro Costa Gomes
As Egypt's elections kick off on Monday 26 March for the next three days, Rfi goes to the southern city of Asyut, which has one of the largest Coptic populations in the country, to see if efforts by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have been effective in ensuring the safety of the Copts after recent terrorist attacks. Photos by Pedro Costas Gomes.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is still one of key points of discrepancies in the Balkans. Unfortunately, BiH cannot be called a full-fledged and sustainable state due to peculiarities of its political order, permanent political and economic crisis and complicated ethnic and confessional composition.
The first mass held in the Church of the Martyrs of Faith and Homeland on 15th February, 2018. PICTURES: World Watch Monitor.
It is a special day for the Coptic community of Minya province, Upper Egypt, as a new church was inaugurated this morning in Al-Our village in remembrance of 20 Egyptian Copts and one Ghanaian Christian beheaded by the so-called Islamic State on the Libyan coast three years ago on Thursday.
Christians Warn Against al-Azhar Influence in Egypt’s Curriculum
By Claire Evans
01/25/2018 WashingtonD.C. (International Christian Concern) - During the last year, Egypt’s Christians experienced persecution in ever increasing waves. Though ISIS accounted for the vast majority of deaths, the militants are responsible for only a fraction of the various kinds of persecution facing the country’s Christians. Each incident of persecution has elements of uniqueness, but they usually stem from the same basic belief that Christians are not welcome in Egypt.
"Let us look... at the parallel legal system that is gradually creeping into the EU....The emergence of these enclaves, reinforced by elite policies of multiculturalism, group identity politics, and the deconstruction of Western heritage, has contributed to the fracturing of Western European nations and has weakened the overall sense of mutual responsibility for one's fellow citizens." — Andrew Michta, The American Interest, June 6, 2017
The roots of the radical Muslim behavior that is now sweeping Europe can be traced to elements of Islamic law and doctrine created in the 7th century that are being maintained today. These include polygamy for men; allowing men to buy and sell women as sex slaves or concubines; divorce rights [for men that] discriminate against women; insistence on a dress code for women that includes hiding their faces; and discriminatory inheritance laws.
These are the types of laws that Muslim communities in Europe are pushing for and adhering to, and they are based on inequality of gender, religion, ethnicity and social status. In sharia law, there is no freedom of religion, speech, thought, artistic expression or the press...There is no united protection for all people. Justice is different for Muslims and non-Muslims, for men and women... There is no democracy... Jews and Christians are dhimmi, third-class citizens...
A dangerous message is being sent to the Muslim world by the West: There is nothing that moderate Muslims or anyone else should fear from radical Islamic terrorism! Look at us Western governments! We are bringing in refugees who cannot be vetted even if they are ISIS infiltrators. In fact, we in the West are so goodhearted that we are encouraging many organizations to operate legally in the West under the banner of the Muslim Brotherhood -- even organizations that are sympathetic to the terrorist group Hamas and that are pledging to overthrow us!
The West, by taking all the Syrian refugees, is emptying Syria of any kind of resistance to the Caliphate (ISIS). The West's compassion, by taking in the refugees escaping ISIS, will end up leaving only the radicals to rule unopposed in Syria and Iraq. This, in US foreign policy, is not compassion; it is gross negligence and reckless endangerment.
"Tough love" is badly needed when dealing with the Muslim world. We must say: No, we cannot accept your jihadist aspirations. We cannot accept you forcing your way of life on the world; your way of life is unacceptable to us. Before you send your refugees, you must end your "us against them" jihadist culture. The civilized world no longer finds your aspirations for an Islamic Caliphate tolerable.
WITH STREET protests raging in Iran and North Korea’s dictator appearing to offer a rare olive branch, President Trump chose to dedicate his first tweet of 2018 to . . . Pakistan. “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the past 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit,” he virtually bellowed. “They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” Not surprisingly, the outburst caught Pakistan’s elected government by surprise; emergency cabinet meetings and angry rebuttals from senior Pakistani officials soon followed.
The Sunni Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) has boasted that key U.S. Middle East ally Saudi Arabia is the top provider of terrorists for the jihadist group in Iraq, reports Fox News, citing Iraqi military sources.
Sunni Saudi Arabia shares an estimated 500-mile-long border with war-ravaged Iraq.
Nevertheless, Fox News reports that the Saudi jihadists crossed into Iraq over the border the country shares with both Turkey and Syria.
The news outlet learned from unnamed Iraqi intelligence sources that jihadist from the Saudi kingdom comprise nearly one-third (up to 30 percent) of all ISIS terrorists in Iraq, adding that “Saudis comprise the largest single contingent of ISIS fighters, with Russian Chechens making up the second-largest contingent.”
From countering Iran and its proxies to working directly with Israel, Egyptian survey respondents seem remarkably willing to follow Washington's lead on multiple regional issues.
As President Trump rolls out his plan for confronting Iran, a credible new poll in Egypt reveals that this posture enjoys a remarkable degree of public support in the most populous Arab country. A mere 1% of Egyptians rate Iran's regional policies favorably, and in the ongoing intra-Arab dispute with Qatar, two-thirds agree that "the most important issue" is "to find the maximum degree of Arab cooperation against Iran."
Is it safe to go to Egypt? The short answer is “yes”. If you have glanced at your country’s travel warning for Egypt, go back and read it carefully – there are no travel warnings in place for Cairo, Alexandria, Red Sea, Luxor, Aswan or Nile Cruises – in fact those areas have a green light.
Egypt is as safe as anywhere else in the world, and safer that many western countries.
Like anywhere you go in the world, be it a metropolis, a small town or even the quiet countryside, you use common sense. You should do in Egypt what you would do at home. What NOT to do:
On Monday, Americans observed a solemn remembrance of the lives lost in the horrific terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Tom McInerney says victory will be tough to achieve unless the U.S. gets serious about specifically identifying the enemy as radical Islam and getting Muslim leaders to publicly condemn the perpetrators.
A copy of One Hundred Questions in Islam by Dr. Muhammad al-Ghazali, found in the Ottawa Public Library. The image at right shows the inside cover of the book, with the Ottawa Public Library Stamp.
How is it possible that books that advocate violence and extremism meet the "selection criteria" of the Ottawa Public Library, but those that speak out against violence and extremism do not?
The presence of these Islamic books, and these books alone, in Canada's public libraries, without any others to contradict them, gives them legitimacy. They are seen to represent a certain form of Islam that the government of Canada and the City of Ottawa recognize.
This indicates that there is official support for the extremist and terrorist version of Islam, and at the same time no support for a humanist interpretation of Islam.
This surah [4:74] also indicates that if you are a Muslim living in a non-Muslim country, then you are in a state of war against your host country. If you are a Muslim living in a non-Muslim country, then you are living with the enemy.
If we are to reject this danger, it is important that libraries and other institutions have books that reject these Islamist views and confront their hatred, extremism and violence.
The Coptic Egyptian Church celebrates the Coptic New Year (Anno Martyrus), or year of the martyrs on 11th of September. The Coptic calendar is the ancient Egyptian one of twelve 30-day months plus a "small" five-day month—six-day in a leap year.
The months retain their ancient Egyptian names which denote the gods and godesses of the Egyptians, and the year’s three seasons, the inundation, cultivation, and harvest, are related to the Nile and the annual agricultural cycle. But the Copts chose the year 284AD to mark the beginning of the calendar, since this year saw the seating of Diocletian as Rome’s emperor and the consequent martyrdom of thousands upon thousands of Egypt’s Christians.
A few weeks ago hard-Left “journalist” Zack Beauchamp published a long, windy piece in Vox bemoaning the influence of counter-jihadists upon President Trump. (Be afraid, Zack. Be very afraid.) The centerpiece of his argument is that the captured internal document of the Muslim Brotherhood laying out its strategy in the U.S., and its goal of “eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within, and sabotaging its miserable house,” is just one man’s fantasy, and has never been the actual program of the Brotherhood itself. Here is the salient portion of his article, which was accompanied by this wonderful illustration of Brigitte Gabriel, Frank Gaffney and me looming menacingly over President Trump and his team:
“Trump’s counter-jihad: How the anti-Muslim fringe conquered the White House,” by Zack Beauchamp,Vox, February 13, 2017:
…The foremost theorist of civilization jihad is a writer named Robert Spencer. “He’s author of so many books, and one of the top two or three experts in the world on this great war we’re fighting against fundamental Islam,” Bannon said, when hosting Spencer onBreitbart Daily News on August 9, 2016. “Trump is listening to people like you,” he told Spencer later in the interview.
منذ تفتحت عيناى على الحياة كانت امى تحاول ان تعطينى الدفعة الاولى من التعليم حتى استطيع ان اسبق الزمن فى حياتى المدرسية. كانت امى اول معلم فى حياتى ورغم انها لم تكمل من تعليمها غير الثالثة الابتدائي (الاولى الاعدادى الآن) ولكنها كانت قديرة فى كل العلوم حتى هذا المستوى. ولها يرجع الفضل فى تفوقى فى اللغة العربية على اقرانى. وقد علمتنى القراءة قبل ان ادخل المدرسة. وكنت اشترط عليها ان تقرأ موضوع المطالعة مرتين قبل ان اشرع انا فى القراءة وكان هذا كفيلا ان اخمن الكلمات الصعبة التى تستعصى علي قراءتها.
A Coptic Christmas: 'We Are Ready to Die in Any Church that They Wish to Bomb'
Egypt's Coptic Christians celebrated Christmas Mass at Saint Mark's Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo this weekend, surrounded by armored vehicles and heavily armed troops.
The Christian community of Egypt has been a target for terrorists over the years. Just last month, an ISIS suicide bomber struck a church service in Cairo on Dec. 11, killing 28 worshipers.
Still, some Coptic believers say they will not allow fear of Islamic terrorism to keep them from worshipping.
Child cries besides the coffins of his parents, who were killed in the Minya Bus Attack on May 26, 2017 (Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
On the morning of May 26, Mohsen Morkous, a 60-year-old Egyptian-American Christian from the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park, was traveling with his two sons, a grandson, and dozens of others to a religious retreat. Their bus convoy was ambushed by Islamic State (also known as ISIS) jihadists in Egypt’s rural Minya Province. The men and boys were separated from the women, forced off the bus, and commanded to recite the shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith. When they refused, 28 of them, including Morkous and seven family members, were shot in the head at point-blank range.
When the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, was ousted by a military coup in July 2013, the country’s Coptic Christians rejoiced. They saw General Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, who initiated Morsi’s removal and later became Egypt’s new president, as a savior. Bishoy Armanious, a 30-year-old electrical engineer from a suburb of Cairo, was among El-Sisi’s biggest fans. Together with thousands of Egyptians, he took it to the streets in support of the general. “We had been praying for change to happen,” Bishoy muses.
Coffins are carried to the funeral of Egyptian Christians killed in Palm Sunday bombings.
Twelve seconds of silence is an awkward eternity on television. Amr Adeeb, perhaps the most prominent talk show host in Egypt, leaned forward as he searched for a response.
“The Copts of Egypt … are made of … steel!” he finally uttered.
Moments earlier, Adeeb was watching a colleague in a simple home in Alexandria speak with the widow of Naseem Faheem, the guard at St. Mark’s Cathedral in the seaside Mediterranean city.
French President Hollande: Islam Must Live Within the Law
By Shawn Price
PARIS (UPI) -- French President Francois Hollande challenged Muslims in his country to create "an Islam of France" that is respectful of a secular government and lives within French laws.
Hollande gave the stern speech on Thursday with falling public confidence and rising anti-Islamic sentiment in France after the Paris and Nice terror attacks, and local burqini bans on French beaches. He also called for kicking extremist imams out of the country. The country has been under a state of emergency since November.
Copts of Egypt: more than political pawns for ISIS and el-Sisi
Professor Mariz Tadros
Power and popular politics cluster co-leader
Institute of Development Studies
University of Sussex
Recent attacks on Copts cannot be understood exclusively as militant resistance to authoritarianism in Egypt.
A Coptic mass following recent church bombings. PA Images. All rights reserved.
When ISIS claimed responsibility for the recent bombings of two Coptic churches in Egypt, and named the suicide bombers involved, it also issued yet another warning to the “crusaders.” It said: “the bill between us and them is very great and they will pay for it with rivers of their children’s blood, God willing.”
The construction of churches has for years been a major reason for clashes between Muslims and Christians in Egypt, especially in the south. A rumor that a new church will be constructed in some village with a considerable Christian population is enough to ignite a conflict that in most cases turns bloody. The complicated procedure of obtaining a permit to build a church also drives some Christians to turn their own houses into prayer areas, another cause of sectarian clashes. Added to that is the fact that restrictions imposed on the construction of churches date back to the Ottoman rule of Egypt and that modifications of the law have not proven to make things any easier for Egyptian Christians. The recent eruption of sectarian violence in Upper Egypt underlined the necessity of expediting the issuance of the new law on the construction and restoration of churches. Yet as promising as the steps taken toward that end might seem, disagreements over the law forebode further complications, more stalling, and possibly arriving at a dead end.
Copts of Egypt: from survivors of sectarian violence to targets of terrorism
Professor Mariz Tadros
Power and popular politics cluster co-leader
Institute of Development Studies
University of Sussex
Recent bombings mark a new era in the religious targeting of Copts – one which is qualitatively different from previous patterns of sectarian violence.
Funeral of victims of Tanta city church bombing. PA Images. All Rights Reserved.
It is customary for Copts – Egypt’s roughly 9 million strong Christian population– to celebrate Palm Sunday at church, waving palm fronds and singing joyful chants that go back to ancient times to commemorate Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, days before his crucifixion. They did not expect the service to be interrupted by bodies being ripped apart.
On 9 April 2017, in the second largest church in the city of Tanta, a suicide bomber approached the alter and blew himself up. At least 29 people were killed and 71 injured, some gravely. Three hours later, a suicide bomber tried to enter St Mark’s Church in Alexandria where Pope Tawadros, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, was presiding over a service. The man was stopped by police, and denoted his bomb outside. At least 18 people died, with 35 wounded.
Saudi Arabia may be the country in the world most different from the United States, especially where religion is concerned. An important new bill introduced by Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) aims to take a step toward fixing a monumental imbalance.Be the first of your friends to like this.
Consider those differences: Secularism is a bedrock U.S. principle, enshrined in the Constitution's First Amendment; in contrast, the Koran and Sunna are the Saudi constitution, enshrined as the Basic Law's first article.
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A Coptic mass following recent church bombings. PA Images. All rights reserved.
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