In run-up to parliament polls, Egypt’s Christians remain disaffected

Despite president’s decision to bring date for legislative polls forward so as not to conflict with Easter holiday, Egypt’s Coptic Christians still appear to harbour resentment

“We’re told it’s a good thing that they decided to change the date of parliamentary elections to avoid their falling on the Easter holidays,” said Nabil, a Coptic-Christian silversmith in Cairo’s Heliopolis district. “I was really dismayed by the original date, but – let’s face it – these aren’t the easiest times for Christians.”

Speaking shortly after Egypt’s presidency changed the electoral timetable – which had initially failed to take into account Coptic Easter celebrations – Nabil said: “It’s not just the Muslim Brotherhood [the group from which President Mohamed Morsi hails]; the state never really paid much attention to Easter under [ousted president Hosni] Mubarak, too.”

He added: “The Muslims don’t recognise Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, and as such Easter never meant much to the state.”

On Sunday evening, the presidency brought the date for parliamentary polls forward – from 27/28 April to 22/23 April – “in compliance with the demands of Coptic members of the Shura Council,” the upper house of Egypt’s parliament, which is currently endowed with legislative powers.

FULL ARTICLE FROM AL AHRAM 

15 Years in Jail: Egyptian family charged for attempting to restore Christian names

An Egyptian mother and her seven children have been given lengthy jail sentences for illegally changing their names on official documents. The family wanted to use their Christian names again after a conversion following their Muslim father’s death.

Nadia Ali Mohamed was born Christian but converted to Islam when she married her husband Mustafa Mohamed Abdel-Wahab. When he died in 1991, she wanted to go back to being a Christian, and pushed her seven children to convert.

In 2004, after the family had converted back to Christianity, they replaced their Muslim names on their identity cards with their Christian names. They had also moved to a different city of residence, which was changed on the documents as well.

Two years later, one of Mohamed’s sons was arrested by police at the information Center of Beni Suef, a town about 115 kilometers south of Cairo, where they were living at that time. Officials suspected that the boy’s documents had been forged.

The boy confessed his conversion to Christianity, and said that the subsequent name changes in the documents were at the behest of his mother. When the police passed the case on, judges decided to bring charges against the mother and all of her children, as well as the seven clerks from the registration office who had changed the family’s documents

FULL ARTICLE FROM RT.COM

Egypt’s New Coptic Pope Speaks out on Range of Issues

Egypt’s new Coptic Orthodox pope, Tawadros II, elected earlier this week, has been interviewed by several private television channels, in which he spoke frankly about a number of critical issues facing Egypt’s Coptic-Christian community.

For one, Tawadros has stressed that the church has “no political role,” as this should be reserved for Egypt’s political parties. The church, he said, should only play a “spiritual and social role,” noting that overlaps between the two could potentially lead to disturbances within society.

Tawadros has also stressed his agreement with late pope Shenouda III’s decision to ban Egypt’s Copts from visiting Jerusalem until the issue of Palestine has been justly resolved.

“There’s a peace treaty between the governments [of Egypt and Israel], but the Egyptian public rejects the notion of normalisation with Israel,” he said. “We won’t encourage Copts to visit Jerusalem, as we can’t accept the idea of Copts selling out the Arab cause.”

Pope Tawadros II has also voiced his rejection of a parliamentary quota for Coptic MPs.

“Rather, we must gradually prepare Egyptian society, with the support of political parties, to accept Coptic parliamentarians – only 30 in the beginning, perhaps, before gradually increasing the percentage of Coptic representatives,” he said.

FULL ARTICLE FROM AHRAM ONLINE 

Christian Life in Northern Nigeria

Nigeria’s militant Islamist group, Boko Haram, and the security forces have been accused by Amnesty International of committing widespread atrocities in the mainly Muslim north.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden”, is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.

On Sunday, a church was bombed, leaving eight people dead in Kaduna, one of the cities affected by the conflict. Although Boko Haram has not said it carried out the attacks, it has claimed responsibility for similar bombings across northern and central Nigeria.

Obadiah Diji, youth leader of the Christian Association of Kaduna, gave the BBC an account of how life has changed in the city.

Obadiah Diji:

I have lived in Kaduna city nearly all my life – and I am filled with sadness when I look how sharply divided it has become along religious lines.

Muslims live in areas where there is a Muslim majority; Christians where there is a Christian majority. So, the two groups lead separate lives, with little social contact.

It was not always like this. We once took pride in the fact that Kaduna was cosmopolitan and welcoming of everyone.

Although there were differences, Christians and Muslims lived together. We were in an out of each other’s homes. Our children went to the same schools, learning from each other about their respective religions and cultures.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE BBC 

Kenyan Muslims, Christians vow to prevent spiral of violence after attacks on churches

Adan Wachu, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims and the chairman of Inter-Religious Council, said the weekend attacks, which are being blamed on an al-Qaida-linked militant group from Somalia, are meant to trigger sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims.

Wachu said clerics will actively preach against retaliation to prevent violence from spreading in Kenya like it has in Nigeria, where attacks on churches by a Muslim sect has ignited a spiral of violence

“This is not a religious war and it has to be addressed from a different paradigm shift,” he said.

Gunmen on Sunday killed two policemen guarding the African Inland Church, snatched their rifles and then opened fire on the congregation from inside and out, killing 15 people. A simultaneous attack took place on a Catholic church in the same area of the eastern Kenyan town of Garissa.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE WASHINGTON POST 

Coming Closer Through Faith: A Call to Undo Historical Tragedies

By Idris Tawfiq – The Egyptian Gazette 
Saturday, April 14, 2012 09:25:57 AM

Muslims believe that Islam is the religion of peace. The two fought one another for centuries over Jerusalem, the city of Peace. Much life was lost and many terrible things were done in the Holy Land, and after much fighting and bloodshed not much had really changed in the region when the dust finally settled. In fact, for all they achieved, the Crusades need never really have been fought at all!
It is worth remembering that Christians and Muslims have lived together in this region for fourteen hundred years. It is true, though, that there are hands at work trying to cause division between these groups. It is only natural that those who do not want Egypt and other Arab countries to be strong should do their best to weaken them. What better way of doing this than to stir up religious strife.
There are even some Arabs who travel abroad and appear on Western TV channels talking of religious oppression, and even religious persecution. It is time that these voices stopped their mischief, since the only ones to gain by it are people with no faith at all.  Let us return to the Easter festival. According to tradition, Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, is alleged to have discovered, in the early fourth century, many sites associated with the life of Jesus Christ, including what was claimed to be the True Cross on which he died.

The emperor ordered churches to be built on many of these sites. A church was built in Bethlehem over the spot alleged to be the place where Jesus was born, and another in Jerusalem over the spot where he is said, according to Christian tradition, to have died.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is said to stand on the very place where the Hill of Calvary stood. It is, of course, on Calvary that Christians believe Jesus was crucified.

The church was actually built as three separate churches, to mark three separate events.

One was for the hill of Calvary. Another was for the place where Jesus was buried, and the third was where he was said to have risen from the dead. When Constantine ordered that the churches be built, the spot was little more than a mound of rubble.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE EGYPTIAN GAZETTE 

Nigerian Muslims Use Occasion of Easter to Urge Cooperation with Christians

The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has urged both Christians and Muslims in the country to collaborate with each other in tackling the menace of corruption.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary-General NSCIA, Dr Lateef Adegbite, made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, on Thursday, and appealed to Christians and Muslims to seize the occasion of the Easter season to reflect on the situation of the country and also cultivate the values and virtues extolled by their religions.

He advised the adherents of the two religions to join forces with the nation’s leadership to tackle the issue of corruption.

“Let us seize the occasion of this season to reflect on the situation of our country and resolve to effect changes that would ensure real development and meaningful progress in the land.

FULL ARTICLE FROM THE TRIBUNE (NIGERIA)