12 - 18 July 2001
Issue No.542
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 12 - 18 July 2001 Issue No.542 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
UNITED FRONT: During their 45- minute meeting in Alexandria on Sunday, President Hosni Mubarak and Pope Shenouda III took stock of developments since the publication of a provocative newspaper article three weeks ago, reports Nevine Khalil.
Following the publication of the story and photos in the independent weekly Al-Nabaa on 17 June about the alleged sexual activities of a defrocked monk, hundreds of Copts staged week-long protests at the Abbasiya Cathedral in Cairo. Subsequently, the newspaper was shut down, and its chief editor expelled from the Press Syndicate. He is currently standing trial on charges that carry a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison.
Pope Shenouda did not speak to reporters after Sunday's meeting, but President Mubarak said on Monday that the state does not draw distinctions between Egyptian Copts, Muslims or Jews. "Each [community] upholds its creed freely. We do not differentiate among them because they are all Egyptians," Mubarak told a news conference. "We do not ignore the problems of any Egyptian citizen, but neither do we accept pressure or solutions from abroad." The president was referring to claims by some expatriate Copts, mainly in the US, who say that their co-religionists are victimised and discriminated against by the state. They have consequently called for foreign intervention for their protection.
"Some of the [expatriates] are reasonable and have a good understanding of the situation, while others continue their [provocations] because of their contacts with certain groups which believe that civil strife inside [Egypt] would serve their own interests," Mubarak said.
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