A few days later, on January 7th, my Coptic Orthodox brothers will celebrate the Christmas holiday, the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). On this day, we remember the sacrifices of the Copts and their pain, and remind everyone as part of our care not only of them, but also the homeland which occupies our souls and we live in it. The Copts showed their bravery during the two revolutions of January and June, and defended their dream homeland which reflects their memories and grandparents. A homeland that gathers all of us and in one pot for hundreds of years. A homeland that we loved together and defended it together. The Copts soldiers on the border defending Egypt's security and safety, and citizens at home been used to pressure on the Egyptian national security, but did it stop at home? The Copts endured practices have nothing to do with patriotism, justice and responsibility throughout the previous eras. They tasted the pain over and over again, in order to come to a moment of disclosure and the search for effective and decisive solutions, and I think that that moment may especially come after with great revolutions, and the election of a president and a national savior as the President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, a new parliament that represents all segments of the Egyptian nation President Al-Sisi gave ideals and role models when he visited for the first official time the cathedral, to offer congratulations to the Copts in their festival, quickly regained their spirit and hope in resolving their problems. The same practices and the same stories, which saddened for a long time and horrified us, are still, unfortunately, heard every day, and we shy from them and ourselves, but we cannot reveal them. The beginning of the tragedy The real tragedy of the Copts has begun, with the beginning of the rule of the late President Anwar Sadat, who initiated the famous reconcile with the Muslim Brotherhood, the major break with the symbols of the Nasser era, in preparation for the big coup at all legacies of the era of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. The Church of Khanka incident was the beginning of the conversion of the Copts file and sectarianism as a whole to National Security, which was not eligible, and it remains, to deal with this kind of sensitive issues and problems. The incidents of Al-Zawia Al-Hamra in 1980 to represent the first test of the deal of National Security with that problem. President Sadat, in a monologue, explained what his interior minister Nabawi Ismail wrote regarding the issue. He said it was a mere quarrel between a Muslim family and Christian family about drops of water fell from the balcony of one of the neighbors on the other neighbor's clothes, which has caused the problem of interference and evacuating neighbors to accommodate a range of parties and citizens. It was, of course, far beyond this, and the irony is that Al-Zawia Al-Hamra, was a rehearsal for a final show of force carried out by religious violence groups in Egypt, such as the assassination of Sadat. In an attempt to challenge the security forces and a test of strength. As all the security services do in such accidents, and the continuation of the policy of negligence that was applicable in these covenants, some thugs registered danger were arrested, and brought them to justice as they were the heroes of the incident and the issue was closed. In the same way, security services wove all incidents involving Copts in the past. In June 1981, four masked men led by Ali Sharif, a member of the Shura Islamic Community Council, killed six Christian gold traders and steal their shops in Naga Hamadi in Qena. The stolen gold funded the killing of Sadat and the assassinations in Assiut. According to the security vision, entitles that have the right to deal with this issue, were tortured number of registered risk of thefts to admit to the crime, then was placed in detention centers and close the file as usual, that the game was discovered after the assassination of Sadat and during the investigation with the accused, strange that the officer in charge of the This case under promoted him in the post until the rank of Major General and is within SSIS. It did not differ in the nineties of the last century, when a wave of violence rose to affect everyone, and took the Egyptian militant group Islamic Copts hostage to force the regime to bow to their demands, and away from the persecution that we have seen with our own eyes of the Copts in eighties and nineties in Minya, Assiut, Sohag and Qena, who arrived to end border application of them in the Rahman mosque land of birth and queens in full view of the security services, as well as the suspension of warheads on light poles after the killings, as happened between 1992 and 1994, as well as the displacement, which affected dozens of families at the time. Few years earlier, in 1990 I was assigned to cover the incidents witnessed in Abu Kurkas village of which a number of Christians-owned buildings and cars were set on fire over allegations accusing a number of Copts incited a number of Muslim females to carry out scandalous acts, a case that developed after ten years, to become a case of forced Christianization by Fahmy Huwaidi and Salim Al-Awa and others. The issue developed that security authorities was forced to intervene and deal with the dangerous phenomenon. In 1992, when we went to "Sanbo" to cover the massacre that left 14 Copts dead, we were surprised to notice that security cordons were made to protect the detainees who carried out the massacre. The then Interior Minister, Abdel Halim Abo Mussa did not describe the incident as a ‘massacre' but simply stated that the isse was no more than a local dispute erupted between 2 families while had nothing related with extremism or sectarianism. At that time, he attacked me as well as accused me of fomenting sedition, because I named the incident by ‘Sanbo massacre'. Al-Muharraq Monastery, Demiana, Al-Temsaheya, Copts and Dawood manors: All these former names refers villages and monasteries which witnessed bloody massacres against Copts between 1994 and 1997 that claimed the lives of dozens. But, authorities kept dealing with the issue as usual,, no extremism or sectarianism, just individual events or local disputes,, while no defendants were sued,, a real tragedy when decency of law is wasted in a country that usually feel and try to show its proud of its own history and civilization, moreover, licensing bar and casinos and night-clubs, but when it comes to licensing constructing a Church, the matter would become more sophisticated and in need of deep reconsideration. Dear President, through following such issue, I disclosed a number of facts that proved that the main causes of affliction stemmed from the disagree of building churches, while other causes refers to lax in law application and respect state's dignity. So, how comes, a minor female could be approved to get marry just because she is a Copt wanted to get engaged to a young Muslim? And how a legislation could allow assigning a legal trustee over such minor rather her family to change her religion? will the same could happen in case the girl was a Muslim? It's a problem related to law application and implementation regardless political or religious considerations. Erecting churches and fundamental shifts In Luxor and Giza as well as many other cities throughout Egypt, some Muslim factions started to burn old churches over intentions of restoring or re-building broken walls without permission or authorization from the state,, and the question that would attract attention should be; how did these traditional Muslims became extremists? Such acts remained, for limited specific periods, conducted by certain categories of extremists who were after some political gains or demands, so what happened? A question that none sought seriously to find an answer for it. And, away from this debate, a solution could be applied which, meanwhile, would be accepted by authorities who holds the official approval of restoring or establishing new churches in addition to secure the worshippers for such religious institutions; but it seemed that the issue was kept dissolved to remain as an element used for maneuver or impose pressure, of any type or against any opposition, and that is exactly what I figured and understood, Mr. President, when I discussed political realignments, stressing that era was, and will never to return. What the majority had missed, perhaps deliberately, that this issue should not be tracked on the political strife, whatever were the reasons or factors, but must be placed in the center of state's concern, and should be considered as most dangerous, sensitive and severe file, particularly if we were aware enough of plots and efforts may be exerted by several entities wishing that the discord could engulf through this matter. Copts got specific and clear demands that were repeatedly revealed through several events that were witnessed during the last 5 decades; to find an easy and convenient solution for churches construction, and their second demand is represented in their political representation and the removal of sectarian tension by launching a law that obligates respecting the free practice of religious rites and prohibits inciting for sedition and enhances protecting Coptic minors against kidnappings carried out under the guise of love between a Muslim and a Christian, in addition to the necessary suspending of the forced displacement of Copts. On the long term, a unified law must be approved for places specified for worship and performing religious rites, either Muslim or Christian, and a committee includes social figures known by their wise vision should have the right of urgent intervention and propose specific measures to heal the causes of the congestion of sectarian phenomena. The Copts had rejoiced when president, Sisi made his first official presidential visit for an Egyptian president to the Coptic cathedral celebrating their festival which made them to recall their hope in solving their long-standing problems. The Copts stood steady during January and June revolutions defending their homeland which contained both melted sectors for centuries forming the Egyptian society, a homeland that we together revolted defending our rights and ready to sacrifice ourselves for its dignity.
