Gamal Nkrumah watches as Coptic television channel Al-Hayat hits the airwaves via NileSat In chaos lies opportunity. Or does it? Religious controversies have hit the headlines and airwaves yet again with the launch of another Christian television channel broadcasting from outside Egypt on secondary satellite networks. The Coptic Church vehemently denies any direct link with the fundamentalist Christian broadcasts. The honeymoon of the Coptic Christian satellite television station Al-Hayat, launched this week on NileSat, Egypt's premier satellite television company, ended almost before it started. The station is closely affiliated to defrocked Coptic priest Father Zakaria Boutros, the author of God is One in a Trinity. Boutros has long antagonised Muslims for casting doubt on the authenticity of the Quran and denigrating the person and moral standing of Prophet Mohamed. Moreover, he claims that hundreds of Muslims have converted to Christianity after experiencing physical healings and deliverance from what he terms demonic fears and depression through his ministry. His claims have been widely publicised and stirred much controversy in Egypt and the Arab world. Amr Adib, host of Al-Qahira El-Youm (Cairo Today) show on Orbit Channel, has harshly criticised Father Boutros in the past. Perhaps the most memorable tirade was in December 2005 when Adib, along with Muslim cleric Sheikh Khaled El-Guindy, publicly denounced Boutros on the chat show. "Who is financing Father Boutros?" demanded a furious Adib. One Hossam, presumably a Saudi national calling from Riyadh, threatened to assassinate Boutros. Father Boutros appears unperturbed by such threats. Before fleeing Egypt he was arrested and detained twice in the early 1980s. He now resides in the United States. "I exercise my freedom of speech and no one can deny my free will," he declared in his weekly television show Questions of Faith. "Gone are the days when people's heads would be chopped off if they did not convert to Islam. Gone are the days of the sharp sword that cut off the tongues of our people and forefathers to prevent them from speaking in the Coptic language," the outspoken Boutros raged. NileSat officials say they cannot stop Al-Hayat from broadcasting, and the Coptic Church admits that it cannot stop its adherents overseas from utilising the booming satellite television industry to proselytise and propagate their own brand of Christian ideals. Pope Shenouda III has said publicly that Father Boutros is not a priest who enjoys "good standing" within the Coptic Church. "We live in an age in which people are free to air their beliefs and express themselves freely through the medium of satellite television and the Internet," Anba Basanti, the Bishop of Helwan told Al-Ahram Weekly. "I am all for peaceful co-existence between people of different faiths. Father Boutros is a defrocked priest who does not speak on behalf of the Coptic Church. His opinions are his own personal viewpoints and in no way represent the official views of the Church." "We do not intend to convert others to our religion," added Basanti. However, he stressed that in the age of information technology people are free to utilise the Internet and satellite television networks. "We are not on air, we are not on earth, is our motto," says Bishop Moussa, the Coptic Church official in charge of youth, media and telecommunications. By bringing the best of science and technology into its ministry and understanding the need for transparent decision- making and freedom of expression, Moussa argued, the Church can set an example for others. Yet he is keen to disassociate himself from the oftentimes offensive utterances of the retired Father Boutros. "Such proclamations only incite hatred and religious strife," warns Youssef Sidhom, editor-in-chief of the Coptic weekly Watani. "I myself cannot stand Coptic gatherings in which Boutros is praised. He plays on the frustrations and political marginalisation of disgruntled Copts. His sensationalist views are tantamount to yellow journalism." In sharp contrast to Al-Hayat, Aghapy (Divine Love), a quasi-official Coptic satellite channel, has met with approval from both the Church and Coptic laity. Aghapy highlights Coptic liturgy, cultural activities, and expresses the religious, pastoral and educational aspects of the Coptic Church and community members both in Egypt and abroad. It refrains from any public criticism of Islam. "Freedom of expression is a basic human right," notes Sidhom. "But freedom to incite hatred must be condemned. It sets a dangerous precedent."
