Cool heads are prerequisite in the debate over national unity, notes Gamal Nkrumah An air of reconciliation has quickly replaced contentious statements by senior Coptic clergy in which they questioned the authenticity of some verses in the Quran. In less than a week, Egyptians learnt three lessons the hard way: as Coptic Pope Shenouda III surmised, "You can't fight fire with fire." Secondly, national unity and security are imperative. And above all, the urgent need to forge a consensus on drawing a roadmap to avoid any possible regression in the often strained relationship between compatriots. "This is a dangerous precedent and I blame the irresponsibility of the media in igniting this touchy issue," former MP and American University in Cairo political science professor Mona Makram Ebeid, a prominent Coptic political commentator and activist commented about the controversial statements by leading religious figures in the media in the past few weeks. "This is supposed to be a civilised country and questions of religion should not be publicly debated by irresponsible and ignorant journalists. We must all bear full responsibility for the crisis." Ebeid advocated the formation of a permanent committee composed of distinguished and learned members of the Muslim and Christian community to discuss the matter in detail. Mustafa El-Feki, head of the Foreign Relations Committee at the People's Assembly, concurred. He told Al-Ahram Weekly that, "understanding and tolerance must prevail. This is our historic duty." El-Feki, who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the subject of the political participation of Copts, stressed that Egypt has traditionally been a country that "has its own harmony in spite of deep religious differences. Unfortunately, the public debate over religious and doctrinal issues has gone out of hand and some of the religious leaders acted irresponsibly by airing their contentious views in public." The Coptic Muslim controversy, El-Feki noted, will intensify unless it can overcome its disdain for effective leadership and the compromises needed to develop any policy programme. Samir Morcos, Coptic political commentator and political activist, was quoted as warning that there was a growing feeling among Muslims that Christians are egged on by Western forces with a hidden agenda. But the deepening crisis of confidence between Muslims and Coptic Christians has had a bracing effect on Egyptians of all walks of life. Morcos's remarks in a television talk show was part of the anguished debate about whether Christians are capable of coexisting peacefully with Muslims and their common concern that religion could be dragged into the political fray. The church could see the problem coming, and Coptic leaders have long warned about the dangers of the political peripheralisation of Copts. In an interview with the national weekly magazine Al-Mussawar, Coptic Pope Shenouda III reiterated his view that "it is up to the religious -- Muslim and Christian -- leadership of the country to keep the peace along with the security forces and ultimately it is a question of national security." Pope Shenouda III refuted rumours that Coptic bishops in Upper Egyptian dioceses are adopting a more militant and bellicose stance vis-à-vis Muslims. The Pope's message was simple. He asked for the Copts' trust in pursuing the peaceful legacy of coexistence with the Muslim majority of the country. He did not dwell overly on the trivial altercation between certain Church leaders and Muslim clergy over doctrinal disputations. For all the grassroots discontent there was no real threat to national unity, Pope Shenouda III stressed. He fears this has encouraged Egyptians to question whether ethical behaviour was possible in the first place. Neither did he contrast his church's new relative assertiveness with its past political subordination to the powers-that-be and its political insignificance. The church, he explained, was trying to pursue a form of politics that is both mature and pragmatic. The media had to choose between two options, neither of them illegal or entirely immoral. The ethical questions discussed in the press and on television pitted Muslim against Christian. It would be easy to dismiss all this as silly stuff. A public stance in favour of national unity is paramount. A period of political horse-trading and massaging voter -- Christian and Muslim -- expectations is about to unfold in the run-up to the November parliamentary elections. It is a possibility the political establishment cannot ignore. A wider focus is welcome; the Coptic Church has been given a free rein to look into these questions. "I am pessimistic. Coptic preachers and church officials are now demanding the impossible and frankly speaking they have become somewhat impertinent," Ahmed Kamal Abul- Magd, an Islamist scholar and human rights advocate, told Al-Ahram Weekly. "Yes, the Copts of Egypt have genuine grievances. Perhaps the most fundamental is the bureaucratic and legalistic constraints that restrict the construction of new churches. This is an understandable predicament and I am in full sympathy with the Copts and their quest for full citizenship rights." However, the real change in attitudes is still possible. True, it is simplistic to say that utterances by religious leaders reflect wider held misconceptions by laypersons. "What has become intolerable is the debasement of the level of discourse, and the misunderstanding of the dynamics of freedom of speech," Abul- Magd said. "We are supposed to be a civilised nation, and we must conduct our dialogue in a respectable, well-thought-of and abstemious manner. We must respect the other and carefully consider the views of the other. "Creating jobs for Copts is also a matter of national security. Copts with a strong sense of entitlement are grumbling about restrictions in the construction of churches as well as discrimination in the workplace." Yet, young Copts without jobs are just as vulnerable as their Muslim counterparts who are widely considered easy prey to militant and fundamentalist groups. Coptic frustration may be partly justified. As the politics heat up with inflammatory religious statements, there is a national belief that the problems the crisis identifies are real. "Attend respectfully to the sentiments expressed by the Coptic Church and refrain from reflexive contempt," Abul-Magd advises. "Secularism must not always be confused with anti-Islamism," he argues. "Likewise, no section of the population in the country can possibly be branded as traitors." His arguments should be heeded. These threats should be faced down. As the discourse has now moved on to the discussion of sensitive doctrinal issues, finding common cause with Muslims where possible could be a shrewd move. Peoples of the two faiths must dress this open wound. (see p.2)
