One of the most crucial questions related to the anniversary of Egypt's 30 June Revolution and the radical transformation that took place on 3 July 2013 is whether the Islamist movement, as embodied in the Muslim Brotherhood, possessed a modern (...)
A few years ago, prominent scholar of Islamic philosophy Omid Safi wrote an opinion piece congratulating his Christian compatriots on the occasion of Holy Week and Easter and sharing with them some of his reflections.
As a devout Muslim, Safi could (...)
People are different in innumerable ways, but their main life concerns always appear similar. They have, undeniably, varied social status and diverse religious backgrounds, and when confronted with facts like life and death, hate and love, their (...)
Egyptians once more have to remain in their homes at night in accordance with the curfew imposed on some of the country's governorates. They stay glued to their TV sets till early morning to follow news of the hunt on key Muslim Brotherhood figures (...)
The unavoidable choice in Egyptian politics since the 1990s has been: participation in or boycotting parliamentary elections. Each time political parties face this unpalatable decision, fragmentation hits them. Participation, for some parties, is (...)
Amid the polarisation between “loyalists” and “opponents” of the government during the last three weeks, the Copts have found themselves in a catch-22 situation. While the Islamists criticise and warn them for allying themselves with the secularist (...)
Egypt needs a new approach to politics. So far, we have witnessed the same old thing, bemoans Sameh Fawzi
Democracy can not exist without democrats. Revolution that toppled autocratic regimes may lead to an autocratic one. To sustain democracy and (...)
Who will Egypt's Copts vote for in the forthcoming presidential elections, asks Sameh Fawzi
The Coptic Orthodox Church is maintaining a stand of careful neutrality towards presidential candidates.
When asked which candidate in Egypt's forthcoming (...)
Egypt's Coptic Christians are celebrating Easter this year amidst fears of the rise of the Islamists and sadness at the loss of the late Pope Shenouda III, writes Sameh Fawzi
Michael Shalabi, owner of a fish-and-chip shop in the iconic British (...)
Whoever replaces the deceased Pope Shenouda III will confront an era of unprecedented political uncertainty, writes Sameh Fawzi*
For Copts, it is a time for mourning. Pope Shenouda III, the 117th Pope of Alexandria, passed away at 88 years. (...)
While strife between Muslims and Copts continues, by all measures the Coptic community made great strides forward via the 25 January Revolution, writes Sameh Fawzy*
One year after 25 January Revolution, one can look back to assess the pros and cons (...)
In the wake of riots between Muslims and Christians in the Giza district of Imbaba, effective policies must be found to help society deal with problems of inter-religious dialogue and find collective ways of solving them, writes Sameh Fawzi
Almost (...)
CAIRO: P?ope Shenouda III returned from the United States after four months of medical treatment at Cleveland Clinic.
During his time in hospital, church affairs and to a large extent, the Coptic dossier, were handled personally by the Pope from (...)
CAIRO: O?ver the past month, there's been an ongoing debate over what constitutes the "pure Egyptian identity. It's a strange question at a time when Egyptians are suffering from unprecedented worsening living conditions and have nothing else to (...)
Last week I had a debate with the editor-in-chief of a Christian daily newspaper in Denmark, which had refused to publish the controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohamed in 2006, but republished some of them in 2008 following an alleged (...)
The Abu Fana monastery crisis, albeit recently solved, has noticeably produced a number of negative repercussions on Muslim-Christian relationships in Egypt. Among them, the controversial lecture given by Coptic Orthodox bishop Thomas at Houston (...)
Young Egyptians don't believe in politics. This striking argument should not surprise any political analyst, whose concern is centered on our country's public affairs.
Last week, I lectured a politically diverse group of Egyptian youth in a (...)
The Hidelina blood bags case began in January 2007, when an Egyptian Ministry of Health employee, Sheer El-Sharkawi, claimed to have found 200,000 contaminated bags used to package donated blood in the ministry's storage area.
The bags, she (...)
In less than one week three sectarian incidents took place in different Egyptian governorates.
One of them is related to the sudden absence of a Christian woman in the governorate of Beheira, who was allegedly abducted by Muslims, but as she (...)
Pope Shenouda III, the Patriarch of Copts in Egypt and abroad, is currently in the United States for another surgical operation in less than two years. Not surprisingly, Copts and the government are already thinking of the pope's successor, (...)
In Kenya, there is an unceasing call for an amnesty for those who participated in the political violence that erupted in the wake of the last presidential elections. In this case, amnesty seems to be essential to shut down this unpalatable dossier. (...)
Over the last few years I attended a number of my Muslim colleagues marriage ceremonies at the mosque. Every time I participate in this lovely occasion I get the impression that Islamic weddings have become closer, at least in form, to the wedding (...)
Qatar has hosted talks between Lebanese conflicting parties. It seems that Qatar wants to play the same role that Saudi Arabia played at the beginning of the 1990s, when it brought in Al-Ta'ef warring Lebanese sects to negotiate a new political (...)
The situation in Lebanon is very sophisticated. During the 17-month internal dispute both the loyalists and opponents have made mistakes, and taken provocative action. Although the discussion of these shortcomings is beyond the scope of the article, (...)
I think it's an appropriate time to ask: How many Egyptians actually belong to the Muslim Brotherhood?
For decades, this question has been a part of the discussion over the size and weight of the Muslim Brotherhood, but no clear answer has ever (...)