CAIRO: Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christian Pope Shenouda III has apologized over comments made by a Bishop who questioned the authenticity of some Qur'an verses. The comments came on the heels of an Islamic Publishing House publishing a version of the Bible they said was more accurate than the Christian version. Pope Shenouda said the Bishop's statements were “inappropriate” in an interview with the official Egyptian news agency MENA. He said that debating religious beliefs “are a red line, a deep red line.” “The simple fact of bringing up the subject was inappropriate, and escalating the matter is inappropriate,” added Shenouda, whose church body comprises 95 percent of Egypt's Christians. “I'm very sorry that the feelings of our Muslim brothers have been hurt.” Bishop Bishoy created controversy last week when he was quoted in local Egyptian newspapers as saying “Muslims are only guests” in Egypt, a sentiment that a handful of Coptic Christians hold. They argue that Egypt is inherently a Christian nation and is occupied by Muslim overlords. The vast majority of Egypt's Christian population does not adhere to this belief. Bishoy was also quoted wondering about the time frame for the revelation of the Qur'anic verses disputing the divine nature of Jesus Christ. The bishop added that verses in the Qur'an had been inserted by a early follower of the Prophet after his death, counter to the Islamic belief that all verses of the Qur'an were given directly to Mohamed through the Archangel Gabriel during the Prophet's lifetime and is essentially the word of God. On Friday, after the bishop's remarks were made known, thousands of Muslims demonstrated and Al-Azhar's Islamic Research Center held an emergency meeting to condemn the bishop's statements. “Such irresponsible statements threaten … national unity at a time when it is vital to maintain it,” said the statement. Notably, however, the latest row comes just weeks after an Islamic publishing house angered Egypt's Christian community by publishing a “forged Bible” that the Coptic Church said amounted to blasphemy and religious intolerance. Adham Gamal, a top Al-Azhar official, told Bikya Masr that this sort of religious “pandering” continues to “hurt the religious dialogue that needs to take place in Egypt in order to overcome tensions.” He pointed to the “ignorance of both Muslims and Christians in pushing an agenda that makes dialogue difficult. Both sides have their fanatics, it is just about getting through to those reasonable leaders that can make change happen.” BM
