CAIRO: The Abo Fana Monastery monks and the Bedouins reached a settlement Wednesday night after clashes had erupted over land in Minya last May, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported. According to MENA, the settlement entailed waiving 25 acres of agricultural land and 70 acres of non-agricultural land on the Minya Coptic Church's part, leaving it with 505 acres of the original 600. MENA also reported that the Bedouins agreed to build a wall encircling the monastery's land and for the people involved in the clashes to be tried at court without any appeal to civil society organizations. At the end of last May clashes over land surrounding the Abo Fana Monastery in Mallawi broke out between monks and some 60 Bedouins living in the Qasr Hur village adjacent to the monastery. The attack was allegedly sparked by a wall being built around the ancient monastery. Although the monastery had received official approval for the wall it began building around neighboring property, Muslim residents protested its construction on the surrounding agricultural land claiming it would damage the crops. They also claimed ownership of the land. Khalil Mohammed Ibrahim was killed in the clashes and two novice monks were taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Mallawi in critical condition after being kidnapped and beaten. Pope Shenouda III, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Patriarch of Alexandria and the See of St. Mark, allegedly approved the settlement while away for medical treatment in the US. The settlement was reportedly reached on Aug. 13 at a hotel in Minya with three representatives from the monastery and three from the Bedouins present, in addition to security officials. Shenouda was reported to have approved the settlement after negotiations with the arbitration committee, which was formed to investigate the attack and settle the dispute. According to MENA, he agreed to the settlement because of concerns over social harmony in Egypt and to deprive anyone of the opportunity of taking advantage of the situation and tarnishing Egypt's image. He said that Egypt will always be immune from attempts to create sectarian rifts between its citizens. While sources inside the Minya Coptic Church told MENA that they are happy with the settlement and agreed to it willingly, others were infuriated by the deal between the two parties. Father Paula Anwar, spokesperson for the Abo Fana Monastery, claims that the arbitration committee - which includes Muslim MP, Alaa Hussein, and Coptic businessman, Eid Labib - used their relationship with Pope Shenouda to pressure the monastery into accepting a settlement they reject. "Pope Shenouda agreed to the settlement because he wants peace and we must accept his wishes even though we don't agree with them, said Anwar. Echoing Anwar's claims is Ehab Ramzy, lawyer representing the monastery. "The arbitration committee is the one responsible for clashes emerging at Abo Fana in the first place by insisting on confiscating the monastery's land and giving it to the Bedouins, he said. However, Naguib Gobrail, lawyer and head of the Egyptian Human Rights Union, denied news reports that a settlement had been reached altogether. "No one has reached an agreement and no settlement has been made, Gobrail told Daily News Egypt. "These are suggestions that have been proposed to Pope Shenouda but nothing is official until Sept. 7 when the Pope comes back from the US, he said. The clashes in Abo Fana fueled unrest throughout Minya and tensions flared further after the death of 23-year-old Copt Milad Farag who was killed in a fight with Khamis Eid, a Muslim, in what was described as a "personal quarrel. For a related commentary, go to Page 7
