CAIRO - ONE of the many benefits of January revolution was the involvement of young Copts in the street demonstrations and the following debate over the future of the country. Before that time and since the start of the Mubarak's regime, the Copts had seemed isolated with their Church becoming their official guardian and spokesperson on any political or religious issue. Even when suffering a kind of discrimination young Copts were organising demonstrations at their cathedral in Abbassiya, but never get their demands onto the streets. It was only during the days of the revolution that the Copts united with their Egyptian brothers and sisters under the flag of Egypt to express their demands as citizens. When they were subjected to attacks on their churches they organised demonstrations and sit-ins, not at the cathedral but on the Nile Corniche and streets outside the State Radio and TV building at Maspero, where they were joined by some Muslim citizens. Therefore, it was appropriate for the State authorities and the highest Sunni Muslim institution of Al-Azhar to express condolences to all Coptic citizens for the deaths of Copts in the Maspero incidents. This they did instead of making their customary visits to the cathedral's premises to express condolences to the Coptic Orthodox Church patriarch Pope Shenouda III. The families of the 27 Egyptian citizens killed at Maspero should receive condolences in person from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the transitional government as well as Al-Azhar or at least in a statement broadcast on TV. It is most important to work on establishing and disclosing all the facts surrounding the bloody events and punish the perpetrators for their crimes and to speed up with all legislation to ensure the full rights of citizenship and freedom of worship to Copts in Egypt. Correspondingly, they would continue mingling in the wider political, economic, culture and social life and not stay within the confines of their Church and places of worship.
