Being occupied with strengthening their presence and influence in all the State institutions, the Muslim Brotherhood is showing a suspicious silence over the despicable practices of the Salafists. These have extended from the ongoing fierce debate over articles of the draft constitution to imposing their extremist Islamist vision on society so as to drive the country into the hell of sectarian sedition at any time. In one single day, last week, the press published two news articles, each of which could suffice to deepen division and conflict between the Egyptian Muslims and the Copts and end the state of reconciliation and fraternity the January Revolution managed to restore to this nation. The first of the news, which was severely criticised by enlightened writers of this country spoke about the cancellation of a concert that was organised by a group of young Egyptians under the theme of ‘In love of Egypt', in which the group intended to chant some Islamic and Coptic songs expressing love of Egypt. The decision to cancel the concert by the security authorities was based on the threats of a group of Salafists to use violence against the organisers and audience of the festivity claiming that hymns preaching Christianity were being included! Instead of taking stringent action against those extremists for threatening social peace by using violence against a ceremony organised to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) to express fraternity between Egyptian Muslims and Copts, the security authority favoured succumbing to the Salafists' threats and cancelled the celebration! Herein, one should ask whether the security agency was unwilling or incapable of securing this national celebration? It is no exaggeration to say that such an event is enough to deepen the Copts' sense of estrangement under the rule of an Islamic government. In this case, one should blame the Muslim Brotherhood that came to rule after the January Revolution and prevent confronting the Salafists who are known as ultra-conservative Islamists for their negative stand on Christian citizens. What is wrong in organising a cultural and singing event to commonly express our love to our country? And what is wrong in allowing our Coptic brothers and sisters to recite their hymns in the same concert in which Muslims would chant some religious supplications? On the first anniversary of the January 25 Revolution, the Anglican Church in Sheikh Rehan Street close to Tahrir Square held a ceremony commemorating martyrs of the revolution – Muslims and Copts – in which hymns and patriotic songs were reiterated by the huge attendance of Muslim and Christian revolutionaries who struggled together to unseat the former dictator of Egypt one year earlier. The second news that should raise one's concern even more was the conversion of a Coptic girl and her marriage to a Muslim man, who happened to be Salafi, after escaping from her family. The story is not new but this happened after the presidential election as the first test to the rule of President Mohammed Morsi. The Salafists were resistant to the girl returning to her family or the Church to examine faith, so deepening Copts' old conviction that extremist Muslims are kidnapping or at least tempting young Coptic girls to convert to Islam and marry Muslims of their group. The problem lies not only in hiding the girl but also in her getting married at the age of 14. By such an act the Salafists are committing more than one error or even crime, the first of which is to violate the law and allow a girl below 18 to get married. The second is transgression of the Islamic Sharia (religious law) that prevents a girl marrying without the blessing of her father or custodian. The third crime is against society for provoking sectarian sedition between Egyptian Muslims and Copts at such a critical unstable stage. It is true that we should respect freedom of faith and all citizen's' right to choose their religion to follow according to the Islamic rule: “Let there be no compulsion in religion" (verse 256 of Surat Al-Baqara). However, one should question if this 14-years old girl really chose to be a Muslim out of true faith in Islam and how and when she learnt about its teachings and so decided to follow it and give up the religion of her family? In early days of Islam Ali ben Abu Taleb became a Muslim at a similar age and was considered the first child or you can say teenager to join Islam. However, Ali who was the first among his eleven siblings to become Muslim was actually been raised by Mohammed himself and came to know his kindness, honesty and good morals before the Revelation. Therefore it was not strange to see him speedily announce his belief in the Prophet Mohamed and in his call. As for this Coptic girl, Muslims before Christians should be sure of her true faith and belief in Islam before accepting her as a Muslim. Under the pretext of freedom of faith and the wrongfulness of returning a Muslim female convert to her people, the Salafists insist on not returning this girl to her family or the Church, not to be forced to give up her religion they claim she chose to follow. However, the Salafists by this approach not only create an unneeded social problem but also neglect a basic corner of this Islamic rule that is to examine the real faith and understanding of the convert to Islam. In the 60th chapter of the Qur'an, that was named as Momtahena, (the Arabic word that stands for the woman to be examined), we have verse no. 10 which gives the conditions for testing female converts before accepting them into Muslim society. "O ye who believe! When there come to you believing women refugees, examine (and test) them: Allah knows best as to their faith: if ye ascertain that they are believers, then send them not back to the unbelievers. They are not lawful (wives) for the Unbelievers, nor are the (unbelievers) lawful (husbands) for them." While seeing these irresponsible practices of the Salafists, one wonders if they suffer ignorance of the true faith and teachings of Islam or are they agents of enemies of Islam and Egypt, and thus seek to distort the image of Islam and cause division and backwardness of Egypt! One couldn't accept this unjustified silence of the Muslim Brotherhood and the security agency over the Salafists' violations of the law and not ending the marriage of this girl for being under age. The Muslim Brotherhood and the security agency should have the girl examined by Al-Azhar, as well as the Church, to determine if her turning to Islam came of her free will and she is a genuine convert. This should always be the case in such instances to preserve the social peace of this country.
