Differences between the members of Egypt's National Justice Committee and its head could see some members boycott the committee, which is tasked with resolving Egypt's sectarian issues. Many members have expressed their resentment of what they described as the “weak” performance of the committee. Headed by Ali al-Ghatit, the committee was formed by the Egyptian Cabinet to work toward eradicating sectarian tensions in Egypt. Members have criticized the committee's performance. They say the committee has not treated or dealt with any sectarian issue or discussed the unified law on building places of worship. A number of Coptic Christians and youth of the revolution, who participated in the committee's foundation, threatened to resign in protest of the performance of the head of the committee and his “dictatorial” way of dealing with them. Some members of the committee strongly criticized al-Ghatit. They said he chose most of the committee's members from his friends and ignores the youth's opinions; they refuse his way of dealing with the members. They added that al-Ghatit always talks without listening to others. He also has not held any official meetings to discuss the urgent problems which led to the formation of the committee. They added that Baha'is and Sufis are not represented in the committee, which is composed of 30 members. Differences between the members of the committee and its head resulted from al-Ghatit's way of dealing with the members and the lack of opportunity for members to express their opinions, particularly the youth. Members expressed their anger, asking, "Is it a decorative committee or a serious committee to resolve the sectarian crises?" Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf decided to form the National Justice Committee to counter attempts to fuel sectarian strife in Egypt and to propose solutions for the problems and issues in this regard. He also ordered the committee to prepare a draft law to criminalize all forms of discrimination among all citizens and to study the unified law on building places of worship. The committee was formed after violent clashes in Cairo's impoverished Imbaba neighborhood left 15 dead last month. Under current law, Christians must obtain permission from the head of state to build a new church, while the regulations for building new mosques are much less strict.
