The ‘Egyptian Family House' issued a statement criticizing a United States bill to appoint a U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East to deal with minority affairs. The envoy will support religious minorities particularly in the Arab world and Asia. The statement, issued today, said Egyptian Muslims and Christians have been living together in harmony and compassion for more than 15 centuries. They share the same fate and life and agreed to defend their home and reject discrimination, it added. The statement also said the East – and particularly Egypt – has its own civilization and ahs always been a shelter for the prophets. The statement's signatories included former Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Hamdy Zakzok and Bishop Armia, the secretary of Pope Shenouda III, head of Egypt's Coptic Christian Church. The Egyptian Family House is an initiative led by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, to confront sectarian strife in Egypt. It includes figures from both the Coptic church and al-Azhar.