Egyptian newspapers today reported that the Cabinet will issue a new law to unify the houses of worship over the next two weeks. “What el-Baradei said about the state security investigation dissolving is untrue,” al-Awa said. The Egyptian Army dispatched a brigade to Taba for the first time since the Camp David Accords. Youm7 Likely Egyptian presidential candidate Salim al-Awa today said that Copts feel as though they are deprived of their rights to citizenship and they have a right to build houses of worship. He also said that civil conflicts must be resolved legally, and if there was a license to build the Idfou Church, it must be built. The professors who are attempting to prevent Copt colleagues from becoming deans or heads of a department should review their morals, said al-Awa. He also said that he hopes that all churches urge the Copts to go and vote during the upcoming parliamentary elections. Women will not be covered and statutes will not be destroyed if Islamists take power, he said, adding that the Prophet's companions did not take such action when they entered Egypt. The ruling military council deals with political powers as if they have some power, he said, but the fact of the matter is that the Egyptian people have the power to decide and make changes. Likely presidential candidate Mohamed el-Baradei is wrong about the dissolving of the state security investigation, he added. Presidential candidates failed to issue a unified statement about the strife at Maspiro. Al-Ahram The new legislation unifying the houses of worship will require religious approval as a condition for building houses of worship, the paper reported. Mosque construction will require the approval of the Minister of Religious Endowment and church or synagogue construction will require the approval from the heads of the Christian and Jewish communities. The bill outlines rules for house of worship construction, renovation and removal, an official source in the council of ministries reported. A governor will be authorized to issue licenses to build houses of worship, not the neighborhood chairmen, the source added. Al-Masry Al-Youm Israel approved the Egyptian request to send an army brigade to Taba, ten miles south of Eilat, the Israeli Red Sea resort town, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported. This is the first time a brigade has been sent to Taba since the Camp David Accords. The Egyptian army requested the presence of the brigade to thwart any further attempts to destabilize Sinai, the Israeli paper reported. Some youth tried to storm the press syndicate and the Al-Ahram building during the clashes at Maspiro. Al Akhbar Likely presidential candidate Mohamed al-Baradei today blamed political leaders and other candidates for the economic crisis in Egypt. He also blamed the current crisis for the continued insecurity in Egypt, the strikes, and the protests. Al-Shorouq The initial autopsies performed on the victims from the Maspiro clashes showed causes of death to be gunshot wounds to the chest and head, and blunt force trauma caused by cars and vehicles, reported Ehsan Kamil Georgi, the head of the forensic department. Twenty-three bodies are currently being autopsied, he added. Al Gomhorreya External Egyptian debt reached U.S. $33.65 billion on June 30, 2011. This is 15 percent of the national output, according to IMF standards, reported the new CAO annual report.
