Saturday 15 December, saw President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi visit the sites of a number of national projects, among them housing projects to resettle slum dwellers in the Cairo suburb of al-Salam, east Cairo. Among the housing projects were Mahrousa 1 and Mahrousa 2, two 4,900-unit residential projects; new housing units in Badr City, north east Cairo; and Abu-Rdeis in South Sinai through video conference.
In Khanka, east of Cairo, the President listened to a presentation by Major General Emad al-Ghazali, Commander of the Central Military Region, on the newly constructed Ahalina housing project in al-Salam city, constructed by the military. The President was not happy to discover that the new settlement did not include a church. Ghazali promised that part two of the Ahalina project would include a church. The President addressed Ghazali telling him that all neighborhoods must include churches. “This is an order,” President Sisi said, “please, everyone must worship as they please.”
He then addressed General Mohamed Zaki, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defence reminding him that it is already agreed that all new settlements must include churches.
Watani International
17 December 2018