The recent meeting which took place between 11 representatives of Coptic civil movements and Vice President Mohamed Mekki, upon an invitation from Mekki, to discuss Coptic
The recent meeting which took place between 11 representatives of Coptic civil movements and Vice President Mohamed Mekki, upon an invitation from Mekki, to discuss Coptic grievances and citizenship rights left the Coptic side with a bitter aftertaste. The general feeling was that the Mekki offered not one concrete, constructive measure towards resolving the problems of Copts.
According to Bishoi Kamel of the Maspero Youth Union, the meeting was just a formality; no pledges were made and no resolutions reached. The Copts approached Mekki with queries about the president’s vision on the implementation of citizenship rights especially where Copts are concerned, the relegation of the Coptic file to hands of the security authorities, and why the State persists in dealing with the Copts as members of the Church and not as Egyptian citizens in their own right?
The Copts raised issues which raise anxiety among the Coptic community in general, but were given no answers to any of them. Among these issues was the Islamisation or politicisation of the Egyptian judiciary, the injustices inflicted upon the Copts and the failure of the State to right the wrongs, the implication of Copts in unsubstantiated religious disdain allegations while Muslims are never implicated in the widespread disdain of Christianity, and the disappearance of underage Coptic women. But the Copts who talked to Mekki said he just gave vague political replies and asked them to present documents to support their cases for the relevant authorities investigate them.
The general feeling among the Copts was that the meeting was turned into a chat room entirely insufficient to embark on the path to end the Coptic grievances which have for too long been placed on hold.
Watani International
19 September 2012