As a firm believer in the Right of Reply, I am publishing here a letter sent to me by MP Marianne Azer in reply to my Editorial published on 12 November 2017, under the title “If disgraceful, why do it?” and which was based on news published by the daily State owned al-Ahram in its 3 November issue. Al-Ahram attributed to Ms Azer declarations during a recent visit to Washington by an Egyptian parliamentary delegation which included MP Azer. The question to Azer concerned the conditions of Copts in Egypt. [https://en.wataninet.com/opinion/editorial/if-disgraceful-why-do-we-do-it/21897/]
Ms Azer wrote:
“Sadly, untrue declarations were attributed to me, and were published and circulated by a number of official papers and websites, regarding the visit of the Egyptian Parliament’s delegation to the US Congress. I was a member of this delegation, and I would like to make a few points clear. In reply to a question by the American side about the condition of Copts in Egypt, I said that Copts face problems owing to an erroneous cultural legacy, in addition to ignorance and poor education. I said that, on the official level, there were serious attempts to deal with the situation and contain it on national basis. The American side showed understanding and appreciation of the information I gave.
“I call upon the media and digital networks to accurately check the facts instead of rushing to obtain information from non-reliable sources.”
WATANI International
17 November 2017