Veteran human rights activist Ali al-Samman has been increasingly preoccupied with the peace of the Egyptian community against the backdrop of the growing sectarian rift. In cooperation with a small group of pundits and intellectuals who share his worries over the future of Egypt, Samman founded the Committee of 15 to address the phenomenon. Watani talked to Dr Samman.
Two years have passed since citizenship was placed at the forefront of the Egyptian Constitution. What has since then happened on the ground?
The fact that citizenship was placed at the forefront of the Constitution signifies equality among Egyptians regardless of race, sex, religion or faith. Citizenship principles are much broader than the limitation of Muslim-Copt relationships, as they concern all people in this country. Thus, if Egypt has 100 Jews, they are entitled to enjoy full citizenship rights. In this context, I wrote an article calling for the restoration of the Cairo Synagogue. I believe that the constitutional article on citizenship rights will bear fruit sometime soon. Yet it should be borne in mind that educating the public to respect citizenship rights is a long process requiring patience and persistence.
Yet the article on citizenship did not prevent the frequent eruption of sectarian violence.
These events stem from ignorance, which leads to extremism. There is a dire need to combat extremist ideas to restore peace and coexistence in our community. The media, schools and universities have to join forces in this respect. The escalation of sectarian tension was behind the formation of the Committee of 15, which gathers some enlightened figures preoccupied with the danger of fanaticism. We do not hold regular meetings, but some of our efforts have borne fruit. For instance, as a professor at Ain-Shams University, I stood against a PhD candidate who defamed Christianity in her thesis on comparative religions. I raised the issue with Minister of Parliamentary and Legal Affairs Moufid Shehab, since we are determined convey our message to decision-makers. We managed to contain the crisis before it reached the media.
When did you form the committee of 15?
After the sectarian events in Alexandria of 2005, a group of enlightened people realised the magnitude of the crisis. We started our discussion at my home, since we did not wish to grant the committee a formal character. It is a group of intellectuals including Anba Bessanty, Bishop of Maasara and Helwan, and Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour, the secretary-general of the Wafd Party. I prefer not to mention any further details as we have only held one meeting.
Did the group discuss the unified law for building places of worship and such sectarian events as those of Abu Fana and Ayyat?
Our discussions move with the course of events. The Alexandria and Ayyat incidents revealed that a rumour could spark a sectarian clash. We decided to join forces to face society’s problems, and submitted proposals on how to annul the Himayouni edict and boost the contribution of civil society in addressing sectarian tensions.
Some people advocate founding a formal committee named “Council for National Unity”, to refer its recommendations directly to the President, do you agree?
Yes, such a committee would be a great help in alleviating sectarian tension.
Do you think that the involvement of NGOs in addressing sectarian problems would prove productive?
Definitely. I voiced this opinion to Abdel-Aziz Hegazy, the head of the General Federation of NGOs, and he is very enthusiastic about helping the government address these problems.
But some NGOs, including ‘Egyptians against Discrimination’, are banned from performing any role in this regard.
You will hear some good news soon, since Dr Hegazy is working on creating a formula to guarantee the contribution by NGOs in addressing sectarian problems. The General Federation of NGOs has signed a protocol with the Union of Radio and TV through which the latter would broadcast materials to confront extremist ideas.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Copts were attacked by terrorist groups. Now assaults against them are waged by their Muslim neighbours. How do you evaluate this development?
A number of reasons could explain this development, most importantly the deterioration in living conditions which raises people’s intolerance and stirs up anger at even the smallest incidents. There should be a societal dialogue among the country’s men of reason in search of a solution. But it should be borne in mind that the problem is getting worse with the passage of time.
Restrictions preventing the building of churches are behind much sectarian tension. Is it time to pass a unified law for places of worship?
Yes, such a law would get to the root of the problem. Dr Laila Takla, member of the National Council for Human Rights, is exerting huge efforts for the draft law to be discussed in parliament.
Religious conversions are also a major reason behind sectarian incidents. How can this be confronted?
Sometimes people convert due to considerations other than faith. A man could convert to divorce his wife, or a young Coptic woman could convert to marry the Muslim man she loves. All these reasons should be investigated and dealt with in accordance with conditions in society, particularly as many people are determined to stick to their traditions.
In light of the suffering of Iraqi Christians, how do you explain the growing emigration by Middle Eastern Christians?
What happens to Iraqi Christians is a crime by all measures. Many Muslim leaders condemn what is happening in Iraq, where political and religious factors overlap. I used to stress the honourable role of Middle Eastern Christians at the time of the Crusades.
You called for a new language for inter-religious dialogue, what are the bases of such language?
It should adopt self-criticism and stress two points. First, the dialogue should be generalised to reach ordinary people. Up to the moment, it has not gone beyond closed doors. Second, one should be brave enough to anger some of one’s family or others as a price for supporting justice and impartiality.
What is the outcome of inter-religious dialogue? And what is your advice for younger generations?
There should be an international organisation to sponsor inter-religious and intercultural dialogue. As for younger generations, they should spread the culture of love in society. I always tell the young that love is the answer.