An election official (R) watches as an elderly man votes at a polling station in Old Cairo. Credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Posted on 12/03/2011 1:57:13 PM PST by NYer
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Coptic Catholic Patriarch Antonios Naguib remains hopeful for his country's future, even as Egypt's Islamic political parties seem poised to make the largest gains in parliamentary elections this week.
“We have a great hope that a better situation will come out,” Cardinal Patriarch Naguib told CNA Dec. 1, after the Nov. 28-29 vote for lower house representatives in nine of Egypt's 27 provinces.
“There are many groups that are convinced and working hard for democracy,” the Egyptian Eastern Catholic leader said, “and for a society and constitution based on human rights, and equality, and civic society.”
On Dec. 3 Egypt's military government is expected to announce the final results of the first round of voting since the departure of former president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. Early predictions found secular and civic-oriented parties receiving only around 17 percent of the votes.
The Muslim Brotherhood-linked Freedom and Justice Party reportedly won 40 percent of this week's votes, while the hardline Islamic Salafist movement was said to have received another 20 percent.
“We must learn to live with that,” the patriarch said, acknowledging political Islam as a force in Egypt's future.
Such parties, he predicts, will not achieve an absolute dominance.
“They are presenting themselves as the majority, (that) they will have the highest place and the highest percent of everything. But the impression is that the result will be much less than that.”
“We have much hope that after declaration of the results, there will be a good place for the democratic and civic groups and orientation.”
These groups, Patriarch Naguib said, would work to secure a place in society for Egypt's historic Coptic Christian communities.
Christians' political voice depends in part on how Egypt's new government will form after elections, and who will become prime minister. Catholics, Orthodox, and other Christians make up about 10 percent of the Muslim-majority population.
The cardinal says his hope for peaceful Christian-Muslim coexistence “also depends on the results of these elections.”
“If Islamists will be a real majority, this will be a great problem,” he said.
But “if they will have a place which is sure, but in a moderate and amicable way,” he expects “life will be much easier for everybody.”
The strictest Muslim political ideology, he pointed out, excludes even members of the same religion.
“For instance, the Salafists do not want to leave a place to the Muslim Brothers, because they say they are too moderate and Islam is not like that according to their understanding, which is not right.”
For the moment, Patriarch Naguib is grateful that Egypt's first post-Mubarak elections happened without violence, after a tumultuous run-up period in which protesters and police clashed in Cairo.
“Thanks be to God, the last two days when elections were made went quietly and well. There were some transgressions from the part of the Islamists, but with no violence.”
Hope?
They are pining for the fjords at this point, unless they organize and arm themselves.
Between the Salifists and the Muslim Brotherhood you have a 60% radical Islamist majority who want to kill the Christians and Jews. Soon, the vast majority of the Muslim world will look like this.
The Coptic leadership has been extremely pro-muslim for a very long time. Real Copts who aren’t extremists need to leave the country and the leadership like this so-called pope or whatever they call him need to face the music.
That is a ridiculous statement. It sounds like you are trying to justify the Western sellout of Middle Eastern Christians.
If we had a state department that really valued Western ideals, including the Christian way of life, there would be a strong outreach to women as well as secular people and Christians. These three groups can make a strong coalition that can stop Egypt from going back into the dark ages. We should press Egypt to include women's rights and religious rights in its constitution.
Muslim women in Egypt probably don’t even know about how the Taliban treated women or how Iran oppresses people. I am sure that Egyptian media is heavily censured and will not say anything critical of fellow-Muslim countries. Is there American radio in Egypt? We need radio-free-Middle East.
Look for the armed forces to step in again if things “get out of hand”.
Very soon now, you will have to use the past tense when referring to the Coptics, Christians, or other minority religions in Egypt (or all of Northern Africa for that matter).
I wonder why they insist on referring to him as Cardinal Naguib. The proper address of an Eastern Christian hierarch is by his first name.
It would be considerably rude to refer to the current Roman Pontiff as Pope Ratzinger.
The Dhimmi have no hope but appeasement. Obama will not help them. Our State Department gives prefference to Muslim economic immigrants over Christians in the Middle East who need refuge. The UN is dominated by the OIC. Europe is post-Christian and increasingly Muslim. The USS.. er Putin’s Russia is helping Iran.
After next year’s Presidential elections,when we have a new President, things hopefully will ease.
Look for more Middle Easten Christians to be coming to the USA and he could be among them.
Other than for the USA, the only other nation that will be “safe” for Middle Eastern Christians will be Israel.
Middle Eastern Christians need less liturgy and more ammo.
Any ideas on ways to help the Copts and other endangered Eastern Christians?
I thoughr you might enjoy this article.
Good Morning Judith,
Thank you for the ping. I’m glad that someone has hope in Egypt. I’ve been increasing saddened by the persecution of our brothers and sisters in the Middle East.
I do not believe that peaceful co-existence with Islam can be achieved. The only thing to do now is to pray for mass conversion.
To that end I’ve read some interesting stories about the Isa al Masih (The man in white) appearing to Muslims in their dreams and being reponsible for their conversion to Christianity. I believe an Egyptian Imaam once said that this is resulting in 6 million conversions per year. I don’t know if that is accurate or not, but one can hope.
Best Regards
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