The biggest news story in Egypt, this week, continues to be the rift between the Coptic Church and the Egyptian Government regarding remarriage. Copts and representatives from a number of organizations demonstrated in front of the Parliament earlier this week, calling for the passing of a personal status law that would protect individual distinctions based on religious law. In addition the issue spread to become an international one, as activists abroad raised support for Egyptian Copts.
The pressure seems to have been effective, as a committee from the Justice Ministry met to discuss the drafting of the aforementioned personal status law. On Thursday, Legal Affairs Minister Mufid Shehab met with Pope Shenouda III to discuss the progress on the proposed law. Church and government representatives seem to be cooperating on the project and hoped to complete the law within two months, as per President Mubarak’s instructions.
The other significant news was the release of the six Ahmadi Egyptians who’d been held in jail for more than 80 days. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) was instrumental in supporting their legal rights and securing their release.
Both stories highlight the problems facing religious freedom in Egypt, as well as the hope that a movement towards greater governmental protection of religious diversity may arise from these conflicts.
--------
The weekly coverage on religious freedom status in Egypt is written by Steven Aiello
No comments:
Post a Comment