EGYPT: Syrian arrested after Ahmadinejad shoe-attack in Cairo (VIDEO)

A Syrian has tried to attack Iranian President Ahmadinejad in front of Al-Hussein mosque in Cairo, Turkey's Anatolia news agency reports. The leader is in the Egyptian capital on a visit.

The video, taken by the news agency’s correspondent, shows a young man shouting at Ahmadinejad and trying to hit the presidents head with a shoe, instead striking one of his bodyguards. 

The attacker, who attempted to hit President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as he left a mosque, is reported to be a young man with “a Syrian accent”. Egyptian security forces managed to seize and arrest the man following the incident.

The attacker was heard chanting anti-Iranian slogans for supporting the Syrian government, the news agency noted.

Egypt: Report: Morsi Suffering From Brain Tumor

Recently installed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is apparently suffering from a brain tumor, Egyptian media reported

Mohammed Morsi

AFP photo

Already saddled with a restive population that appears set on repeating last year's revolution against the regime and mass protests against his style of governing, recently installed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is apparently suffering from a brain tumor, Egyptian media reported Thursday. 

The Al-Wafed newspaper said that the tumor in his brain was currently small, but spreading, and that Morsi needed to have it removed before February. If it was not taken out, his life would be in danger.

The report quoted medical officials said to be familiar with the president's condition, but did not name any specific doctors, and no independent verification was cited. Al-Wafed is considered among the leading newspapers in Egypt opposing Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Morsi's office vociferously denied the report, calling it a “ridiculous lie.” A spokesperson for Morsi said that the government was likely to bring libel charges against Al-Wafed for the story.

Egypt, like many other Arab countries, has a long history of obfuscating the facts about the health of its leaders. Former President Hosni Mubarak, who was deposed in the Egyptian revolution last year and jailed, was subsequently found to have been suffering from a range of maladies that have been ongoing for years, and were only revealed after he was jailed – with attorneys and family pleading for leniency for Mubarak from the new regime because of his poor health.

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Cairo, Egypt: Coptic Christian fears for siblings in Egypt

As reports from Cairo reach America, it's hard to ignore what Lila has to say.

"It's not safe at all,'' said Lila, whose name has been changed to protect the brother and sister she hopes to get out of Egypt as soon as she possibly can.

 

On Tuesday, an Associated Press story about recent clashes included accounts of "crowds of bearded Islamists proclaiming allegiance to Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi and chanting 'God is great' as they descended on tents set up by anti-Morsi protesters ... They set up a detention facility, interrogating and beating captured protesters.''

"If your last name is Christian,'' rather than a traditional Muslim surname, "they can beat you up but good,'' said Lila,a Coptic Christian.

Lila grew up about 200 miles away from Tahrir Square, in Assuit, an area with Egypt's highest concentration of Coptics, who represent about 10 percent of the country's population.

"Before the revolution, it was safe and secure. They could leave the house, go to church,'' she said.

Now an American citizen, she came to the United States in 2006, after her husband got his green card through the U.S. immigration lottery program.

Last year, after returning from a relative's wedding in Egypt during the early days of the "Arab Spring,'' she hired an immigration attorney to help her bring her parents and younger siblings to live with her family here.

The lawyer filed individual applications rather than a family petition, she said. She then sought assistance from U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-3rd.

"I figured out the whole thing was messed up when I went to McGovern's office,'' said Lila, who recently moved from the Framingham area to a community closer to Boston.

McGovern's staff suggested a different lawyer, and things seemed to be going well.

Her parents were interviewed at the American embassy in Cairo and given visas, but the applications for her brother, 16, and sister, 12, were denied.

"We have no idea why,'' said Lila.

In September, with their visas about to expire, her parents made the decision to come to Massachusetts and leave the youngest of their six children with relatives as they continue to fight to be reunited.

"From here, we can do something. From there, we can do nothing,'' Lila said.

"We just want them here so bad,'' her father, who speaks Arabic, said with a family friend translating during an interview Monday afternoon.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x719504572/Spitz-Coptic-Christian-fears-for-siblings-in-Egypt#ixzz2FPPk8DQU

Muslim Brotherhood Member Explains To Egyptian TV:Americans Are Cows, Not Cowboys; America is marching toward its death

After all that Obama has done for the Muslim Brotherhood, Muslim Brotherhood Party Mahmoud Khalil crows over what he sees as America's imminent downfall. And of course, that downfall is the Jews' fault -- who else?

All this is not surprising, really, given that the support for the Brotherhood came from the post-American president, who, not coincidentally, has a career-long history of associations with antisemites and foes of Israel.

"Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Party Member Mahmoud Khalil: Americans Are Cows, Not Cowboys; Jews Control World’s Gold," from MEMRI, September 11 (just posted):

Following are excerpts from an interview with Mahmoud Khalil, a member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, which aired on Al-Nas TV on September 11, 2012.

Mahmoud Khalil: Your regular American is not such a great intellectual as we imagine him to be.

Interviewer: He is not interested in politics...

Mahmoud Khalil: He has a huge body. Eats like a pig. He is like a raging bull or a runaway train. America is marching towards its death. It has the greatest debt in the world. The U.S. debt amounts to 32 million miles of $100 banknotes. Its debt consumes 102% of its Gross National Product. America has the largest debt in the world. America is deceiving...

Interviewer: Nevertheless, it is the mightiest power on Earth.

Mahmoud Khalil: Yes, I hear you, but the American citizen is after his best interests, not after values.

[...]

America will disintegrate. This is inevitable. America will go back to civil wars. This is inevitable. America is over. It is a thing of the past. The US banks have dragged one another into crisis. America is involved in global thievery.

[...]

The Jews brought their thieving [nature] to America. They have used all methods of global criminality. The case of the US banks is no less severe than what the Americans did to the blacks and the Indians, or what the English did to the Aborigines in Australia. These people are slaughterers. They are the greatest thugs in history. They are not the cowboys. They are the cows!

The Jews are money merchants. Throw a Jew into the sea, and he will emerge with a fish in his mouth.

[...]

They successfully infiltrated the U.S. political decision-making centers, and then they gained control of the world’s gold or money through the economy.

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Violent clashes in Egypt’s Alexandria over referendum (Video, Photos)

At least 19 people are reported injured in scuffles between supporters and opponents of Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi in Alexandria, report local media. Tensions have been running high ahead of the constitutional referendum set for Saturday.

Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city, was engulfed in violence after over 2,000 people rallied around a central mosque in support of the draft constitution. The document is backed by Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, who went ahead with a referendum on the national charter despite the recent unrest in the country.

Prominent preacher Ahmed Mahalawy urged Alexandria worshippers to vote 'Yes' in the constitutional referendum, saying it would bring stability, reports Ahram Online.

This provoked protest from opponents of the draft document, fueling the already volatile situation. Several cars were torched while supporters and opponents of Morsi hurled stones at each other. The fighting slowly spread from the mosque where Friday prayers were held to main roads.

Security forces had to be deployed to the scene. At least four men were arrested and scores of knives were confiscated. Nineteen people were injured in the scuffles, the Associated Press reports.

Cairo,Egypt: Court sentences Coptic activist to three years for insulting Islam

A Cairo court sentenced activist Alber Saber to three years in prison for insulting Islam Wednesday.

Marg Misdemeanor Court found Saber guilty of "contempt of religion" after he allegedly posted online parts of the amateur film "Innocence of Muslims" that had sparked protests around the Muslim world, state-run news agency MENA reported.

Prosecutors also accused Saber of running a Facebook page that “promoted extremist ideas” and atheism, as well as insulting the divine, prophets and Islamic and Chirstian religious rites and describing God as weak.

Defense lawyer Hamdy Al-Assiouty described the verdict as difficult, saying that the court ruling was a continuation of the "invalid" legal procedures conducted throughout the case, beginning with the police and public prosecutors.

"I expected this verdict," he said. "It was clear from the way that the court treated the case — the difficulty the defense had in obtaining case documents and the obstacles placed in our way while we were trying to raise a defense — that it would issue such a verdict."

 

Another member of Saber's legal team, lawyer Ahmed Ezzet, said that the verdict is "extremely unjust." Like Assiouty, he emphasized that the procedures followed in the case and the evidence presented against Saber are all invalid.

 

Ezzet added that Saber was supposed to be released pending an appeal after his representatives paid LE1,000 bail, but that the court instead ordered him returned to prison. 

 

Ezzet expects that Saber will be released after the weekend and expects his appeal to be heard in two to three weeks.

Amnesty International and local human rights organizations have called for Saber's release throughout the case.

"Alber Saber Ayad is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression and should be released immediately and unconditionally," Amnesty International said in a statement in October.

Insulting Islam is considered a crime in Egypt under Article 98(f) of the Penal Code, which stipulates "Confinement for a period of not less than six months and not exceeding five years … shall be the penalty inflicted on whoever makes use of religion in propagating, either by words, in writing, or in any other means, extreme ideas for the purpose of inciting strife, ridiculing or insulting a heavenly religion or a sect following it, or damaging national unity.”

Egypt: Gunmen fire at Cairo protesters

 

Nine people were hurt when gunmen fired at protesters camping in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Tuesday, according to witnesses and Egyptian media, as opponents and supporters of President Mohamed Morsi's plans for a referendum on a new constitution geared up for a day of street demonstrations.

Video

Police cars surrounded the square, the first time they had appeared in the area since Nov. 23, shortly after a decree by the president awarding himself sweeping temporary powers that touched off widespread protests.

The upheaval in the most populous Arab nation following the fall of Hosni Mubarak last year is causing concern in the West, in particular the United States, which has given Cairo billions of dollars in military and other aid since Egypt made peace with Israel in 1979.

The attackers, some masked, also threw petrol bombs which started a small fire, witnesses said.

Many of the protesters, awakened by the noise, chanted: "The people want the downfall of the regime" - one of the main slogans of the uprising that toppled Mubarak and now adopted by Morsi's opponents. Recorded recitations of the Koran were played over speakers in the square.

"The masked men came suddenly and attacked the protesters in Tahrir. The attack was meant to deter us and prevent us from protesting today. We oppose these terror tactics and will stage the biggest protest possible today," said John Gerges, a Christian Egyptian who described himself as a socialist.

Leftists, liberals and other opposition groups have called for marches to the presidential palace in the afternoon to protest against the hastily arranged referendum on a new constitution planned for Saturday, which they say is polarising the country and could put it in a religious straightjacket.

Conservatives, who dominated the body that drew up the constitution, have urged their followers to turn out "in millions" the same day in a show of support for the president and for a referendum they feel sure of winning.

Seven people were killed and hundreds wounded last week in clashes between the Muslim Brotherhood and opponents besieging Morsi's graffiti-daubed presidential palace.

The elite Republican Guard which protects the palace has yet to use force to keep protesters away from the building, now ringed with tanks, barbed wire and concrete barricades. A decree issued by Morsi late on Sunday gives the armed forces the power to arrest civilians during the referendum.

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Egypt's Anti-Mursi Protests Show No Signs of Abating

A general view shows protesters against Egypt's President Mursi after they peacefully broke past barbed wire barricades guarding the presidential palace in Cairo - Reuters

Thousands of anti-Mursi protesters in the Egyptian capital Cairo have braved the cold weather outside the presidential palace as the agitation against the draft constitution shows no signs of abating. The latest round of protest started as a rally and turned into a sit-in.

The opposition groups have been distributing blankets to the protesters to keep them warm as the temperature plunged to 13 degree Celsius.

The protesters also erected barricades in the streets leading to the presidential palace fearing a confrontation with Mursi's supporters.

Although police dismissed reports that the protesters could come under attack from Muslim Brotherhood activists, anti-Mursi groups have stepped up vigilance.

Earlier in the day, scores of protesters marched to the presidential palace after cutting barbed wire barricades.

"We will stay here for as long as it takes and will continue to organise protests elsewhere until President Mursi cancels his constitutional decree and postpones the referendum," a computer engineer and anti-Mursi protester, Ahmed Essam, told Reuters.

The opposition groups have firmly rejected Mursi's calls for dialogue saying the Egyptian president has not budged an inch from his stance. Mursi plans to press ahead with his dialogue plan despite fierce opposition from mainline groups including the National Salvation Front, the liberal Wafd party and the National Association for Change, which have decided to boycott any talks.

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Breaking News- Live VIDEO: Anti-Morsi protesters break through wired fences of presidential palace

Several guards have been injured after protesters broke through barbed wire around the presidential palace in Cairo, reports Al-Arabiya. Tens of thousands have come to the palace to slam Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s bid for absolute power.

Friday again saw thousands marching towards the presidential palace in Cairo, while hundreds others rallied in the iconic Tahrir Square. The demonstrations were called by opposition forces, which include various leftist, liberal and democratic groups.

“We want to see the fall of the regime,” chanted the crowd venting their anger with President Morsi, the drafted constitution and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The palace has grown surrounded with barbed wire fences and concrete blocks. Police, national guard troops and military are guarding the place, including the tanks brought in Thursday.

The protesters rallied peacefully for several hours, but as night fell some began attempting to remove the barbed wire. 

Cairo on December 7, 2012 (AFP Photo / Gianluigi Guercia)

Egyptian demonstrators stand behind a barbed wire fence opposite Egyptian soldiers standing guard near the presidential palace in Cairo on December 7, 2012 (AFP Photo / Gianluigi Guercia)

Anti-Morsi demonstrators stage a protest outside the presidential palace in Cairo December 7, 2012 (Reuters / Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

Curfew hits Cairo after military tanks quell anti-Morsi protests

The Egyptian president has addressed the nation, accusing the foreign-funded opposition of trying to incite violence against his legitimacy. Following the speech, hundreds of protesters stormed and torched the Muslim Brotherhood's Cairo HQ.

The president’s speech, which was aimed at restoring stability in the country, has ignited a new escalation in violence.

Several thousand anti-government protesters have stormed the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, breaking windows and furniture and setting the building on fire.

Protesters also reportedly torched, stormed and looted several Cairo offices of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, who responded with stones and Molotov cocktails. While tensions remain high, additional security personnel were deployed to the epicenter of the clashes.

“I separate the legitimate opposition from the vandals who committed violence,” Morsi told the nation. “The opposition thinks Article 6 is a problem. I won’t insist on keeping it, and anyway, the decree ends after the referendum.”

Morsi said he will form a new assembly to write the constitution if the current draft is rejected by the referendum.

Morsi mourned those who died in front of the presidential palace, saying his "heart is bleeding for the loss of innocent lives."

"I feel responsible for the riots in Egypt," he said. "My fellow citizens are one body that cannot be separated or torn apart."

The Egyptian president also attacked those who he says are serving the remnants of the Mubarak regime and trying to bring down the government. He said the reason behind the constitutional declaration was to protect Egypt from such conspiracies.

“These people became rich through the ex-regime and are now spending their fortunes to burn our homeland,” Morsi said, claiming that some of those arrested during the clashes outside the presidential palace have links with opposition parties, while others were paid to add heat to the conflict.

“The ex-regime will not come back again, ever,” Morsi stated.

The president has called for a Saturday meeting with the opposition to defuse the crisis, which he says can only be resolved through dialogue.

Morsi's address follows a wave of heavy clashes beginning on Tuesday between his supporters and opponents, in which at least six people have been killed and over 640 injured. 

A curfew has been introduced in Cairo after the country's military moved in tanks and armored troop carriers to quash the violence in the capital. Several tanks are guarding the presidential palace.

The recent wave of street violence is the worst in Egypt following Morsi's November 22 move to vastly expand his powers.


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First interview with Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II

Shenouda III's successor was formally enthroned in Saint Mark's Cathedral in Cairo. He wants greater freedom for Christians and insists on the need for dialogue between Egyptian Christians and Muslims. Sharia scares but only a minority wants it. Young people are the Orthodox Coptic Church main resource.

 

Cairo (AsiaNews) - In his first interview on 14 November since he became head of the Orthodox Coptic Church, Tawadros II spoke to the Daily News Egypt on a number of issues, including the freedom to build churches, Muslim-Christian dialogue, the greater place proposed for Sharia in the constitution, Coptic exodus and the education of young people.

For the successor of Shenouda III, the possible Islamisation of the state is also major cause of concern, not only for Christians, but for all Egyptians, who will have to submit to the will of a minority. This is clearly evinced by the make-up of the constituent assembly, which the Orthodox Coptic Church and pro-democracy parties have boycotted because it is under thumb of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists.

In the interview, the patriarch focuses on the role of young people in carrying out the Jasmine Revolution and breaking down the wall of isolation and fear that held Copts back for decades. Their desire for truth and justice can be fulfilled by showing that the real answer lies in God.

Elected on 5 November, Tawadros II took office yesterday morning as patriarch of Cairo's Saint Mark's Cathedral. The trilingual (Arabic, English and French) ceremony was performed before hundreds of faithful and dozens of civic and religious authorities. President Morsi was represented by Prime Minister Hisham Qandil, who arrived late by two hours.

Here is the full interview.

One of the most crucial issues for Christians in Egypt is the Unified Law on Houses of Worship, and church construction law, which restricts the construction and maintenance of churches. Will the church, under your leadership, intervene in such matters?

This matter belongs to the state and not the church. This particular issue has caused several crises over the years. The problem of constructing churches comes up so often, as it's a matter of the right to freedom of worship; one of the primary rights afforded by the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights. It will be extremely dangerous when Copts are not granted their right to freedom of worship in Egypt. The problem [Copts face when building churches] occurs, time and time again, and is not met with a decisive and powerful response by the state. We have been hearing about the Law on Houses of Worship, and about the regulation of church construction. However, until this day we have seen nothing [from the government].

Some personal affairs, such as marriage and divorce, have been controversial topics in Coptic society. How would you comment on this?

First, marriage should be built upon modern and rational concepts. Secondly, there are two important terms; talaq and tatliq. These are legal terms. Talaq, or divorce in Christianity, can only be enforced in case of adultery, either by action or thought. When such sin happens, the sinful party is denied the church's permission to remarry. The other party is free to remarry. The church does not grant the sinful party permission to remarry since he has not been faithful in the first marriage. He was enjoying a correct marital life, and proved to be dishonest; how come then would he be entrusted with another marriage? Someone, and forgive my figurative sense, works in a bank and steals, can we still employ him in the bank?

Regarding tatliq, it is an entirely different matter. It is a case where a marriage was erroneously initiated without our knowledge. Reasons might be physical or psychological illness, or several other things. In such an event, both parties file a complaint with the church, namely the Clerical Council. The complaint is then studied, in the case that the plaintiffs are right, they acquire what is termed as voidable marriage, meaning it is as if the marriage had not taken place. Imagine we built a three storey building, before discovering that the foundations are unsuitable, what can we do? Do we allow people to move in?

Many Copts, especially women, complain their right to inheritance is subject to Islamic Shari'a. What's your view on this?

In this issue Islamic Shari'a is enforced, meaning that the male receives twice the female's share [of inheritance]. Most Christian families apply these rules in accordance with the Shari'a law, through the courts. [But they manage to] amicably settle their inheritance matters [among themselves]. In the end it is the Islamic inheritance law that is being applied.

Your papacy comes at a time when there are many more Copts living abroad than when your predecessor was enthroned. With regards to expatriate Copts, do you intend to conduct visits abroad? Many more Copts have emigrated since the revolution.

And you don't know why?

Are you referring to their fear of the Muslim Brothers?

I didn't say it, it was you!

But what is your opinion?

Worshippers present Bishop Tawadros with a new banner celebrating his ascension to the papacy

Hassan Ibrahim

Naturally. When a certain society frightens and expels its offspring, mankind, the most precious thing on Egyptian soil; such a society is losing [out].

Will the church work on calling on the recent emigrants to return?

I first want to tell you something. Why do we call them "expatriate Copts" rather than "Christians" or "Egyptians"? At the start, they are Egyptians who decided to migrate. Had they been Muslim or Copts, they are first and last, Egyptians. Egyptians present in any country in the world, are considered a continuum of Egypt. In other words, Egypt is represented in European society through Egyptians, and is also represented in American society through Egyptians. There are Copts, yes. We consider a church to be a popular embassy of Egypt. An embassy that serves Egypt, and that regulates the life of Egyptian expats. Of course in due time I will be visiting our churches as part of my duties.

You are known as being one of the disciples of Bishop Pachomious, and one of the closest people to Pope Shenouda III. Will you continue on the same path, or direct the course of the Egyptian church in a different direction?

The path adopted by Pope Shenouda is a moderate one. The same is true for the path followed by Bishop Pachomious. I am generally leaning towards being moderate.  Extremism towards either the right or the left is not acceptable. We as Egyptians, have the Nile River crossing the middle of our land, we were all taught this in geography. This Nile River flowing in the middle teaches us to be moderate.

What do you expect of the relationship between the Egyptian church and the presidency under Muslim Brotherhood rule?

Our hearts are open to anyone. My heart is open to everyone, and this is true for my fathers and brothers among the bishops and priests. We do not close our doors or hearts in the face of any human being.

What is the expected relationship between your institution and the Muslim Brotherhood?

Relations full of respect, love, compassion, and peace. Two days ago we had a visit from the representatives of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) in Wadi Al-Natrun, where the monastery is located. They asked me what I would wish for from the FJP. I replied that I request two things from the FJP; freedom and justice, only.

Have you taken any decisions with regards to amending the patriarchal elections law?

Yes, and this is considered the first decision I made. It is true that I have not yet practised my regular work, and have not yet travelled to Cairo, but this was my first decision. We have formed a committee comprising of members of the electoral organising committee. The number of the committee was 18, half of whom are bishops and priests, the other half consists of legal experts and consultants. I requested from the committee to prepare a draft of a new patriarchal elections law, to be presented to a church discussion panel, prior to being presented to the responsible authorities.

Is increasing the number of candidates among the suggested amendments?

The amendments include increasing the number of candidates, the expansion of the definition of diocese, which are geographical domains assigned to every bishop. The amendments also mention our churches abroad. I want to tell you that when the law was brought in, in 1957, the number of bishops was thirteen. Today, the number of bishop is almost 100. If, among the thirteen bishops in the old law, we take nine to represent the committee, how many will we choose from the current hundred? These are parts of the amendments.

Many Islamists are been calling for the complete implementation of Islamic Shari'a. What will be the church's response if this actually happens?

Naturally, Shari'a is a religious matter, isn't it? It is applied on man in his relationship with God. It is not then a social order that can be implemented on any person. If this happens [implementation of Shari'a law], we have many responses and many ideas. I expect the society to respect everyone belonging to it; Egyptians, Muslims and Christians. If my Muslim brother would hurt my feelings, being his brother sharing the same homeland, what else is left? This is the responsibility of the Muslim majority of Egypt.

How do you comment on the draft constitution? And do you foresee that the constitution will be issued in this current form?

The constitution should remain under the umbrella of citizenship. The common factor that brings us on Egyptian soil is that you are a citizen, and I am a citizen, both holding Egyptian citizenship. You are Muslim, I completely respect you, and I am Christian, you completely respect me. You have your own worshipping methods and personal or family traditions, this is totally respected. It cannot happen that I focus on a marginal section [of society] and take it as a general case. The draft constitution discussed numerous matters. Some are on the side of the extreme right, while others are maintaining the extreme left. Meanwhile, the moderate voice is gradually diminishing.

What would be your solution be to the current polarised political climate?

The solution lies in being clear with ourselves. The truth is that the formation of the Constituent Assembly is not the solution. The current formation does represent all Egyptians justly.

What is your opinion regarding the place of Copts in the cabinet, in light of the promises made by President Mohamed Morsi?

You are touching on difficult issues. I do not care about how many ministers are Christians or Muslims. What I care about is [having] a cabinet of ministers of an acceptable calibre. I look to the efficiency of the responsible person, whether president, minister, or manager, and not to his religious affiliation.

How do you see the role of the Coptic youth of the church? What about the role of the Maspero Youth Movement and the Coalition of Egyptian Copts?

The youth are like a golden link in a chain[Egyptian saying]. Pope Shenouda had a very nice saying, "youth without church, youth without future."

In the decades preceding the revolution, there was a pressure being exerted on Copts, and there was marginalisation and a compulsion to step away from everything.

Following the revolution, the fear barrier was broken, and the gates of freedom have become wide open before the youth. In the old days, whenever there was a problem, the youth used to demonstrate in the cathedral. Now there are good movements. Some have become accustomed to demonstrating in front of parliament, the cabinet, and the surrounding streets.

Today's youth, on the global level, demand dialogue, outreach and communication, like youth around the world.  They cannot accept things as they are. This logic does not work with them anymore. I want to give you a little idea. Previously, people were brought up through the family, the school, the church, and the mosque. Today, upbringing is performed by three elements, the TV, the computer with the internet and all of the social media websites, and third, the mobile phone. Three screens are the ones bringing up our youth. As such, today's youth are facing a great deal of disturbance. They need to be spiritually filled, and to engage in a spiritual relationship with God. They need to fill their hearts as they fill their brains. The church will support the youth spiritually.

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Tens of thousands of Egyptians take to the streets a year after the massacre of Copts at Maspero

 

Cairo  - Egyptians from all walks of life took part last night in a rally that marked the first anniversary of the massacre of Copts in front of the Maspero building. Tens of thousands of Christians, Muslims, people from al-Azhar University, Islamists and even supporters of Cairo's football team marched from Dawaran Shurba Square, along the banks of the Nile, to the Egyptian State TV building, shouting slogans against the military and the Muslim Brotherhood. The protest took the same route followed by the thousands of Coptic protesters who on the night of 9-10 October had taken to the streets to complain about the destruction of two Coptic churches in Upper Egypt by Muslims. The violent military crackdown that followed left 26 people dead, 24 Copts and two police agents.

Fr Rafic Greiche, spokesman for the Egyptian Catholic Church, told AsiaNews that "the great success of the demonstration and the participation of large numbers of Muslims are hopeful signs for Copts fighting for justice over the past year. No politician wants to face the issue, one of the darkest pages of Egypt's recent history."

Demonstrators gathered first for vesper, in a symbolic funeral for the victims. Some 20 young women dressed in ancient costumes walked in front of the crowd carrying large pictures of the young victims, followed by the replica of an ancient ship with the names of the dead activists on the sails.
"The moment I saw my brother laying on the ground covered with blood, after he was run over by an armoured military vehicle, fails to leave my memory, even one year later," said Wael Bishay, 31, a member of one of the 24 families demanding justice. So far, the authorities have said nothing despite appeals for action.
The lack of evidence has hampered the trial of those accused. Three soldiers charged with second-degree murder were tried by a court-martial, not a civilian court, and were given a three-year sentence.
The court ruled that they were guilty of "negligence and absence of caution, while they were driving armed forces armoured personnel carriers in an arbitrary fashion," but nowhere does it mention intent.
Similarly, none of the military who took power in 2011 has been held accountable for the massacre.
However, a year since the event, some steps seem to have been taken in that direction. This month, it was announced that Tantawi, former chief of staff Sami Anan, former military police head Hamdy Badeen and current military police head Ibrahim El-Domiaty will be investigated for their role in the deaths of protesters.
Over the past few months, the Coptic community and the families of the 24 victims filed a complaint with the public prosecutor, who transferred the matter to the Justice Ministry.
Yesterday, President Morsi came under strong criticism when he announced an amnesty for the young people arrested during the Jasmine Revolution but failed to mention the massacre of Copts by the military.
Sources told AsiaNews that Islamists and the military have reached an informal agreement to cover up the affair to protect those responsible, who also include some Salafists.
"I saw army soldiers throwing bodies of protesters in the Nile," Wael Bishay said. "I remember seeing three Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) intentionally running over protesters." For him, if "each APC had three to four army personnel inside," it is impossible that only three people are on trial.
For Ramy Kamel from the Maspero Youth Union, an organisation set up after the massacre, the attack was planned and the soldiers involved belonged to Islamist groups.
"For the first time in my life, I heard soldiers saying Allah Akbar (God is great) after killing Coptic protesters," he explained. Some armed civilians also fired live ammunition.
Despite hundreds of eyewitnesses, taped videos and complaints by international organisations, the Defence Ministry continues to deny the use of live bullets, claiming instead that the vehicles "unintentionally" knocked down protesters.
A few days after the massacre, Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) member General Mohamed El-Assar defended the military in a televised press conference, insisting that hooligans egged on by the crowd attacked soldiers and set fire to an armoured vehicle.
In the aftermath, the military prosecution hauled 31 civilians in front of military courts, charging them with violence against the armed forces. Recently, all but two were released. Cairo Criminal Court adjourned the case against Michael Abdel-Naguib and Mosaad Shaker to 4 November.
For Coptic activists, their arrest and trial are excuses used to justify the official version of events, which puts the blame on demonstrators, not the military.
State media have relayed the same story. As demonstrators were dying outside the media headquarters, inside the walls, state television called on the nation to "come and protect the armed forces" from their supposed assailants.


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