Is the Muslim Brotherhood a New Target of Egypt’s Anti-Government Protests?

By Aidan Clay
Special to ASSIST News Service

CAIRO, EGYPT (ANS) -- Thousands of activists gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square last weekend in continued protests to denounce the rule of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and, in a surprising turn of events, the election of the Muslim Brotherhood-ruled parliament. The large demonstrations marked the one year anniversary of President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster from power.

A boy waves the Egyptian flag, hopeful that change is still on the horizon in the new Egypt

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, which won 47 percent of the votes in Egypt’s elections for the lower-house of parliament in January, has fallen under increasing pressure in recent weeks, Christian and moderate activists told International Christian Concern (ICC). Many accuse the Muslim Brotherhood of participating in fraudulent elections and tacitly allying with the SCAF. Meanwhile, protestors continue to demand that the SCAF immediately cease power to civilian rule while condemning them for committing human rights violations that rival those of Mubarak’s regime.

“Protestors were shouting, ‘No military council and no Brotherhood. This is our revolution, the youth’s revolution,’” Coptic activist Wagih Yacoub told ICC. “Many people have regretted electing the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is more concerned with their movement than the benefit of the country.”

Mary Ibrahim Daniel, the sister of Mina Daniel – a well-known Coptic activist who was killed by the SCAF during a peaceful protest on October 9 – continues to march with demonstrators to defend the memory of her brother and to demand the same freedoms that were sought in Egypt’s revolution.

“I dream that one day all the Egyptian people will demonstrate against the Brotherhood,” Daniel told ICC. “I was surprised to see so many people, including Muslims, protesting against them outside the House of Parliament. I think that finally the Egyptian people are waking up to the fact that the Brotherhood used religion to get into power and are using religion to stay in power. The Brotherhood is hijacking the ideals and motives behind the revolution.”

“No military council and no Brotherhood. This is our revolution, the youth’s revolution,” activists chanted in Cairo's Tahrir Square last weekend, marking the one year anniversary of President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster from power

The Muslim Brotherhood recently pulled away from popular demands that Egypt’s new parliament should immediately replace the military-appointed government, which raises concerns that the Muslim Brotherhood is tacitly allying with the SCAF for political gain. Alliances formed by the Muslim Brotherhood will likely set the agenda of the new parliament, including its appointment of an assembly to draft the constitution. The SCAF has made clear its intention to influence the process and has opted for autonomy from parliament oversight, The Wall Street Journal reported last November.

The Egyptian daily Al-Wafd, published by the Wafd political party, recently reported that the SCAF has discretely helped finance the Muslim Brotherhood, enabling them to carry out social programs which have played a major role in securing votes. Some Egyptians claim that the SCAF will hand over internal powers to the Muslim Brotherhood while it remains in control of defense, security and the country’s enormous budget.

“The Brotherhood has always publicly insisted that there is no deal [between them and the SCAF]. But especially since they offered immunity from legal action to the SCAF for its actions since the revolution, the allegations grew louder,” Mara Revkin, analyst at the U.S. think-tank the Atlantic Council, told Now Lebanon. The SCAF has been accused of killing hundreds of protestors, including 27 Christians on October 9 and at least 41 activists during demonstrations leading up to the parliamentary elections.

Renewed protests are planned to take place outside the hospital where former President Mubarak is being held. In a message intended to undermine demonstrators, the SCAF warned on Friday that it will not bow to threats and plots that aim to topple the state and spread chaos, The Associated Press reported. The Muslim Brotherhood also condemned recent protests, saying that it will not take part in demonstrations that will hurt Egypt’s already fragile economy. However, many activists, including Coptic Christians who make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population, remain hopeful that change is still on the horizon.

“Every day is a new day. Every hour is a new hour,” Yacoub said. “I stopped predicting what will happen next. I’ll wake up and find that a new disaster has happened. You just don’t know in Egypt. The 24th of January was different than the 25th, which was different than the 11th of February when Mubarak stepped down. I’ve learned to take things step-by-step, day-by-day, hour-by-hour.”

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Aidan Clay is the Middle East Regional Manager for International Christian Concern (ICC), a Washington, DC-based human rights organization that exists to support persecuted Christians worldwide by providing awareness, advocacy, and assistance (www.persecution.org). Aidan is a graduate from Biola University in Southern California. Prior to joining ICC, Aidan worked with Samaritan’s Purse in South Sudan and has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, Africa and Europe. He and his wife currently live in Nairobi, Kenya. For more information, contact Aidan Clay at clay@persecution.org 

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Egyptian Police Prevent Christian Protesters From Reaching Parliament

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

CAIRO, EGYPT (ANS) -- Egyptian Security forces on Sunday, February 12, 2012, prevented a rally of hundreds of Copts and activists from various political groups from reaching the Egyptian Parliament in Cairo, Egypt’s capital.

Protesters making their voice heard over the situation in El-Ameriya

The rally was staged to condemn the eviction of eight Coptic families from their homes in El-Ameriya in Alexandria, on January 27, 2012.

Copts in the village of Kobry-el-Sharbat (El-Ameriya), Alexandria, were attacked on January 27 by a mob of 3,000 Muslims led by Salafi leaders, who looted and torched homes and shops belonging to Copts.

The violence was prompted by allegations made by a Muslim barber named Toemah that a 34-year-old Coptic tailor, Mourad Samy Guirgis, had on his mobile phone illicit photos of a Muslim woman. Mourad denied the accusation and surrendered to the police for fear for his life. Muslims looted and torched his workshop and home after he surrendered to the police, and his entire family, including his parents and his married brother Romany, were evicted from the village.

According to Mary Abdelmassih, writing for the Assyrian International News Agency (www.aina.org) the protestors were angry at the Parliament Speaker, who ignored last week an urgent request submitted by elected Coptic member of Parliament Dr. Emad Gad, to discuss this issue.

“The protesters said they wanted to meet with members of parliament, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafi parties to inform them of their condemnation of the events in El-Ameriya,” said Abdelmassih. “Two Copts, Hani Ramsis and John Talaat, were chosen as delegates to the Parliament Speaker to deliver the message ‘No to reconciliation sittings or to the displacement of the Copts in El-Ameriya.’”

Abdelmassih said that John Talaat, former elections candidate for Parliament, said that what is going on is a “farce caused by lack of security and we are here to deliver the message, and we demand a formal questioning of the Minister of Interior regarding this deportation [of the Coptic families from the village].”

Coptic homes in El-Ameriya set ablaze by Muslim extremists

Dr. Emad Gad, a Coptic member of Parliament, presented on February 7 an urgent request, supported by 22 signatures of liberal members of parliament, to the Parliament Speaker, Dr. Saad el Katatny, who is from the Muslim Brotherhood's Liberty and Justice Party, to discuss the Eviction of 8 Coptic families and the seizure of their property. The request was ignored.

“Katatny just folded the paper I presented and put it on his desk”, said Dr. Gad. “Within a tribe, in the desert, or in a tent, you apply these unofficial reconciliation sittings, but in Egypt we have civil law.”

Dr. Gad, who is deputy director of the Al-Ahram Institute of Strategic Studies, said he would escalate the matter further if the Parliament does not respond to this issue. He was due to submit another request to the Speaker today.

“Today's a meeting was held in a room in the Parliament, attended by several members of parliament, mainly liberals and Copts,” the Middle East journalist went on to say. “It also included the three MPs from the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi parties who were involved in the reconciliation sitting. Egyptians Against Religious Discrimination presented a petition, signed by 13 NGOs, to the Speaker, criticizing the military and security authorities for not protecting the Copts and for giving their blessings to ‘the shameful reconciliation sittings.’”

Sheikh Sherif al-Hawary, who was present at the meeting, pointed out that he intervened after the people of the village contacted him due to the lack of police presence and their inability to enforce the law, and that his primary aim was to prevent the shedding of blood.

“Liberals and Copts,” added Abdelmassih, “insisted there has to be an end to collective punishment, forced eviction of Copts and reconciliation sittings, and that the rule of law has to prevail. Some of the attendees joined in the debate and unanimously agreed that the family of Abeskhayroun Soliman should not be evicted. They also discussed a solution to apply the law and provide means for protecting this family in view of the prevailing lack of security.

“The meeting established a fact-finding commission affiliated to the parliamentary human rights committee, to be made up of all Alexandria members of parliament and two Coptic members.”

Dr. Emad Gad, in an interview on CTV Coptic Channel, was optimistic that the parliamentary commission would develop recommendations to stop eviction and put an end to reconciliation sittings and the application of the law.

“These recommendations will be presented to parliament and if it passes through parliament I believe this will be a significant achievement, because parliament can oblige the government to apply them.”

Abdelmassih concluded by saying, “Other Coptic observers did not seem to share Dr. Gad's optimism, but rather anticipated that there will be a chain of parliamentary committees and no results in the end.”

Note: The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians and the largest Christian group there. Christianity was the majority religion during the 4th to 6th centuries AD and until the Muslim conquest of Egypt. As a religious minority, the Copts are often subject to discrimination in modern Egypt, and are the target of attacks by militant Islamic extremist groups.

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Dan Wooding, 71, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 48 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK and also in Belize and South Africa. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries and also provides a regular commentary for Worship Life Radio on KWVE. You can follow Dan Wooding on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books, one of which is his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel “Red Dagger” which is available this link.

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Freedom of Expression Suppressed by Islamists in Egypt as Christian Billionaire’s Trial Draws Nears

By Aidan Clay
Special to ASSIST News Service

EGYPT (ANS) -- The court hearing of Egyptian Coptic billionaire Naguib Sawiris, who was accused of “insulting Islam” last month, is scheduled to reopen on Saturday. Sawiris’ hearing follows the prison sentence of Egyptian actor Adel Imam who was tried on similar charges last week. The two cases underline concerns about freedom of expression in Egypt.

Naguib Sawiris (Photo via Bloomberg Businessweek)

Christian telecom mogul Naguib Sawiris, who founded the Free Egyptians political party, was charged for “blasphemy and insulting Islam” on January 9 when he reposted a cartoon of a bearded Mickey Mouse and a veiled Minnie Mouse on Twitter. The initial court hearing held on January 14 was postponed because the billionaire failed to show up, Agence France-Presse reported. The independent Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm accredited the trial’s adjournment to a “fistfight” between the defense and prosecuting lawyers after Sawiris was branded as a “criminal” in court.

Among the group of Islamist lawyers who filed the lawsuit against Sawiris was Mamdouh Ismail, a former member of Islamic Jihad who has been known to represent accused terrorists and was himself arrested for complicity with al-Qaeda in 2007.

The Muslim Brotherhood, who won 47 percent of the votes in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, quickly backed Ismail’s lawsuit while the ultraconservative Salafists led a nationwide campaign to boycott products and services offered by Sawiris’ companies. Many Egyptian Christians and liberals believe Islamists rallied the nationwide outcry to discredit Sawiris and his secular Free Egyptians Party.

“Sawiris is one of the biggest supporters of the Egyptian liberal parties,” Wagih Yacoub, a Coptic human rights activist, told International Christian Concern (ICC). “The Islamists are delivering a message to Coptic Christians that they can take down our leaders. They’re saying, ‘This is our country now. You’ll live as we want you to live.’”

Adel Imam, Egypt’s leading comic actor, faced similar charges last week when he was sentenced to three months in jail for “defaming Islam” in an Egyptian court for a role he played in a 2007 film, the state-run Ahram Online English website reported. The cases have added to concerns that Islamists are using their newfound political powers to stifle freedom of expression.

“Christians and many Muslims are supporting Adel Imam. Whether we like him or not, we are defending the freedom of speech and the freedom of art,” said Yacoub. “What is Adel Imam’s sentence based on? His old movies made years ago? It’s crazy. We’re going through a dark time in Egypt.”

“In both cases, the men didn’t do anything against ‘Islam’ but merely made fun of Islamists,” said Barry Rubin, director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center in Herzliya, Israel. “The battle, of course, is being waged by Islamists who want their interpretation of the religion to be declared as the only acceptable version. Westerners don’t understand that when that happens anything more moderate or flexibly traditional hence becomes illegal and punishable. The Islamist counter-Bill of Rights proclaims that the country’s people have no freedom of speech or freedom of religion, no right to free assembly or of the press.”

Sawiris is a champion of secularism and has publicly opposed the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the prospect that Islamists will draft a new constitution influenced by Sharia law. Sawiris has also dismissed the Muslim Brotherhood’s official moderate stance, accusing the group of wanting to turn Egypt into an Iran-style theocracy, Reuters reported. Sawiris’ Free Egyptian Party, in alliance with secular political parties known as the Egyptian bloc, won nine percent of the seats in Egypt’s new parliament. If convicted, Sawiris could spend up to six months in prison.

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Aidan Clay is the Middle East Regional Manager for International Christian Concern (ICC), which exists to serve the persecuted church through advocacy, assistance, and awareness. Aidan is a graduate of Biola University in southern California and worked with Samaritan’s Purse in South Sudan prior to joining ICC. He has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Europe and currently lives with his wife in Nairobi, Kenya. To learn more, please contact Aidan atclay@persecution.org Please visit ICC’s website at www.persecution.org

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Caught Up in the Middle

By Lucy Shafik 
Special to ASSIST News Service

CAIRO, EGYPT (ANS) -- Egyptians lined up once again outside the polling stations in a scene very much like the one in mid-March, when almost every single Egyptian was out to cast their Yes or No on making changes to the constitution. This time however many were not as thrilled or even willing to vote in what is the first real and practical move as a democratic nation. There was still a lot of skepticism that the elections would be forged by members of the old regime or the SCAF (Supreme Council of the Armed Forces) itself.

Women voters in Cairo

I was one of those people who went out to vote but still had doubts as to whether my vote will count for something, since there was not a single credible electoral process in recent memory. Surprisingly there was still a strong turnout at the polling stations, about 62%.

People from every walk of life headed out to their different polling stations (schools in each neighborhood) and cast their vote, with a lot of doubts and questions hanging in the air. Security was tight due to the deadly clashes that took place a week before the elections. Several soldiers and policemen stood guard at the entrances to make sure no thugs caused a ruckus, or that candidates were still campaigning, and that ballot boxes were locked and sealed up safely.

Overall it went well, there was a large turnout and security kept a tab on any skirmishes, and the administrative work was well organized. I was surprised that with such a large number of people going out to vote and especially after the previous weeks violence, the results came out on time and with what seems a credible process.

Members of my family were reluctant to vote because they believed that the Muslim Brotherhood would win anyways, so what’s the point? We encouraged each other that we would do our part and leave the rest to God. If the Brotherhood gained a majority that’s fine, the churches in Egypt haven’t stopped praying and God is listening and will bring good out of this no matter the outcome.

An Egyptian man casts his voice

The first round of voting just ended last week with the Brotherhood and Salafists (hardcore Muslims) gaining the majority votes. However many liberals and moderate Muslims also won seats especially in the upper and middle class neighborhoods of Cairo, such as Nasr City and Heliopolis. For example in Nasr City, my neighborhood, neither the Brotherhood nor Salafists got seats. This is good news of course for me and my family who had such low hopes that our voice would matter. Still the Muslim Brotherhood remains at the forefront and many believe in the next rounds they will gain even more votes. So far the Muslim Brotherhood won 40% of the votes and the Salafists 20%. This was not surprising at all, since they were the most organized political group and immediately after the fall of Hosni Mubarak they bobbed their heads out of the water and went around Egypt campaigning. Plus they’ve been around for over 80 years, maybe not in public, but they still existed. The liberal political groups only started to appear and mobilize after the revolution, so they had only a few months to make their voices heard and gain momentum before the elections.

Although I am afraid of how the Muslim Brotherhood will rule Egypt, I’m more tense about the Salafists, who will try to apply the Islamic Sharia on all aspects of life; they will no doubt impose strict Islamic codes on society. However the Muslim brotherhood is very sly and deceptive; they make you believe one thing while their real intention remains hidden. So even if they appear as more moderate than the Salafists, they may be hiding unpleasant surprises for when they are finally in power. At least the Salafists are direct and upfront about their intentions. Honestly, people are making jokes about the Brotherhood’s rise to power and how this will eventually affect our daily life. One such joke is that people will need a passport to get into Heliopolis, the most liberal neighborhood in all of Egypt.

Many are unable to deal with this crisis, so humor is the best medicine I suppose. But deep down we are aware of how so much is changing in such a short time, and sometimes not dwelling on it too much is the only solution. We can keep guessing as to how things will change for Christians and for the country as a whole in the next year or so, but none of the scenarios we play out are good. During talk shows, Salafists claim that the first thing they’ll do is put restrictions on tourists visiting the Red Sea, what to wear and such. The other thing is ban alcohol from all public venues and impose strict dress codes on all Egyptian women.

Egyptian believers praying at Kasr El Dobara Evangelical Church near Cairo’s Tahrir Square

It’s not comforting to listen to those things, but our hope is in the few liberal individuals who won seats in Parliament and of course the SCAF (military) who wants to maintain some of its power under an Islamist dominated parliament. They announced last week that they will set up a council to help oversee the drafting of the constitution and through this promising to protect the rights of liberals. Of course they are being met with strong opposition from the Brotherhood who believes all the SCAF wants to do is marginalize the parliament and ultimately have the last say in all matters. The battle between these two is just beginning and we are caught up in the middle of it. In some ways it is good that the military is looking out for itself, because then the Brotherhood’s powers will be limited. I could go on about how things could either turn out well or how they can implode by playing out the different scenarios but no good will come of it. We have to wait and see.

The only thing we can do these days is pray and be as politically active as we’re allowed. My church, Kasr El Doubara is hosting 24/7 prayer shifts and I can't tell you how crowded those prayer meetings are, it's amazing how much people are uniting in prayer and how much we believe God will do through prayer. We have one hope, that God would show His glory through this.

 

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Lucy Shafik is a 2010 graduate in journalism from the American University in Cairo. Raised in a Christian family, Shafik says her relationship with God deepened and became more personal after she attended YWAM’s Discipleship Training School in Denver in 2005. Shafik has lived in Egypt her entire life, but travels regularly, usually on mission trips or schools with YWAM. She attends Kasr El Doubara evangelical church in downtown Cairo every Friday, and is currently leading a small group. She can be contacted by e-mail at:lucyshafik@gmail.com

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Islamist Groups Leading in Egypt’s Parliamentary Elections

Christians fear mistreatment could increase.

By Wayne King

Injured Christian demonstrator in Cairo
(Courtesy Compass Direct News)

CAIRO, Egypt, December 2 (Compass Direct News) – Islamist groups made a strong showing this week in the first stages of Egypt’s parliamentary elections, according to figures released today by elections officials, renewing concerns Christians have about their future in the country.

The Freedom and Justice Party, affiliated with the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood, won 40 percent of the vote overall. The Al Nour Party, made up of members of the extremist Salafi group, garnered 20 percent of the vote. By comparison, the relatively liberal Egypt Social Democratic Party received 15 percent of the total vote.

The candidates where campaigning for 112 seats, but the total number of seats allocated from this round of voting will not be known until after a run-off election on Monday (Dec. 5).

The election results confirmed the fears of Egyptian Christians, many of whom believe that Islamists will take control of the country in the wake of the revolution that deposed former President Hosni Mubarak. Egyptians now wait for the run-offs and final two rounds of this election, another election to seat the second half of Egypt’s bicameral chamber, and then finally the election for the next president. Further wins by Islamists, Christians said, will guarantee increased persecution against them or at a minimum, entrench their second-hand status in the country.

Bloodied Christian Cairo demonstrator
(Courtesy Compass Direct News)

Echoing the remarks of most Christians in the country, Marcelle Mageh, 22, blamed conservative Muslims for the dramatic increase in attacks against Christians in Egypt after Mubarak fell from power. Sitting in the Church of St. Theresa in Cairo along with her fiancé shortly after casting their ballots on Monday (Nov. 28), Mageh said the prospect of the Muslim Brotherhood running the country along with the Salafis frightens her.

“You see all the problems that have happened before they got into power,” she said. “Imagine what will happen when they get into power.”

After the Revolution

After Mubarak stepped down from power on Feb. 11, there was a brief period of elation among Egypt’s Christians. But the joy was quickly replaced by fear after a string of attacks against Christians by self-identified members of the Salafi movement and other Muslims.

Members of the loosely affiliated Islamic group attacked Christian-owned homes and business, set church buildings on fire, and prevented congregations from opening or reopening churches, and in one incident “punished” one Christian after accusing him of renting an apartment to two prostitutes. They ordered him to convert to Islam or they would cut off his ear. He refused to convert.

For about two weeks in April, members of the Salafi movement, along with Muslims from across the country, blocked off the city of Qena when the interim government nominated a Coptic man as governor over Qena Province. He was later replaced with a Muslim.

Over the same year, the Egyptian army attacked at least two monasteries. And during an unusual show of brutality in October, the army killed at least 27 people in Cairo, at least 23 of them Christians, who were protesting the torching of a church in Aswan.

To date, no one has been tried for any of the attacks or killings. In fact, the government has instead arrested numerous Copts in connection with the incidents, claiming they incited “sectarian” violence or possessed illegal weapons.

Two-Faced Rhetoric

Part of the reason Copts are so nervous about the Islamists gaining power, the Salafis in particular, is that they accuse them of being deceptive with their rhetoric. When the Islamists are trying to gain power, they espouse policies they later deny or scoff at in private among their co-religionists, said Coptic Catholic Antowan Zekaria, 25.

“If they are in power, they show their real faces,” he said.

In the case of the Qena protests, Salafi leaders said their objection to the Coptic governor was not because he was a Christian, but because he was allegedly connected to the Mubarak government. But video shot at the protests later showed protestors screaming because, they said, having a Christian “rule” over a Muslim was against Islamic law.

Salafi religious leaders have also made numerous statements emphasizing Christian’s second-citizen status in Egypt, such as saying no Christian is fit to be president over Egypt. Several mass attacks against Christians in Upper Egypt happened this year after Salafi sheiks prompted attacks during Friday prayers.

Not all Christians in Egypt are convinced that the country under Brotherhood and Salafi leadership would lead to more persecution.

“It depends on the maturity of the leadership that comes afterward and how much they realize the importance of the image of Egypt internationally,” said the Rev. Mouneer Anis, bishop of the Episcopal and Anglican Diocese of Egypt.

Lilian Sobhy, a surgeon who worked at a medical clinic in Kasr El Dobara during the recent riots, said that more persecution is coming, but that Christians who focus on that miss the larger point. The point, she said, isn’t that persecution will come, but how to deal with it when it does.

“We believe that if the church is standing in the right place it is going to be glorious, so we don’t really care who is going to win,” she said. “Wherever it is going to happen, we believe that the Lord is sovereign.”

www.compassdirect.org

END

Copyright 2011 Compass Direct News

Egyptian Government Report Absolves Army of Maspero Massacre of Coptic Christians

By Michael Ireland
Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

CAIRO, EGYPT (ANS) -- The fact-finding commission of Egypt's National Council for Human Rights, NCHR, the official body which oversees human rights in the country, last Wednesday issued its report on the events of October 9, titled the "Maspero Massacre," where 27 Coptic Christian protesters were killed and over 329 more injured outside the State TV building in Maspero, Egypt.

According to Egyptian journalist Mary Abdelmassih, writing for AINA -- the Assyrian International News Agency(www.aina.org) -- the NCHR report drew angry responses from Copts and was blasted by NGOs and human rights activists as a white wash of the military's role in the Maspero Massacre.

"The report of the commission as it stands ensured that the army is absolved of any responsibility of firing ammunition," said Dr. Naguib Gabriel, head of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organization EUHRO.

"NCHR provided evidence of innocence, in advance, for the army, without having the evidence to prove it."

In its report, AINA say some activists argued that the NCHR report is invalid since it was issued by a commission of National Council for Human Rights, formed by a decree from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which is considered a subject of investigation in the Maspero incident.

AINA says the main controversy in the NCHR report was putting the blame of firing live ammunition on "unidentified" civilians who targeted both the peaceful protesters and the military police, asserting that no live ammunition was fired on the protesters by the military, as the army only fired blanks in the air to disperse the protesters.

"Those assailants could not be identified, but we described them as civilians because this is how they were dressed," said a member of the NCHR committee at the press conference on November 2.

EUHRO issued a statement rejecting these claims as they were not based on technical reports from the criminal lab and forensic medicine. EUHRO said in its statement "...how did the committee determine that the shooters of live ammunition were civilians without conducting an investigation in this matter, or were they military personnel in civilian clothes?"

Magdy Khalil, member of Coptic Solidarity International, an NGO representing Coptic activists from all continents, blasted the report in an article, pointing out its contradictions and the lack of answers to many vital questions. "It committed itself strictly to the framework set out by the SCAF press conference of October 13 and to the strategic objective of acquitting the military."

AINA says that in its own breakdown of the events, NCHR's report described the procession as peaceful, according to the consensus of witnesses, and protesters carried crosses of wood or plastic together with flags of Egypt and banners condemning the demolition of churches and demanding a unified law for building places of worship.

"However, in the next page of its 14-page report, NCHR says the demonstrators hurled stones at the military police at the beginning of the march," said Magdy Khalil, "and on page 3 it says that some of the demonstrators were carrying clubs, swords, and knives -- corroborating what was said at the SCAF press conference on October 13. In one part of the report it says that the demonstrators jumped on one of the army armored vehicles and set fire to it, while in another part, it says that the ‘unidentified civilians’ were the culprits."

AINA says in its report that Copts expected the Coptic Orthodox Church to criticize the report.

Bishop Bassanti of Helwan said: "I only care about what the report said, that the demonstrators did not carry weapons at all. I believe they should have been protected by the army instead of the army being their opponent." He added that all losses suffered by the demonstrators in these events are the responsibility of the state.

AINA went on to explain that although the report acknowledges that 12 Copts were run over and crushed under the wheels of armored vehicles, it asserts this was not deliberate, saying the armored vehicles were used to disperse the demonstrators, but because of their extremely high speed in the midst of the crowds, this led to the death of 12 citizens.

"The report does not clarify who is responsible and describes it as non-deliberate mistakes," said Khalil.

"The report criticized the performance of the Egyptian television coverage of events, calling it professional error, not crimes of incitement," says a statement by the Maspero Coptic Youth Union (MCYU), a Coptic activist group and organizers of the protest on October 9.

MCYU also criticized the use by the fact-finding committee of the term "unknown civilians" 

opening fire on the military police and civilian demonstrators, which it views as in attempt not to directly charge anybody in particular. They confirmed the presence of video footage which clearly shows the perpetrators of the attacks on Coptic demonstrators (this video shows army snipers hiding in the TV building).

MCYU called for an independent fact-finding committee to investigate the incident, away from the influence of military courts. They also demanded that the Information Minister and Egyptian State TV officials be made accountable for lying in their coverage of the incident, "which almost caused sectarian strife."

The NCHR report called for an immediate investigation by an independent civilian fact-finding committee, as well as the punishment of perpetrators.

AINA reports that Judge Amir Ramzi, member of the National Commission for Justice, said that the fact-finding report of the NCHR lacks investigative techniques, and got no cooperation from the authorities, however, some of its recommendations were reasonable.

According to El Wafd newspaper, Ramzi said that next week he will present a detailed report of the events of Maspero, supported by video and audio footage, to the Military Council, the Council of Ministers, and the fact-finding commission of the Ministry of Justice.

A fact-finding commission was formed by the Cabinet in the wake of the events, headed by its minister of Justice.

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** Michael Ireland is Senior Correspondent for ANS. He is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can make a donation online under 'Donate' tab, then look for 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' under 'Donation Category' to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' Michael is a member in good standing of the National Writers Union, Society of Professional Journalists, Religion Newswriters Association, Evangelical Press Association and International Press Association. If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Senior Reporter