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Date of source: 14 Mar 2006
[Editor: The title does not reflect the content of the article]The story of the Exodus from Egypt began after God’s power became clear to the Israelites, namely after God sent 10 plagues to Egypt to force Pharaoh to approve the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, writes the author.During their...
Date of source: 12 Mar 2006
With the aim of establishing an active secular movement in Egypt, a one-day conference was held in Cairo earlier this month, under the title “The problematics of secularism in Egypt.” The conference was organised jointly by Misr al-Umm (Mother Egypt) party—which is still awaiting official licence,...
Date of source: 12 Mar 2006
Father Sergius Sergius, undersecretary of the Coptic Orthodox Clerical Council for Personal Affairs, affirms that not more than 4,000, and not 160,000, marital conflicts of Copts in Egypt and abroad have reached the clerical council. He added that not all these conflicts end in divorce.
Date of source: 10 Mar 2006
The author says that he has received an e-mail from an Egyptian woman called Amīra al-Tahāwī in which she writes about how the Egyptian police dealt with the Sudanese sit-in in al-Muhandisīn district.The lady asks about the dead people’s names and causes of death. She asks for a full investigation...
Date of source: 8 Mar 2006
The Middle East Council of Churches [MECC] has decided at the final session of the Islamic-Christian conference that was organized in the Jordanian capital Amman, entitled “Regional Consultation on Humanitarian Service towards Common Living in Justice and Peace” to form a joint-committee of Muslims...
Date of source: 8 Mar 2006
Dr Nabīl Louqā Babāwī states that many people, Muslims and Christians, are asking why Pope Shenouda does not stop the preaching of fame-seeking priest, Father Zakarīya Butrus, whose al-Hayat television show casts doubt on the principles of Islam.He states that Butrus was originally a church...
Date of source: 8 Mar 2006
The head of the Egyptian Association for Human Rights Najīb Jibrā’īl has claimed that the Egyptian regime is responsible for the internationalization of Copts’ issues.
He stresses that the international law gives minorities, persecuted or abused, the right to resort to the UN if attempts to settle...
Date of source: 9 Mar 2006
Father Pierre Patista, the representative of the Vatican in Israel, declared that the Pope of the Vatican has forgiven the family of the Jew Haiym Habiba [Reviewer: The name is transliterated from Arabic] and his wife Violet who attacked worshippers in the Church of Annunciation in Nazareth last...
Date of source: 12 Mar 2006
Robert al-Fāris believes that the Confession Sacrament [Reviewer: There are seven Holy Sacraments in Coptic Orthodox belief, one of which is Confession] is the most critical task for priests due to the importance of this ritual in enriching man’s relationship with God.Al-Fāris states that the...
Date of source: 13 Mar 2006
[Editor: Father Filopātīr has placed many conspiracy stories in al-Katība al-Tibīya. It is thus possible he interpreted an accident as a conspiracy]Though six months have passed since the suspension of Father Filopātīr, he is still under the spotlight. His car was burnt on March 6, 2006 and he...
Date of source: 1 Mar 2006
One of the most important Coptic problems is that the Copts’ dossier is dealt with as a security matter. Khalīl explains that the Coptic dossier is divided between Copts inside Egypt, who are the task of the State Security Investigation Bureau, and expatriate Copts, who are under another sovereign...
Date of source: 1 Mar 2006
Michael Munīr and Majdī Khalīl are two expatriate Coptic Egyptians who were granted American citizenship, and are both activists fighting for Coptic demands in Egypt.After the latest visit of Munīr to Egypt and Lebanon, Khalīl lashed him in an article published in Al-Dustour accusing him of...
Date of source: 10 Mar 2006
In a positive contribution to the current controversy between Muslim and Western intelligentsia and think-tanks, the American University in Cairo has released two books written by western authors. The first book is entitled "The War for Muslim Minds: Islam and the West,” by Giles Kepel, professor...
Date of source: 13 Mar 2006
The American Catholic Church has announced launching a website responding to the claims of the novel "The Da Vinci Code.”The Media Office of the Catholic Synod in the U.S. has stated that the website aims to fix the distorted concepts in the novel about Jesus Christ and Catholic teachings.
Date of source: 13 Mar 2006
The history of West-Islam disputes goes back to the ninth century according to ‘Amr ‘Abd al-Lātīf, but has intensified since 9/11. He adds that the latest uprising to defend the Prophet Muhammad post-cartoon-incident should be used to face the Zionist campaign to defame Islam.The author expressed...
Date of source: 13 Mar 2006
Problems of Copts in Egypt have always been a source of annoyance for the Egyptian regime, especially when they are discussed at the international level. The step of Coptic activists in the West to transfer the Coptic file to the Human Rights Committee of the UN gives the discussion a new dimension...
Date of source: 13 Mar 2006
[Editor: The author uses denigrative language]Echoes of the decision to transfer the Coptic file to the International Committee for Human Rights affiliated to the United Nations can still be heard in Coptic circles in Egypt. Author ‘Ādil Najīb Rizq represents one of the strongest voices rejecting...
Date of source: 10 Mar 2006
Taking a look back on some incidents of sectarian strife which have taken place in Egypt because of rumors, Sāmih Fawzī argues that some people, whom he calls agents of the community of rumors, spread rumors for their own personal interests.In the mid-1990s, violent sectarian incidents erupted in...
Date of source: 10 Mar 2006
‘Abd al-Mun‘im Sālih believes that there are agents for countries of the West inside the Arab and Islamic world, who work to fulfill only the interests of these countries, regardless of the benefits to their own people.The author wonders how the Egyptian authorities allowed the French ship ‘...
Date of source: 9 Mar 2006
Jamāl Shāhīn reports on the announcement of the American Embassy in Cairo that it will launch a new program for young reformists in Egypt to train them in the principles of democracy and human rights.Shāhīn adds that American sources told al-Sharq al-Awsat that those on the program, which include...
Date of source: 13 Mar 2006
President Bush has never treated India and Pakistan equally unless in addressing them both to solve the dispute over Kashmir. On the contrary, the US president differentiates between the two countries on the subject of nuclear weapons, according to different history and needs.Buthayna Sha‘bān adds...
Date of source: 11 Mar 2006
Conditions of Muslims in the US have become one of the hottest topics of discussions among Western intellectuals. Rashā ‘Āmir reviews parts of a new book by Jane Smith entitled “Islam in America” that penetrates deeply the history of Muslims in the US.Jane Smith claims that Muslims arrived on the...
Date of source: 14 Mar 2006
After the events of September11, 2001, Western authors have raced to write about Islam, its civilization and ideologies. However, the great majority of them adopt passive perspectives and it becomes rare to find a positive view on Islam.Rushdī Abu al-Hasan reports on one of the positive attempts to...
Date of source: 14 Mar 2006
In 254 A.H. [870 AD], Ahmad Ibn Touloun was nominated the throne of Egypt, succeeding Bin Ulough. He was a sharp-tempered dictator who shed the blood of thousands of innocents in Egypt and Syria. However, many Muslims, Christians and Jews prayed for him when he was dying.Ibn Touloun was an...
Date of source: 14 Mar 2006
We are pleased to present you in this issue with the highly relevant study of Dr. Wolfram Reiss, “Obstacles and opportunities of an international dialogue on curriculum revision in the Middle East. Experiences of a German research project on school textbooks in Egypt, Palestine, Turkey and Iran.”...
Date of source: 31 Dec 2005
Western press often misrepresents the political and cultural situation in Arab countries, since they tend to disregard the opinions expressed in the local press. During my 5-week internship at the Center for Arab-West Understanding (CAWU) in Cairo I gained a comprehensive insight into the work of...
Date of source: 29 Dec 2005
Two sisters, Maryān Nādir and Christine Nādīr, provoked a wave of outrage in Christian circles following their alleged conversion to Islam [See AWR 2005, 50, art. 17, AWR 2005, 52, 3 - 6]. The mother of the two sisters appeared on Dream Channel, claiming that her daughters had been abducted and...
Date of source: 29 Dec 2005
The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights [http://www.eohr.org/] received Friday four reports on alleged kidnappings.
The first report was filed by Ra’fat ‘Jāyibī who informed the police that his daughter, Maryān, has been missing for the past five years. Then 16 years old, Maryān was a second-...
Date of source: 29 Dec 2005
The Coptic Union for Freedom [Reviewer: No further details about the union found on the Internet. The rest of the article refers to the American Coptic Union and thus the Coptic Union for Freedom probably refers to the American Coptic Union of Rafique Iscander] has sent a letter to al-Maydān,...
Date of source: 29 Dec 2005
‘Īzzat Andarāwus [Reviewer: No information mentioned about him] has written an "encyclopedia" entitled “Encyclopedia of Egypt’s Copts,” in which he claims that Egyptian Christian girls are being abducted and forced to convert to Islam. Andarāwus claims that a number of Egyptian girls have been...
Date of source: 28 Dec 2005
In recent years, a number of Egyptian Christian girls have been reported missing. Jamāl As‘ad urges security officials to investigate thoroughly and openly to disclose the truth behind such cases. [See AWR 2005, 52, art 3 – 4]As‘ad says that it would clearly be unbelievable to argue that all girls...
Date of source: 31 Dec 2005
Egyptian newspaper al-Maydān reported on December 29, 2005, about claims that Christian girls are being abducted and forced to convert to Islam [See article 3 of this issue]. Such claims can also frequently be heard from certain international Christian organizations dealing with the issue of...
Date of source: 31 Dec 2006
Al-Katība al-Tībīya (The Theban Legion) is a new publication from some Coptic Orthodox who believe that they are the underdog in Egyptian society, with an inferior status to that of Muslims. It started around August 2004, is strongly anti-Muslim and is distributed in many but not all churches. [See...
Date of source: 30 Dec 2005
[Reviewer: The author provides no evidence for his claims regarding the U.S. conspiracy to break up several Arab countries, including Iraq, Egypt, Sudan and Lebanon].
Judge Labīb Halīm Labīb stresses the importance of religious plurality in Egyptian society and highlights the well-known concept “...
Date of source: 31 Dec 2005
At the end of the year it is good to reflect about activities, visits and cooperation during the past year. On September 18, 2005, the Center for Arab-West Understanding (CAWU) received the visit of a group of German journalists, organized by Sarafea travel [www.sarafea.de]. Corinna Wagner,...
Date of source: 31 Dec 2005
Zayn al-‘Ābidīn al-Rikābī highlights the image of Jesus Christ and his mother in the Qur’ān. He states that the Virgin Mary enjoys a singularly distinguished and honored position among women in the Qur’ān. God says: "And when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah hath chosen thee and made thee pure,...
Date of source: 31 Dec 2005
On March 3, 2004, the Muslim Brotherhood launched an initiative concerning internal reforms in Egypt, stating that the reforms made by previous governments have been small and slow.
According to several observers, even though ‘Ākif who announced this initiative belongs to the old guard, his...
Date of source: 28 Dec 2005
Ten years ago, a court ruling separated Egyptian intellectual and Cairo University lecturer, Dr. Nasr Hāmid Abu Zayd from his wife, Dr. Ibtihāl Younus, on the grounds that he was an apostate. Following a number of death threats, Dr. Abu Zayd and his wife had to leave their home and teaching posts...
Date of source: 29 Dec 2005
Dr. Nabīl Louqā Bibāwī welcomes President Mubārak’s decision to reform the Hamayouni Decree, an Ottoman law dating back to 1856 which required the approval of the head of state for the construction and renovation of churches.
Adopting the slogan “Religion is for God and the homeland is for all”, Dr...
Date of source: 30 Dec 2005
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo [http://egypt.usembassy.gov/] has denied rumours published on an internet website, al-Misrīyoun [Reviewer: No link found], that it has been under pressure to dismiss 20 Muslim employees working at the embassy.
An informed source has revealed that the embassy has no...
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Emerging Perspectives on Intercultural and Interreligious Relations
Dialogue Across Borders is a database of summary translations of Arabic newspaper articles with references to their sources about intercultural and interreligious relations, focusing primarily but not exclusively on Muslim-Christian relations. The database also contains articles with editorial analysis and interviews on the subject.