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Date of source: 29 Oct 2020
Dr. Kamāl Burīqaʿ, general coordinator for the al-Azhar Interreligious Dialogue Center, said that while there have been plenty of official conferences over the past three decades, these conferences were just formal meetings. He added that there has not been an interactive dialogue in terms of...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Church leaders send Eid al-Fitr greetings to leaders of Egyptian government and Islamic institutions
Date of source: 22 May 2020
Pope Tawāḍrūs II, patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, extended his wishes to President ʿAbd al-Fattaḥ al-Sīsī for his work to fulfil the dreams and aspirations of the Egyptian people. The pope also praised the president’s management of the coronavirus pandemic.
The pope also wished Prime...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 11 Sep 2020
Pope Tawāḍrūs made the statement in response to a question about his position on Bishop Aghāthūn’s lawsuit against journalist Sāra ʿAllām, whom he has accused of insulting the church and its leadership.
Pope Tawāḍrūs II said that this is an individual action of the bishop and does not represent the...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 12 Sep 2020
In a recent comment, however, Pope Tawāḍrūs said that the bishop’s lawsuit does not represent the Coptic Orthodox Church, and that the bishop did not consult anyone before doing this and did not take the opinion of the Holy Synod.
Bishop Aghāthūn emphasized that he is not acting outside of the...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 12 Sep 2020
Bahrain accepted President Trump's invitation to attend the signing ceremony with both Israel and the UAE on September 15, 2020, at the White House, where the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Bahrain's Foreign Minister, Abdullatif Al Zayani [ʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Zayānī], will attend and...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 7 Oct 2020
Barsa said he was keen to meet the Grand Imam despite the fact that the visit lasted only one day, due to the important works carried out by the Shaykh and the al-Azhar Foundation to sow seeds of goodness and peace among people and fight all forms of violence, intolerance and hate speech. Both...
Reviewed by Luke Noble
Translator Luke Noble
Date of source: 13 Sep 2020
In a letter to President ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ al-Sīsī, al-ʿArīsh Copts made a plea for his help. They said that they appreciate the work the president has done towards building Egypt, fighting terrorism, and returning security and stability to Sinai. However, they asked for his intervention to resolve...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 14 Sep 2020
It also mentioned that international public opinion knows the truth about what Egypt is experiencing from that vicious media conspiracies and wars being waged from abroad through media personalities that are being used to distort the truth and spread rumors.
The order described the evil media as...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 11 Oct 2020
He expressed his dissatisfaction with the Interior Ministry’s failure to take necessary measures to arrest gangs for the Islamization of Christian girls, especially after the appearance of several videos with two girls “Rāniyyā and Mājida”appearing veiled and declaring their conversion to Islam.
In...
Reviewed by Luke Noble
Translator Luke Noble
Date of source: 13 Jun 2020
As member of the General Congregation Council of the Coptic Church, Mohsen George [Muḥsin Jūrj] said that all Copts condemn these evil acts which are perpetrated by people who do not love their country, but instead want to create sectarian strife. Jūrj added that the Congregation Council supports...
Reviewed by Marvin Mücke
Translator Marvin Mücke
Date of source: 10 Jul 2020
Those who signed the statement expressed their disappointment at the dubious content some pages on social media had shared in relation to the Church and the Pope. The intellectuals and public figures confirmed that they hold Pope Tawāḍrūs in high esteem and remain loyal to him.
The perpetrators of...
Reviewed by Marvin Mücke
Translator Marvin Mücke
Date of source: 10 Jul 2020
Pope Tawāḍrūs had tasked a delegation of church officials to travel to Australia and hold meetings with the church chiefs (اراخنة), the church community, and the diocese’s commission and report back to him. The committee included Bishop Daniel, bishop of Maadi and Secretary of the Holy Synod;...
Reviewed by Marvin Mücke
Translator Marvin Mücke
Date of source: 12 Jul 2020
The rules which bishop Daniel should abide by are:-
To consult specialized lawyers if he or the diocese faces any problems.
To not interfere with the financial matters of the diocese.
To cooperate with the new commission that Fr. Tādrus had set up.
To cooperate with Fr. Tādrus in matters related...
Reviewed by Marvin Mücke
Translator Marvin Mücke
Date of source: 30 Aug 2020
The session was chaired by Counsellor Muḥammad Shīrīn Fahmī, and the accused are Muḥsin ‘Abd al-Fattāḥ ‘Azzām and ‘Imād Rabī’ al-Sayyid Muḥammad Kafāfī.
The prosecution charged the defendants with charges of joining a group established in contravention of the law and the constitution,...
Reviewed by Luke Noble
Translator Luke Noble
Date of source: 12 Sep 2020
Two military transport planes took off from an Air Base in East Cairo, bound for Khartoum Airport, carrying large quantities of food and medical supplies in order to relieve the Sudanese of their struggles in the face of torrential rains and flooding that hit several parts of Sudan recently....
Reviewed by Luke Noble
Translator Luke Noble
Date of source: 18 Jun 2020
The Governor assigned his Deputy, Muḥammad Maḥmūd Abū Zayd, to follow up the work of the second phase, accompanied by Engineer ʿĀdil al-Jundī, Director General of International Relations at the Tourism Development Authority and the Coordinator of the project.
The governor was accompanied on the...
Reviewed by Luke Noble
Translator Luke Noble
Date of source: 10 Sep 2020
The question asked was: “Why was the Holy Council not convened this year? Are there problems?”
The Pope replied: “The Holy Synod did not convene due to the Coronavirus, as we met in June in an official session, with two/thirds of the numbers present.”
He continued: “We normally meet in November and...
Reviewed by Luke Noble
Translator Luke Noble
Date of source: 16 Jul 2020
Her family expressed their joy with her return and thanked Bishop Binyāmīn, bishop of al-Munūfiyyah, the diocesan priests, and the security apparatus in al-Munūfiyyah.
The family did not reveal any details regarding the circumstances of Rāniyyā’s disappearance.
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 26 Jul 2020
The Public Prosecution revealed the involvement of three defendants in setting “Kafr Ḥakīm Church” on fire in Kirdāsa on August 14, 2013, coinciding with the murder of eleven officers and soldiers.
The prosecution accused them of joining an organization established contrary to the provisions of...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 24 Aug 2020
This visit is considered the first visit by a clergyman to Wāʾil after he was sentenced to death. Bishop Dūmādiyyūs is also the first bishop to visit Wāʾil since his detention in August 2018. Bishop Dūmādiyyūs said that he went in his capacity as head of the Pastoral Care Committee in the Holy...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 9 Sep 2020
The issue of violent controversies that are the result of different drawings, films, and artistic media cannot be understood outside the framework of cultural differences between the Islamic world and the West. In Islamic culture, it is not allowed to draw or sculpt an image of the Prophet...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 11 Sep 2020
Reverend Dr. Isṭfānūs Dhakī, secretary of the Evangelical Community, Reverend Rifʿat Fikrī, associate general secretary to the Middle East Council of Churches, and Reverend Riḍā ʿAdlī, former head of the Synod of the Nile, attended the celebration. A large number of pastors and deacons from...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 3 Nov 2020
On the 15th of September 2020, The Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement took place, officially known as the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement. Senior delegations from the two countries led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Emirati Foreign Minister Shaykh ʿAbdullāh bin...
Date of source: 7 Sep 2020
ʿAllām received a letter from lawyer Ihāb Ramzī with several accusations, such as insulting Pope Shinūdah, insulting the Coptic Church’s reputation, and defaming its monks. She added that the complaint mentioned the fact that she is not Christian in a way that strips her of her right to write...
Reviewed by Anna Mareschal
Translator Anna Mareschal
Date of source: 22 Jul 2020
Al-Miṣrī al-Yawm conducted interviews with the leaders and representatives of the Evangelical Church and the Episcopal Church to settle the dispute surrounding this matter. The Evangelical Church considered the ruling a comprehensive end to the conflict with the issue of this final ruling. The...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 26 Jul 2020
The video angered many on social media and resulted in Nāṣir al-ʿUtaybī, president of Ṣabāh al-Aḥmad, resigning. Al-ʿUtaybī confirmed the details of the assault and presented his resignation to Sālim al-Rashīdī, agent of the Cooperation Sector; however, al-Rashīdī refused to accept the resignation...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 27 Jul 2020
Muḥammad ʿAlī had summoned the French community of Lazarian priests in Alexandria and awarded them land on the condition they establish a school there. Although education was not one of the Lazarians’ specialties, they summoned monks of Christian schools and entrusted them with the task. The...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 6 Aug 2020
Amidst the extreme precautionary measures, a group of youth volunteers was entrusted with sanitizing entrances and disinfecting floors and wooden pews in order to preserve public health and allow Copts to practice their religious rituals.
Father Ibrām Imīl, papal representative in Alexandria, said...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 6 Aug 2020
This fast is distinguished by its distinct Coptic foods. Out of a desire for asceticism, some Copts resort to fasting on water and salt without oil and not eating fish even though it is allowed. They approve of making “duqqa,” a food of sesame, salt, and ground spices, in addition to eating...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 24 Aug 2020
Ḥasab Allāh emphasized that this participation from al-Azhar and the Coptic Orthodox Church sent a message to the entire world about the cohesion and unity of Egyptians of all political, popular, and party orientations and affiliations.
The Lebanese people praised al-Azhar and the Coptic Orthodox...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 25 Aug 2020
Bibāwī responded to the attack, saying that he was surprised by the media storm over his receiving of the sacraments. He thanked Pope Tawāḍrūs II and apologized to him for causing this attack on the most basic facts. He also thanked Bishop Rāfāʾīl, emphasizing that he put Christ above every other...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 8 Jul 2020
The danger of using religious justifications in political dealings through fatwas is not limited to mixing religious and political concepts and relocating political disagreements from the worldly domain judged by standards of right and wrong to the religious domain where positions are evaluated by...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 14 Jul 2020
Karīma went on to say that the conquests of Iraq, the Levant, and Egypt did not attack places of worship for Jews and Christians, citing Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Ayyūbī and ʿAmrū Ibn al-ʿĀṣ. These buildings’ conditions remained the same, and it was prohibited to attack them. According to him, turning...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 21 Jul 2020
The Mamluk Cemetery is home to ancient scenes that pushed German orientalist Ernst Kühnel to describe the region as “the most marvelous city of the dead in the world.” [Iḍāʾāt]
At the time that the government denied destroying ancient tombs, admitting instead to demolishing privately owned graves,...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 8 Jul 2020
The Court of Cassation had issued its most recent ruling supporting the execution of only Ashʿiyāʾ al-Maqārī, whose birth name is Wā’il Saʿad Tawāḍrūs, and the lightening of the sentence of Faltāʾūs al-Maqārī (whose birth name is Raymond Rasmī Manṣūr) to life in prison instead of death.
Sources...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 11 Jul 2020
Despite the simplicity of church teaching to some Copts, the church does not accept pamphlets outside a group of reliable priests and their well-known deacons out of concern for the spiritual health of the faithful from uncommon denominations like Jehovah’s Witnesses and 7th Day Adventists.
The...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 20 Oct 2020
Yesterday, October 19, FPA Chairman Volkhard Windfuhr (1937-2020) passed away. Mr. Windfuhr arrived in Egypt in 1955, the year I was born, and has been living and working here most of his life. Mr. Windfuhr’s name is closely linked to that of the Cairo Foreign Press Association (FPA). He has blown...
Date of source: 9 Jul 2020
al-Azhar’s stand is a good step that deserves to be acknowledged and appreciated. However, al-Azhar and other institutions put up many barriers on their paths, so that now the way is bumpy and the possibility of making a change is really slow.
Many years of spreading ideas of violence, extremism,...
Reviewed by Luke Noble
Translator Luke Noble
Date of source: 5 Apr 2020
The source said that the Egyptians had requested to return to their homeland. However, there was no response to the requests, prompting the Committee to set up dialogue with the Qatari authorities, urging them to talk to their Egyptian counterparts.
The source from the Qatari Foreign Ministry told...
Reviewed by Rupert Walker
Translator Rupert Walker
Date of source: 21 Apr 2020
Aḥmad Nijm, a doctor who showed Coronavirus symptoms, faced calls from his neighbours to leave while self-isolating at home. Despite the fact he tested negative, his frequent contact with the ill kept people wary. Neighbours harassed him to the point of reporting him to the police and forcing him...
Reviewed by Rupert Walker
Translator Rupert Walker
Date of source: 7 May 2020
Two days previously, Salīm had first announced, in an interview with Inās al-Daghaydī, that his child had transitioned to become a boy. His appearance prompted both support and criticism on social media, leading Salīm to talk about the issue with Nūr ‘behind the scenes’ with the broadcaster Jaʿfar...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 5 May 2020
Ṭablāwī’s first encounter with the Quran came after his mother had a vision in a dream, in which his grandfather told her that she would have a child who would memorize the book of God. He joined the Quranic school of Mīt 'Uqbah, in Giza, and he finished memorizing the whole Quran by the age of...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 8 May 2020
The conflict arises from two differing conceptions of human rights. The first is that human rights are binding, universal and indivisible, and that everyone must commit to them, while the other conceives of each country as its own sovereign entity, with the power to define which laws will be...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 7 May 2020
The Higher Committee for Human Fraternity issued a worldwide call to everyone regardless of color, language, or creed, to participate in the “Pray in Your Language” initiative, which encourages people to pray, fast, or do good works from home, in their language and according to their religion,...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 11 Jun 2020
Sāra ʿAllām clarified Pope Tawādrūs’ words in conversation with a journalist: “We have not thought about this, nor have we discussed this in a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Holy Synod, and yet it is a possibility. Indeed, the use of the Communion spoons has not resulted in a single case...
Reviewed by Romy Welch
Translator Romy Welch
Date of source: 7 Sep 2020
According to a statement from the Catholic Church, the initiative aims to integrate Sudanese refugees into Egyptian society and introduce them to Egyptian culture. This will take place through educational meetings, aiming to introduce them to Egyptian history, as well as Egyptian customs and...
Reviewed by Romy Welch
Translator Romy Welch
Date of source: 8 Sep 2020
Lies masked by religion
In the past two days, al-Jazeera News has fabricated a new mistruth. It has called on the Egyptian state to issue a decision on the removal of al-Fatḥ Mosque in Minya, taking advantage of the religious sentiments of the Egyptian people and using religion as a cover for...
Reviewed by Romy Welch
Translator Romy Welch
Date of source: 7 Sep 2020
Bishop Aghāthūnhas illustrated that themes mentioned in the article are misinterpretations and false encroachments on the history of Christianity. He added it is not true that dozens of gospels circulated in the first century AD, and that Christianity believes only in the “New Testament”.
The...
Reviewed by Luke Noble
Translator Luke Noble
Date of source: 8 Sep 2020
With this celebration, the church witnesses an annual internal movement of positions both within Egypt and the rest of the world. New trustees take over general service positions, as well as the holding of church council elections which opens the door for new members of the church to join.
This...
Reviewed by Luke Noble
Translator Luke Noble
Date of source: 8 Sep 2020
The “Survival Boats” initiative was launched by president ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ al-Sīsī to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal immigration. The Minister explained that the cooperation with the Church will be implemented by providing support for needy families in the governorates that export illegal...
Reviewed by Luke Noble
Translator Luke Noble
Date of source: 21 Jun 2020
The list includes a number of Muslim Brotherhood leaders who are on the run, such as Ḥamza Zawbaʿ, Yaḥiyā Ḥāmad, Maḥmūd ʿIzzat, Maḥmūd Ḥusayn, Amīr Bassām, Jamāl Ḥishmat, Midḥat al-Ḥadād, and Yaḥiyā Mūsā, and several broadcasters who work on Muslim Brotherhood channels, including Muʿtaz Maṭar,...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 22 Jun 2020
The declaration represents a road map toward a comprehensive solution for Libya, securing peace and security in Libya, reestablishing institutions, eliminating terrorism and extremist militias and putting a stop to unlawful foreign interventions in the conflict.
In a statement from the league’s...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 23 Jun 2020
Explaining that health measures are being taken to guarantee the safety of Ḥajj pilgrims this year, Dr. Tawfig AlRabiah [Tawfīq al-Rabī’a], the Saudi health minister, confirmed that a field hospital and a health center are being established in ʿArafa, while health teams are ready to give medical...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 23 Jun 2020
The most recent of these was on Tuesday afternoon, when his sister Sanāʾ Sayf was abducted in front of the public prosecutor’s office, just as she was trying to file a report on how her family was assaulted in front of Ṭura Prison yesterday.
In the early hours of Monday morning, Sanāʾ, her sister...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 17 Jun 2020
Egypt is part of many international treaties and conventions related to refugees and human rights such as the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, the 1969 Organization of African Unity Convention on Refugees, the 2016 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, and the Global Compact for...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 20 Jun 2020
As he inspected soldiers in the western region with the defense minister, the armed forces chief of staff and the leaders of the main branches of the army, al-Sīsī said that Egypt’s stability is directly tied to stability of the region, adding that Egypt has never been an advocate of aggression and...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 27 Jun 2020
A statement from the committee stated today that the bishop and priests of each diocese, should consider the health situation [in their locality] and decide thereon whether it’s best to continue or suspend church masses for another two weeks, or whether it’s better gradually open them, taking all...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 23 Jun 2020
Google changed its homepage image to a picture of several women who are engaging in different activities that women were forbidden from at that time, from education to sport, music and drawing.
Hudā Shaʿarāwī was the first Egyptian woman who demanded that women should have the right to engage in...
Reviewed by Emma Scolding
Translator Emma Scolding
Date of source: 20 Jun 2020
Yūsuf Ṭalʿat, legal advisor to the Evangelical Community in Egypt, said in a statement that the bill was handed over by the Catholic Church, but right now there are no plans to meet soon about the law. The last meeting between the heads of these three sects was in April of 2019.
The personal...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
Date of source: 27 Jun 2020
Copts experienced the brunt of the Muslim Brotherhood’s evil prior to the revolution. The most important and prominent incident during this period was when the St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in al-ʿAbāssiyya was attacked with gun fire, Molotov cocktails, and tear gas for the first time since...
Reviewed by Dylan Schexnaydre
Translator Dylan Schexnaydre
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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.