Pope Tawadros criticises Coptic membership in Al-Nour Party

Source:
Daily News Egypt
Date of source:
6 Oct 2015

Mina Ibrahim quoted Pope Tawadros as saying "It is an abnormal situation for a Copt to join an Islamist Party. Religious belonging in our life has a great, inclusive meaning in man’s life. One cannot claim that he is religious, while at the same time he has other identities of existence that contradict such belonging.”  This statement relates to Copts joining the Salafi el-Nour Party. Mina Ibrahim wrote "Article 5 of the current parliamentary law, drafted in June 2014 requires each party to include Copts and women on its electoral lists. The Al-Nour Party is the political wing of the ‘Salafi Call’, an ultra-conservative Islamist movement. Yasser Borhamy, the head of the movement, has previously characterised Copts as ‘infidels’, denying their rights to any important political positions. Since the January 2011 uprisings, members of the Salafi Call also issued fatwas against Copts, including the prohibition of Muslims from congratulating them during the Christmas or Easter."

C. Hulsman: with this statement Pope Tawadros is again mixing politics and religion. If a non-clergyman would have made that statement that would have been fine. Mina Ibrahim states that Yasser Borhamy called Copts 'infidels' (kafir). Sheikh Hamdi of the 'Salafi Call,' however, believes Christians should not be called kafir (infidel). Sheikh Mohammed Salah, also belonging to the Salafi Call, earlier stated that Muslims can congratulate Copts with the formulation 'kulle sana we enta tayib', that is a formulation that is commonly used and does not include any approval of Christian dogma.  In other words also among sheikhs of the Salafi Call not all opinions are similar.

Hulsman wrote Daily News Egypt:

The problem with much media reporting and also this article is that the impression is given that all representatives belonging to one entity are the same. Also members of the ultra conservative Salafi Call are different. Sheikh Hamdi Abdelfattah, however, believes Christians should not be called kafir (infidel). Sheikh Mohammed Salah, also belonging to the Salafi Call, earlier stated that Muslims can congratulate Copts with the formulation 'kulle sana we enta tayib', that is a formulation that is commonly used and does not include any approval of Christian dogma.  In other words also among sheikhs of the Salafi Call not all opinions are similar. Can Mina Ibrahim provide references to where Yasser Borhamy called Copts in general 'infidel'? Can Mina Ibrahim also provide a list of fatwas of these anonymous members of the Salafi Call?  That would be better than making generalized claims.

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