Muhammad ‘Alī Ibrāhīm in this article claims that the recent visit to Minya by Muhammad al-Barād‘ī, former head of the IAEA and presumed candidate for the Egyptian presidency, aimed at forging a deal between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Copts.

"It seems," writes Ibrāhīm, "that during his recent tour of Europe, America, and Brazil, al-Barād‘ī learned or was informed that he should commence his second tour of Egypt from a location that has both witnessed sectarian incidents and the retreat of the Brotherhood."

According to Ibrāhīm, al-Barād‘ī's goal "is to form an alliance between the Brotherhood and the Copts. And while they are bitter enemies, he is seeking to convince them to ally themselves so as to create the chaos he seeks and to spur Egyptians into a revolt similar to that of the Iranian opposition last year following the Presidential elections."

The author makes the following points:

- "How will those who espouse a religious state applying Sharī‘ah...and ruled by a higher council headed by the general guide, work together with the Copts? How could such a state accept the Copts?"

-- "Is the existing state a non-civil state that al-Barād‘ī should call for?"

-- "Didn't the constitutional amendments introduced guarantee full citizenship rights? The Copts have achieved in the Mubarak era what they did not achieve at any previous time."