al-Misrīyūn newspaper reports that informed sources disclosed that upon the instruction of the Coptic Orthodox Church, a large number of Egyptian Christians have withdrawn their deposit funds from Egyptian banks over the past week and converted their money into foreign currencies, fearing the country's alleged deteriorating economic conditions. According to the newspaper, the sources further disclosed that Pope Tawadros II gave clear instructions also to all bishops of Egypt’s Orthodox dioceses to withdraw their funds and convert them to dollars through exchange houses, instead of banks, to get a higher exchange rate.

“This is a deliberate sabotage of the Egyptian economy,” the newspaper further writes, amid a decline in the volume of foreign investment in Egypt, the increase of domestic debt, and the collapse of the Egyptian market. The alleged “Coptic State’s instruction is an effort to mobilize millions of Egyptians on the second January 25 Revolution’s anniversary to topple the first democratically-elected Egyptian President who also represents the Islamic Movement”. The sources also revealed that the appointed Coptic members of the Shūrá Council received instructions from the Coptic Pope to adopt a proposal that forces parties to put the Copts at the head of the electoral lists due to their status in the "marginalized groups," including women and youth. The Shūrá Council approved the proposal for women’s representation, however, rejected it for Copts and youth (John Abd al-Malāk, al-Misrīyūn, Jan. 5, p. 1).  Read original text in Arabic.