Brotherhood Party Newspaper Attacks the Copts and their Church

Giving background historic data, the newspaper said that the late patriarch’s dealings with the Sadat regime led to Sadat exiling Pope Shenouda to the Monastery of St. Bishoy where he remained for almost four years.

For the newspaper, Pope Shenouda’s exile was the “natural” result for a spiritual leader that violates the teachings of the Bible by interfering in political affairs.

The newspaper continued saying that the coexistence between Pope Shenouda III and the regime of “Mubarak, the criminal” lasted for three decades and was based on distinct calculations and interests.

The article added that all throughout those thirty years of the former regime, the U.S. was interfering in the Egyptian policies and that the Egyptian-American relations were linked to the relation between the Egyptian government and the Church.

The newspaper also attacked a number of Coptic personalities. It accused the Egyptian former Finance Minister Youssef Boutros Ghaly, who is a Copt, of spying for the U.S. and accused the Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris of tax evasion.

According to the newspaper the Copts enjoyed a number of advantages and also of immunity during Mubarak’s era, prompting the late patriarch to cry following the demise of the former regime.

The newspaper claimed that Pope Tawadros commented on Article 219 of Egypt’s draft constitution and described it as “reactionary” and “disastrous.” The said Article elaborates the definition of “principles of Sharia” (stated in Article 2 to be the main source of legislation) to include a vast body of jurisprudence mostly written over ten centuries ago.

It added that the Copts’ protest against the constitutional decree issued by President Morsi added new dimensions to the Coptic issue.

The newspaper also stressed that the Egyptian society is currently divided between the majority of the Egyptian people standing in one camp and the remnants of the former regime and Copts standing in a different camp.

It claimed that Pope Tawadros admitted to have voted for Ahmed Shafiq in the presidential elections.

The newspaper described the intensive participation of Copts in the referendum as attempts to restore the former regime at the expense of the interests of the Egyptian revolution.

It also said that the Copts have organized mass demonstrations to cover up the unsuccessful attempts by the anti-revolution forces to rally the Egyptian people against the current ruling regime.

The article also accused the Copts of using weapons against the supporters of the president.

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