رئيس مجلس حقوق الأنسان

Today Egypt’s unstable political situation
The American Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleeza Rice, is currently in the middle of a Middle Eastern tour that will include a visit to Egypt.

The main aim of the visit is perhaps to follow the progress, or lack of, of the Israeli ? Palestinian negotiations related to the impending dismantling of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip. However, I believe that her visit to Egypt during this tour is meant for to show some sort of restrained support to Hosni Mobarak in what appears to be the most challenging time of his long presidency. This is perhaps meant to remedy the humiliation he received during the last spring when he was forced to cancel his annual trip to Washington. It made him look like a persona non grata at the time. It may not be off the mark also to assume that the recent trip of Ossama Elbaz, Mobarak?s political advisor, to Washington that preceded Secretary Rice?s visit to Cairo was a preparation for such an event, perhaps an attempt to moderate Dr. Rice?s attitude and statements during her Egyptian stint.

Secretary Rice is known to be a forceful US official who does not mince her words even in her public statements. I am sure that she is equally strong when she relays the US views to foreign officials behind closed doors as well.

It is expected that she will deliver a statement regarding the American expectations of the Egyptian government during the upcoming months preceding the Egyptian legislative and presidential elections. It is said that she will also emphasize the need for more respect for the civil rights of the Egyptians especially during the stressful times that accompany contentious events like national elections.

It is also anticipated that the US Congress will send a delegation to Egypt in July to advance, or follow up, the recommendations submitted by its Committee on Religious Freedom that reflected a very unfavorable picture of the conditions of the religious minorities in Egypt. This report was issued a few weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ibrahimm Habib, an activist Diaspora Copt and a member of the Zurich Forum, made a compelling presentation to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva recently in which he convinced his audience that more attention has to be paid to the violations of the religious rights of Egypt?s native Christians.

All of the above events and efforts could perhaps nudge the Egyptian authorities to admit and recognize the Copts? grievances and, it is hoped, to start taking some actions to address them.

This is encouraging to those who are fighting for an equal status for the Copts in their native land. However there are areas of concern that may weaken the impact of these efforts such as the reluctance of the Coptic Clergy to speak up more openly about the difficulties and discrimination, let us not use the word ?persecution?, that the Copts are enduring increasingly under the Islamization pressures. These pressures are condoned and encouraged by the Egyptian authorities, especially the so called the ?State Security Forces?. A semi military government agency that should have nothing to do with the Copts to start with. The Copts were never a threat to Egypt?s security or stability.

Of course the well-known brown noses and sycophants who are counted among the Copts will do their best to ingratiate themselves to their masters and benefactors in the government and deny any needs for any solutions. They are trying to peddle the lie that there is no problem, therefore there should be no need for a solution! Add to these critters the Egyptian government run media and yellow press lies, obfuscations, and distortion of the sad truth that has become the state of the Copts in their country.

The most important failure, however, is the lack of an honest lay Coptic organization inside Egypt that can present the Coptic grievances and counteract any attempts to sabotage the international efforts being done on behalf of the helpless Egyptian Christians. This is in part due to the Copts failure to come up with such an organization, but largely due to the state of apathy and atrophy that was affecting the Egyptian political scene until very recently.

The old hogwash that the Copts? cause is an internal Egyptian affair that must not be discussed and addressed outside Egypt is nothing but pure nonsense. For the Egyptian authorities and their agents know very well how many attempts were made to deal with this issue internally and how many times it was totally denied, neglected with the unavoidable consequence of further deterioration in the Copts conditions.

You guys who are still controlling the lives of the Egyptians better remember that issues of human rights are super national. They are the concern of the whole civilized world.

You accepted this provision when you were screaming for help to rescue of your fellow Moslem Bosnians. You did not mind the military intervention of the Christian West to save your co-religionists. It is time for you now to be dealt with in the same way since you failed to heed the rules followed by concerned and effective governments and the human community in the Twenty First Century.: Sabry Fawzy Gohara, M.D., FRCSC