For the Copts inside and outside Egypt

Wake up and extract your stolen rights since 53 years

In our peaceful struggle to establish our political rights in our homeland, we, the Copts, may be having a "second chance" during these unstable times to achieve our legitimate goals. It is not an attempt to exploit the instability per se, accept it or increase it, but we have been denied the right and the opportunity to voice our grievances and ascertain our political presence as owners of our country for fourteen centuries. I see an opportunity to end this sorrowful long episode of our history. It may be coming to an end. Perhaps more realistically a beginning of an end as it is often said.

As with any successful politcal action, the range of activity covers a wide spectrum of efforts carried out by different groups working along different but parallel lines. The multiplicity of opinions and areas of work are not only a reflection of a mature understanding of the nature of the political action, but it is a must in a democratic and effective political arena. As we have seen repeatedly, one man shows always end up being catastrophic.

At this phase, the Copts need to work inside and outside Egypt. As individuals and in groups. For there is a role for each of these approaches to establish the long denied rights of the Copts in their homeland.

One thing that is of extreme importance and urgency is for the Copts to join the nascent political groups inside the country. To be specific, we need to join political parties, and do it stat (immediateely) as it is said in the medical field. Party affiliation and participation is not only important for us, but it is perhaps the only hope that we have as a minority to achieve our legitimate objectives. Here are some reason why it is so:

1.To deny the accusations that we are passive.

2. Lend confidence and strength to the one political party that we choose. I have "Massr Al Omm Party" as my choice. A Copt could have not written its platform better!

3. To declare to the Egyptians and the rest of the world that we are here, in Egypt, and that we have our legitimate demands and long denied rights that we are going to fight forpeacefully.

4. It is also hoped that a Coptic political presence in the open may weaken the overwhelming Islamist influence and ambitions by reminding the Egyptian Moslems, especilly those among them who support the Islamists as a default alternative rather than out of conviction that "Islam is the solution", that Egypt belongs to the Copts as well. This may substract the support of some Egyptian Moslems from the pool of Islamists supporters who think and act as if they are the only "effective opposition" in the arena.

5. Protect the Church from the accusation that it has political ambitions.

6. The establishment of a permanent civilian structure that can address and protect the Copts rights in the future.

7. It will eliminate the traditional fear of the Copts and their refusal to make their grievances know publicly rather than keep them to themselves and accept more suffering humiliations, and marginalization.

The critical and urgent role of the Coptic intelligentia in Egypt is to arouse, motivate, and guide the comatose but complaining Coptic masses to understand these facts and participate in the political process as soon as possible so that we do not miss the boat for one more time as we did many times before. This is the critical role that individuals and small groups of concerned and capable Copts can do at this point until the Copts join the political organizations en masse as it is hoped for.

It is of extreme importance that we also strengthen our relations with all the enlightened and fir minded Moslems inside and outside Egypt. Their noble support is essential in our pursuit for justice, progress and prosperity foe our country.

One thing to remember is that no tyrant will yield a right he usurped willingly. It has to be taken away from him. This will need courage, the first virtue, as willingness to sacrifice, the strongest weapon a person or a group have against tyranny.

Sabry Fawzy Gohara, M.D., FRCSC
 

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N.B Copts United
Applying the Wahabbi’s   principle that Islam is the Solution have ruined Egypt and tarnished Islam’s image all over the World.

Editor in Chief

Saad Saaman