Egypt: Muslim MP Wants to Build a Church Honouring Coptic Pope

Christian Today ^ | 9/5/16 | Mark Woods

[marshmallow]

A Muslim MP in Egypt has submitted the first request to build a new church under a controversial law passed last week by the country's parliament.

The law aimed at liberalising church building and renovation was hotly debated and received Church support only at the last minute amid fears it conceded too much to local opposition forces.

However, the independent MP for the Assiut region in Upper Egypt, El-Badri Ahmed Deif, told reporters on Saturday: "I wanted it recorded in history that a Muslim was the first to submit a request for building a church in Egypt after the passing of the new landmark law."

According to AhramOnline, he said: "This request aims to build new bridges of confidence between Muslims and Christians and foster national unity in Egypt."

He said he wanted to build the church in the village of Salam, which translates as 'Peace', the birthplace of the late Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III.

"This great, moderate man was the pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church for 41 years, during which he lived in the tumultuous eras of late presidents Gamal Abdel-Nasser and Anwar El-Sadat, as well as former president Hosni Mubarak," Deif said.

"In spite of his central religious status over these four decades, he never used his influence to build a church in his home village."

There are more than 5,000 Christians living in the village of Salam and Deif said they need a church.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Thank you, El-Badri Ahmed Deif!

Live long.

Watch your back.

[PGR88]

Egypt is not a friend of the USA any longer. Obama and Clinton’s utterly asinine and dangerous support of the Muslim Brotherhood assured that.

[CondorFlight]

Considering how much aid we give Egypt every year (enabling them to keep food costs artificially low) you think we might exert a little pressure on them to liberalize and permit some new churches.

At present, you cannot even repair a church in a muslim country, nor repaint it (inside or outside), nor build an addition (such as adding a bathroom), without a lengthy struggle lasting years and usually ending in failure.