By Essam Fadl
CAIRO: The Coalition of the Coptic Maspero Youth decided on Friday not to resume their sit-in until July 8, allowing Cabinet more time to meet their demands after a meeting between representatives from the coalition and Prime Minister Essam Sharaf.
The coalition had suspended its 12-day Maspero sit-in on May 20 based on this agreement.
“We will give the Cabinet a chance to meet the rest of our demands although only a few demands were met,” member of the coalition Ramy Kamel said in a press conference Friday.
The coalition outlined in a statement its agreement with the Cabinet, including forming a national justice committee to look into Copts’ problems and find solutions, amending some legislation including the unified law for houses of worship and a law against discrimination, as well as investigating incidents including Al-Qeddesine Church bombing, Etfeeh Church burning, and finally the cases of closed churches.
The statement said that the coalition was not represented in the committee formed by the Cabinet, none of the legislations were amended, and no investigations were started in sectarian clashes.
“The government took some steps in the issue of the closed churches, but many churches are still closed down,” the statement added.
Bishop Filopateer Gamil of the Giza Archbishopric, one of the protest’s organizers, said that the coalition handed the Cabinet a list of 58 closed down churches and was promised by Sharaf that they will be reopened gradually.
Gamil added that 16 were opened in the first stage, “but most of them are not churches — rather service centers or banquet halls.”
Participants in the press conference threatened to escalate their protests if the new deadline passed without meeting their demands.
