CAIRO: The January 25 Revolution revealed the power of cohesion and unity between Muslims and Christians, however, this picture was tainted by the subsequent incident in Etfeeh, said Moataz Raslan, chairman of the Canada Egypt Business Council, during a panel discussion.
Titled “The January 25 Revolution: Commencement of the Real Egyptian National Unity,” the CEBC organized panel brought together businessmen, intellectuals and politicians to discuss sectarian tension in Egypt.
Raslan asked how rifts between citizens of a nation can exist because of religion in the 21st century. “Our power is in our unity…for a better future,” he said.
On his part, Canadian Ambassador to Egypt Ferry de Kerckhove emphasized the importance of pluralism as an “act of speaking and understanding and shared respect,” noting that “tolerance is a virtue.”
“January 25 created a new Egypt, it was a cake which we unfortunately weren’t able to enjoy as a result of the sectarian problem which arose,” said writer and political analyst, Mostafa El-Fiqi.
He described the sectarian tension as a “chronic” problem, saying that all other problems such as wages and work conditions can be solved. Sectarian tension, he said, affects the fabric which holds Egypt together.
“Every Muslim in Egypt is an extension of the Coptic heritage, if you take a look around the Coptic Christian is in fact a cousin, uncle or grandfather,” said El-Fiqi.
He concluded that there is no foundation to the sectarian problem in Egypt and that after Jan. 25 “we have to fight all forces of discrimination, division and distraction.”
“If we talk about religion then we are ruining the beautiful picture we showed the world in Jan. 25, which was a populist, liberal and united movement,” he said.
El-Fiqi noted that it was a good sign that when Copts chose to demonstrate they did it in front of Maspero and not in front of the cathedral. “This [indicates] that we are a secular nation, as people demonstrate in front of the media headquarters or the supreme council, which is the judicial power or the Parliament, which is the legislative power,” he explained.
On his part, co-founder of the Kefaya Movement for Change, George Ishaq, said that the “sectarian rift without the National Democratic Party (NDP) has absolutely no existence whatsoever,” pointing out that there are numerous solutions to the problem but there “was no will to solve them.”
He explained that the local council has more than 40,000 NDP members who are still conspiring, dividing and destroying.
“The sectarian file is a creation of the old regime,” he said, referring to how there are speculations of the involvement of former minister of interior, Habib El-Adly, in the Alexandria church bombing on New Year’s Eve.
Ishaq explained that the current sectarian tension is a remnant of the old regime and proof that it is working in secrecy.
The discussion was then steered to the constitutional amendments which are up for a referendum on Saturday.
“This constitution fell when Mubarak stepped down and has numerous terrifying articles giving the president complete authority,” said El-Fiqi. “We want to demolish the concept of the Godly ruler…the Pharaoh ideology,” he noted.
“We want a democratic and secular nation which believes that all citizens are equal,” said El-Fiqi, adding that if this is not achieved, all the efforts of the Jan. 25 Revolution will have gone in vain.
Ishaq said that they will join mass demonstrations this Friday against the constitutional amendments, and will tour different provinces in the coming days to raise awareness about the amendments and their consequences.
The third speaker on the panel, telecom tycoon Naguib Sawiris, said that many people will take part in the referendum this Saturday thinking that by voting ‘yes’ they are for a stable and democratic country and “not knowing that they’re creating a catastrophe.”
“[The amendments] disregard segments of the society [as they] do not allow neither a female nor a Christian to be president…which century do we live in?” Sawiris said.
“I urge you all to talk to your employees and everyone around you and make them aware of the consequences of the Saturday referendum,” he said.
“This is the ‘to be or not be’ time of Egypt and the time to fight for a democratic [and] secular nation which is what the Jan. 25 Revolution demanded,” said Sawiris.
