Politische Umbrüche im Nahen Osten – Die Rolle der christlichen Kirchen in Ägypten

Egypt is facing a serious and complicated period in its modern history. After almost three years of difficulties, troubles, and confusion. A new roadmap is being drawn out for Egypt. After the ouster of former president Morsi, an interim government was formed with the former president of the Constitutional Court as president. This interim government is tasked with the job of reforming Egypt’s government to help to bring Egypt closer to the desired democratic system. The interim government has planned to write the new constitution, elect a new parliament and a new president within 9 - 11 months. The process of writing the constitution has already started, a committee of ten judges has been formed to write the first draft. Another committee has been formed representing most of the factions of the society to take the first draft and finalize it for the referendum. The committee’s role is to alter the 2012 constitution make it more inclusive and more acceptable to the majority of Egyptians. The Catholic Church is included in this committee and is represented by one of its bishops. The challenges facing the writing of the constitution pertain to the identity of the country, the involvement of religious institutions in government, civil liberties and the rights of women, as well as the articles that concern Christians and other minorities, and that concern freedom of religion. These are sensitive issues with many differing opinions, this is why reaching a compromise requires a considerable amount of work and also a considerable amount of agreement. (Followed by parliamentary and the presidential elections).

The situation we find ourselves in today is not to be taken lightly. Many events have led to the complications we face in Egypt and these events started a long time ago. The culmination of them started on January 25th 2011, since that day, Egypt has been on a political and economic roller coaster with no clear end in sight.

Egypt since January 2011

On February 11th 2011, something unexpected happened in Egypt. Following several days of protests in the country, former President Hosni Mubarak decided to step down after 30 years of reign over the country. There was a platform now for people to access the political sphere and for things to change dramatically to the better. The spirits were high and there was a lot of hope. Everyone thought that this was going to be the time for real change. From then to where we are now, things have only gotten worse because one political group, the Muslim Brotherhood, using the umbrella of religion took control of the country and excluded everyone else. The people of Egypt trusted that the Muslim brotherhood will be true to their words and bring about real change and that is why former President Morsi was elected. He spoke of the changes that Egyptians had been asking for during the revolution (freedom, human dignity, and social justice). Unfortunately that is not at all what happened.

Throughout the time they were in control:

- The Muslim brotherhood proceeded to surely and effectively alienate anyone who wasn’t a member of their party and made sure that key posts within the government would be occupied by their own members (they especially concentrated on posts within education, ministry of youth (among other areas) because this is the way they can shape the future generations, and they wanted to shape the future generations to adhere to their own ideologies).

- The former President even went as far as issuing a presidential decree that gave him sweeping powers and put him above the reach of the law. The supposedly democratic government was looking more and more undemocratic. Would the people of any of the Western countries accept that any official within the country give himself sweeping powers through a presidential decree overnight?

- The former president formed a constitutional committee consisting of a Islamist majority and made sure that the constitution only served the interest of Islamists putting everyone else on the margins of society. The outcome was a constitution full of drawbacks and articles constitutionally wrong or contradicting. Would any people of a Western country accept that the president change the identity of your country through a constitution that is in no way representative of the different segments of society?

- Would it be accepted that a president gives away a part of the land of the country? The former president promised Sudan the territory of Halayeb and Shalatin in the south of Egypt.

- The parliament under President Morsi's rule, which was later dissolved, wanted to reduce the legal marriage age for girls to be 9 years in addition to making FGM a legal practice. This goes against all child and women human rights and the people in the country were appalled that their supposed representatives were discussing such matters in a way that made them completely normal and acceptable.

(The above mentioned points are just some points among the many things the former president and the MBs did)

And so, on June 30th 2013, on the first anniversary of the president being in office, the population took to the streets to protest peacefully the way the country had been run by the Muslim brotherhood. Millions took to the streets demanding that the president steps down and that early elections be carried out. The power of the streets did not work the same way this time as it did last time. The military intervened a few days later to remove the president. It must be stressed that prior to these events, many political factions had attempted to negotiate with the president and his party and to convince him that his actions were damaging the country. The population’s discontent was communicated to him on many occasions and he chose to disregard it.

The situation after the events of June 30th and the ouster of president Morsi was very tense. The Muslim brotherhood and their supporters organized sit-ins in two big squares in Cairo (Rabaa El-Adawia square and Elnahda square) just days before June 30th. Since then and until August 14th they were blocking main roads, organizing marches to different areas in Cairo, disrupting traffic in areas around the sit-ins, attacking military and state properties, and threatening the residents of the buildings around the two squares. Many different factions (foreign diplomats including Americans and Europeans, Egyptian politicians, etc…) tried to find a common ground and a peaceful solution to the difficult situation at hand however, all attempts failed .The leaders of the Muslim brotherhood insisted on the return of Morsi before any negotiations and refused to participate in any talks when they were invited to do so several times by these different factions.

Unfortunately, Many in the West did not see the reason for which the security forces and the military felt the need to disrupt the sit-ins and break the protests, after all peaceful protests are a normal part of a democracy, and it is not to say that the manner how they did it should be condoned. However, it is important to clarify a few aspects of the situation to make it more understandable to people who are not in Egypt. Many media outlets in the West and otherwise have been calling the Muslim brotherhood protests and sit-ins "peaceful". Anyone who has taken the time to listen to speeches made within those sit-ins would realize just how much they incited hatred towards anyone who did not belong to the Muslim brotherhood or support them. Their rhetoric was not one of peace; it was rhetoric of revenge and hate. They were not chanting for Egypt, they were chanting for Islam, they were not chanting for unity, they were chanting for control. In addition, as the clearing of the sit-in has proved, they also had weapons, the extent to which the sit-ins contained weapons is not clear, but what is clear is that they did contain them and the presence of one gun cancels out the meaning of peace. This is not to say that all protestors are violent and dangerous, but it cannot be said that these protests were peaceful. There was no telling when this rhetoric of hatred was going to turn into actions.

After the removal of the two sit-ins by the security forces, the Muslim brotherhood and their supporters proceeded to attack many areas in Egypt causing complete chaos in the country. They are burning and robbing state building, police stations, churches and church properties, Christian homes. They are also attacking civilians and people of the security apparatus. This is a clear demonstration of where they stand, either control the country, or take it down with them. Their attack on churches and Christian homes may seem like the start of a civil war, after all, that is the definition of civil war. However, it is not. The attacks on the churches are only a reflection of the Muslim brotherhood’s ideology, they seek complete control, and they seek to transform the country into an Islamic state. The Christian minority, the army, the security apparatus, the secularists are what stands in their way. The easiest target and the one likely to cause the most panic and fear is the Christian minority. Since the ouster of President Morsi, their opposition methods have become more and more aggressive and violent as they seek to regain the control they have lost.

Challenges:

Although the situation seems to be very grim there is still hope for the future and potential to progress. Although the society is facing harsh times and the economy has dropped to lows that are affecting everyone negatively there is still a possibility for things to get better.

Egypt is a country rich in resources, human as well as non-human. The younger generations that carried out the January 25th and the June 30th revolutions still pin their hope on the country and they are the hope of the country. They are the ones with the strength and the desire to see a better and improved Egypt. They have the learning capacity and the will to take Egypt forward. The younger generation is a very large number of people, they make up the majority of the population and this provides Egypt with a strong labor force and with strong minds to carry the country forward. Not only does Egypt have its people, it also has its land and its country. It is about time someone started taking advantage of what this country really has to offer.

However, the situation is in fact difficult. Egypt’s economy has plummeted in the past couple of years due to the political atmosphere and the volatility of the situation in the country. Our foreign debt has increased dramatically, our reserves have decreased to dangerous levels, foreign direct investment is now nonexistent and the country is experiencing an almost total economic standstill and severe decrease in the tourism sector. This has had repercussions on all people within the country as unemployment has risen along with inflation. Domestic investors and national institutions such as the Central Bank have worked very hard to keep the economy afloat and they have thankfully succeeded in doing so.

And thus, the social situation in Egypt is negatively influenced by all of the above problems. Since the economy is facing problems, the society is being affected as unemployment and poverty rates have risen. There is also the problem of helping the population rise up above their current condition

The Catholic Church

Solving all of the above problems is a road fraught with obstacles. In addition to its pastoral and religious role, the Catholic Church has already done its fair share in trying to help the Egyptian people. And they continue to do so, however, they face several challenges.

These are:

1- Rising religious fundamentalism fighting against "Secular civic state"

2- Sectarian tension, Christian Muslim tension violence targeting Egyptian Christians and churches.

3- The question of the role of the church in the political domain. and the weak participation of Christians especially Catholics in public and political domain

4- Human rights violations, and the attitude of the church towards those violations.

5- Christian migration.

6- Lack of lay leaders in the church.

7- Funding to face the huge needs.

8- Law on Christian personal status, and the law on the construction of churches.

9- The foundation of thousands of NGOs with Islamic background. (Will play a political role).

Christians

The Christians in Egypt form between 12% to 15% of about 85 million Egyptians (according to neutral estimates).

The majority is the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Catholics are about 250,000.

In spite of the fact that Catholics are few, the Catholic Church is very well acknowledged, and respected for its social work, through NGOs, schools, hospitals, etc…

Challenges

1-    Discrimination against Christians.
2-    Freedom of religion and thoughts.
3-    The islamization of the country.
4-    Increased violence against Christians and their properties.
5-   The future of Egypt, how would it be? They are worried about the future, their safety, their children, and their properties              
6-   Increased tensions among Muslims and Christians in the public
7-   All these challenges are in addition to other problems that all Egyptians are facing.

The role of the Church in the future

So far the Catholic Church has been very active in helping with education, development, health, and the alleviation of poverty.

However, with the new political roadmap and the changing landscape of the country, the Church must now alter its role and its methods to fit with the new situation.

It faces a challenge when it comes to the question to which extent it has to get involved politically; it is a religious institution and the lines between religion and politics are very blurry. The Church must be very careful in the way it chooses to involve itself in politics.

The areas that the Church must continue working in are:

Education

The education system is very weak and so the rising generations are not being formed properly to be able to contribute to their country. Education is the tool to form the future of Egypt. Democracy is a relatively new concept and we must still learn how to use it to our advantage and to respect it. Civil rights and civic duties need to be taught and practiced. The political system needs to be representative of the different factions of society and to protect the rights of all the segments in the society.

Poverty, health and unemployment

It must continue to reach out to the poor people without discrimination especially of women through its own network and through the network of the different organization relating to the Church.

It must also work on promoting a deeper understanding of democracy. It must work in the deeper levels of society to bring about real change.
The Church has a religious role to help the Christians of Egypt in their quest to be better Christians but it also has a nationalistic and patriotic duty towards all Egyptians. It must help each and every Egyptian through its various programs and institutions.

It must now work to carve a new place for itself in the new shaping of Egypt and become a leading force in the change that needs to take place. The citizens of Egypt are in dire need of this help. And only by working with the community in the grassroots of it can the Church and its institutions increase the awareness of Christians of the importance of their participation in the community, help alleviate the poverty, illiteracy and the unemployment.

The church has a duty of developing the capacity and knowledge of the priests and nuns in order to be able to face the major changes in the country, and to answer the questions of young generations.

The church has also a role in preparing laymen (youth) leaders to participate in the public domain, to activate the activities in the church, and create new activities.

In order to achieve all of this the Church must think strategically towards the future and set its priorities. The Church must also make sure that it restructures all its organizations in a manner that would help it better face the challenges and be ready for the future. The Church needs to invest in its clergymen and its laymen to help them grow in their skills and in their understanding of Egypt’s needs and to help form them in a holistic manner. The clergymen will carry on these teachings and transfer them to younger generations of clergymen. The laymen are the representatives of the Church in the society and they must show the true example of what it means to be a Christian.

The presence of Christians in Egypt and in the Middle East is of paramount importance for Christians in the Middle East as well as for Europe and the West when it comes to the future and stability of the area. Christians belong in the Middle East and their presence must be accepted and their rights respected.

Maintaining stability in Egypt is also of paramount importance for the future of the area and for Europe and the West. Egypt has always been a leader in the region and it has always cooperated with the West to help achieve peace and stability in the region.

This is why supporting the Catholic Church is crucial; the Church will help take Egypt forward. Its clergymen will help develop the Church to better serve its people and its laymen will be active members of society offering a hand when help is needed and ensuring that the country moves forward by taking part in the decision making process.

Dr. Maged Moussa Yanny, Kairo, Mitglied von Justitia et Pax Ägypten