[l]We reject this agreement, keep the Monastery intact
By: Michael Meunier

Today, U.S. Copts Association chooses to comment on the proposal issued by the Governor of the Red Sea and delivered to Church officials during a meeting held last Thursday (08/20/03) in a meeting that included the governor of Alexandria. The governor of the Red Sea continues to insist on cultivating approximately 150 acres of land within and around St. Anthony’s Monastery’s fence. His proposal would create a new fence within the existing enclosure and allow for the cultivation of the land in between the two walls. This offer would serve to eliminate over 150 acres of land lying within the Monastery walls.
Church leadership in attendance during the meeting yielded tentative agreement to the proposal; however, the Monks of St. Anthony refuse this proposal and are waiting for H.H. Pope Shenouda to return to Egypt from the U.S. to resolve this matter.
I have the following observations that I would like to make:
1- It is interesting to note that in a country whose terrain is 94% desert land, the governor of the Red Sea finds no suitable site in which to plant his trees, apart from the land within the fence of this national historic site.
2- The intentions here are clear: to bring development and civilization to the Monastery and compromise the serenity of this holy site. The governor’s plans will require workers to cultivate the land, transport water from as far as 100 KM, and maintain care of the plants. Such workers will in turn require homes to live in and mosques to attend. It is not difficult to imagine that gradually, the governor may even provide incentives to new graduates and job seekers to labor in his plots of land and in the surrounding areas. It is evident that desires to Islamize the areas immediately surrounding the monastery are dictating the actions and behaviors of the local governor. The fact that St. Anthony’s Monastery stands centuries later as the first monastery in the world seems insignificant to the governor – He is intent on disturbing the site’s holy silence with the transport of development.
2- A Coptic businessman donated millions to construct the monastery’s encompassing fence. Another businessman donated millions to develop a 20KM-long road to facilitate the journey for the monastery’s visitors. With these basic constructions in place, the governor now ponders the potential of developing the monastery’s surrounding areas, especially that it will be at no cost to him.
3- The more than 150 acres that the governor wishes to claim is presently populated with numerous cells and caves inhabited by monks. For the past 10 years the monastery has used its permit, acquired from the previous local governor, to build these cells, and the encompassing fence. The present governor refuses to acknowledge the validity of the permit and insists on seizing the land. This behavior only underscores the suffering that Christians endure in Egypt, where permits are given and taken away at the whims of its rulers.
4- The governor claims that the construction violation just came to his attention recently, and that the construction of the fence must have been secretly undertaken. In light of this logic, the governor would like for us to believe that the monks transported cement, water, and adequate building material for the construction of a 4000 meter-long and 3 meter-high fence over a period of 10 years in complete secrecy!
5- In response to Bishop Yustos’ protest against the governor, the bishop is being labeled an enemy of the State – the man who ‘contacted foreign elements’ and intends to ‘harm Egyptian national unity.’ These labels come as no shock. Every courageous religious leader who has taken a stand and insisted on the protection of his (and his community’s) rights has been the prey of such categorizations. Bishop Wissa, the late Bishop Makary, Bishop Thomas, and every other priest who spoken out has been labeled as such. However, they are our heroes – they are those who are transforming the thoughts of the oppressed.
In light of the rationale laid out above, we must reject the proposal made behind closed doors. The offer will no doubt lead to the destruction of the sanctity and tranquility of this holy site. We denounce this doomed agreement and assert that is signifies a major defeat for the Copts and their future in their homeland. Instead of giving the governor legal means through which to destroy this holy site, we urge that the monastery and its leadership continue to fight for its protection. If, after we have resisted, the destruction of the fence then becomes reality, the actions of the governor will tarnish the reputation of Egypt and its rulers.
My final word is to President Mubarak. Mr. President, this is not the first time one of your governors has defied your orders. You ordered that his troops retreat on August 6th. Despite this, troops returned on August 18-19. You ordered retreat once again, yet the governor still pursues his intentions to destroy the fence. This contradictory behavior of the local governments has been exhibited in El-Ubor city, in Sharm El-Sheikh, in Sohag, in El-Minia, and now in the Red Sea. Mr. President, will you chastise these individuals or allow them to think that they may harass Copts with impunity? While the Egyptian people have not elected these governors, we hope that your appointment of these individuals does not signify their ability to rule Egypt’s populace as they wish.



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