[ELSHIEKH]

The Canadian Coptic Association

Human Rights violation goes on…….





January 21, 2004



According to a January 12th 2004 Egyptian government released document included names of the new assigned 60 foreign diplomats including ambassadors and others. No Christian made it to the list!!!!

This is not the only state list that Christians are obviously excluded from, although they make up almost 15% of the population. Judges positions on all court levels are mostly granted to graduates of the exclusive Muslims University, Al Azhar. Two out of the 35 appointed Cabinet ministers are Christians, External Trade Minister, Youseff , Boutros Ghali, nephew of Boutros-Ghali, the past UN Chief and a long time loyalist to the president, and new Minister for Environment Affairs - Mamdouh Tadrous

The Following exerts from http://www.middle-east online.com/english/?id=7322, will shed some light on discrimination facing Copts in their own home land according to the head of the Coptic Church in a rare interview published in an Egyptian government magazine. Pope Shenouda confirms that there are more than 10 million Copts in Egypt, to refute the government’s continuous attempts to cut these numbers by half in its public statistics.

CAIRO - Egypt's Coptic Christian minority would like to be better represented in parliament and obtain more jobs in the public sector, their patriarch, Pope Shenuda III, said in an interview published Wednesday in the government magazine Al-Mussawar. The pope highlighted the fact that only two of the People's Assembly's 444 elected members were Copts, while four other Copts were among an extra 10 appointed by President Mubark.

Pope Shenuda called on the state to adopt an "effective measure" allowing for a larger representation of Copts in parliament.

Only one of the country's cabinet members is a Copt, External Trade Minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali. Around 10 more Copts serve on the 264-member Consultative Council, an upper chamber without legislative powers.

Meanwhile, Copts had "demands in the field of employment," the pope was quoted as saying.

"What are the chances of a Copt being employed by the university or the courts?" he asked.

He recalled "the time when many Copts held positions in universities," though he gave no dates. "Now, it is rare for Copts to be named to posts in the university system," he said.

"It's important to me that people find jobs in line with their talents, whatever the level of the post," he added.

Muslims make up the vast majority of Egypt's 70 million people. Official statistics say there are at least 5.8 millions Copts, but the church said there are more than 10 million

For more information please contact president;

Dr. Selim Naguib, PhD in Political Science

ssnaguib@sympatico.ca or ssnaguib@hotmail.com

Fax: 514 485 1533