Coptic Pope Shenouda III. Supports Mubarek's Government

Shenouda III. will not take part in the public protests against Mubarak -- IGFM disappointed.

Cairo --  Frankfurt am Main (kath.net/IGFM) The Coptic Pope Shenouda III. yesterday, Sunday, on the 30th of January in a public statement to Copts declared that he would not participate in the protests against the government of Mubarak.  Shenouda III. is the ecclesiastical head of the Coptic-Orthodox  Church and also the spiritual head of most Christian Egyptians.

The International Society for Human Rights [IGFM] was disappointed over the news of Shenouda's statement.  Actually, most Coptic human rights advocates in Egypt are secular.  For a large minority, the Egyptian Christians, the decisions of the head of the Cotpic Church have enormous weight, said the IGFM, also important was the statement of the Coptic Pope on State Controlled Egyptian television which was repeated a number of times.

Since the outburst of the protests against the almost thirty year old government of former General Husni Mubarak,  there has been no overlap against the religious minorities. The IGFM reported in the spect of human rights advocates in Egypt that the demonstrators are in no way motivated by religious scandals, rather, they seek the resignation of the Mubarak government.

According to estimates of the IGFM the Islamic brothers and some opposition politicians have appropriated the protests for themselves.  Actually the protesters themselves are seeking freedom and are not initiated by the Islamic Brotherhood or funded by them.  The IGFM reports that the Egyptian human rights advocates have interpreted the situation as a "war of normal Egyptians against the Internal Ministry".

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