Thousands of police manned barricades around Christian churches in Egypt's second largest city Saturday, a day after Muslim rioters attacked churches and shops, leaving four people dead in the country's worst religious violence in five years.

The Daily Herlad, Oct 23, 2005

The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamad Sayyed Tantawi mourned the death of Pope Johan Paul II of the Vatican.

In statements Sunday, the Grand Imam said the death of the Pontiff is a great loss for the Orthodox Church and Muslim World as he was an icon of peace and love.

He added that Pope John Paul II was a peace advocate who adopted a moderate stand vis-a-vis the Palestinian and Iraqi issues.

Regional-Vatican, Politics, 4/5/2005

Egyptian courts are now deciding whether the way Copts are represented in the film "I Love the Cinema" is a violation of the law that prohibits insulting religious communities.

By Zvi Barel, Haaretz, July 29, 2004

The Egyptian movie "I Love Cinema," in its fifth week in theaters, has prompted demonstrations by Coptic Christians and legal action by clergymen who say it ridicules Christian doctrines.

SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer, July 10, 2004

Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak will be hosting Fifa president Sepp Blatter in an attempt to gain his support for the country's 2010 World Cup bid.

Earlier this year, The Christian band "Better Life Team" appeared in Cairo Stadium in an event to promote "Cairo 2010"

Special For Come and See, March 22, 2004

First came the fish bumper stickers, imported from the United States and pasted on cars by members of Egypt's Coptic minority as a symbol of their Christianity. Before long, some Muslims responded with their own bumper stickers: fish-hungry sharks


MAGGIE MICHAEL, AP, Dec 2, 2003

According to Christine Tadros from the U.S. Copts Association: "Muslims who convert to Christianity face persecution on a variety of fronts, leading many to lead secret lives and try to find new identities. Some go into hiding and some try to leave the country or go into a different part of the country and change their names. If they?re caught they face torture and abuse"

By Mark Ellis, ASSIST News Service, November 1, 2003

Egyptian Christian was pulled off a flight this afternoon in Cairo and is being held by Egyptian secret police. His wife is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity, is also being sought by police.



Voice of the Martyrs, Sep 26, 2003

Coptic Bishop Wissa of Baliana Diocese, articulated the dismay of many in the Christian community :"If those accused are really innocent, where are the real killers? The 21 Christians who were so brutally murdered in January 2000 did not kill themselves"

By Michael Ireland, ASSIST News Service, March 3, 2003

Leaders of Christian sects in Egypt as well as leading Coptic political activists welcomed Archimandrite Attallah Hanna's call on Palestinian and Arab Christians to join hands in carrying out martyr operations against the Israeli occupation forces.

Atallah Hanna who is from Rama Village in Israel, was until recently spokesman for the Orthodox Church in Jerusalem

Abd el-Reheem Ali, Islam Online Staff, Jan 12, 2003