MPs refute US congress bill on Copts

CAIRO - 28 December 2017:Egyptian Parliament’s foreign affairs committee headed by Tarek Radwan held a hearing session on Wednesday over the consequences of the US congress bill on Egyptian Copts.

The session included the head of Egypt's State Information Service (SIS), Diaa Rashwan, Head of Free Egyptians Party’s Parliamentary committee Alaa Abid, head of Parliament’s Human Rights committee, Kamal Ami and head of parliament’s defence, National Security committee, Karim Darwish and other officials.

Radwan refuted the allegations mentioned on the US Congress bill, claiming that Egyptian Copts’ rights are violated, and they receive a second-degree citizen’s treatment.

The bill claims that the Copts rights’ are being violated unlike reality, most of its allegations are lies rejected by Egyptian people, said Radwan.

Egyptian Copts are not in need of a foreign intervention, they are part of the Egyptian Internal affair, added Radwan.

The representative said that the parliament will issue a statement in response to the resolution issued by some US congress members on the situation of Copts in Egypt.

A Coptic member of the Parliament, Magdy Malak, from Upper Egypt governorate of Minya, said that Copts living in Egypt will not accept a protection from a foreign power.

Malak added that the number of villages in Minya exceeds 2000, still the incidents driven by sectarian reasons did not pass 37, not more than 2 percent of the other crimes.

Malak said that the Copts problems are part of the other burdens the Egyptian State are wearied by, such as the Health and the education.

MP Tharwat Bakhit, a member of the Supreme Committee of the Free Egyptians Party, highlighted the role played by the Egyptian Coptic Church for decades, naming the Patriarchs of the ancient church by the Golden chain.