Parliament prepares report to reply to U.S. claims on Copts

CAIRO – 4 January 2018: Deputy Chairman of the Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee Tarek el-Khouli said that the committee is preparing a report to reply to the allegations made by the U.S. Congress regarding the violations committed against Coptic Christians in Egypt.

In coordination with Egypt's State Information Service (SIS), the report will be discussed before sending it to the U.S. Congress and foreign media, he told Egypt Today on Thursday.

A resolution was introduced to the U.S. Congress on Dec. 21 expressing concerns over attacks on Coptic citizens in Egypt. U.S. Congress members, namely Carolyn B. Maloney, David N. Cicilline, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, David A. Trott and Brad Sherman, both Republicans and Democrats, supported the resolution, claiming the persecution of Copts in Egypt.

The resolution alleged that Copts in Egypt face sectarian division and attacks are carried out against them because they are considered as second-class citizens.

The Egyptian Foreign Committee declared in a statement on December 29 that the resolution contains many errors and is inconsistent with reality. The committee added that the attacks against Christians were carried out by the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to disrupt Egypt’s security.

For its part, the Coptic Orthodox Church also rejected the bill and said that the government carried out its “full duty in repairing and renovating the churches,” a process which is nearly completed, according to President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. “Egyptian national unity is above all, and can never be compromised,” the church added.