Deputy Patriarch of Coptic Catholics: FJP Seeks Balanced Consensus Parliament, its Main Concern the Interests of the homeland

Deputy Patriarch of Coptic Catholics: FJP Seeks Balanced Consensus Parliament, its Main Concern the Interests of the homeland

Bishop Yuhanna Qultah, Deputy Patriarch of Coptic Catholics in Egypt, welcomed the arrival of Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) members to the first post-revolution parliament, pointing out that they are the men of clear vision, moderate mainstream views, who seek a balanced consensus parliament, and whose main concern is uphold the national interests and dignity of the country.


In an interview, in the program “Ahl Albalad” on the satellite channel "Misr 25", Thursday afternoon, Dr. Qultah expressed his sincere appreciation to Dr. Mohamed Morsi, FJP Chairman, for his re-iteration in repeated responses to repeated questions and suggestions  that he should send ‘reassurance’ messages to the Copts after the victory of FJP candidates in parliamentary elections, as he (Morsi) always says: “How do I send messages to reassure them when they are partners in this one homeland?!”


Bishop Yuhanna Qultah pointed out that the MB’s comprehensive, all-inclusive, understanding is just what is required to achieve balance and advancement for the whole nation which needs cooperation and synergy for a total renaissance.


He added that: “If Christians suffer injustice as Islamists rule the country, they (Copts) will find support in the Quran and Sharia (Islamic law) with its established principles of tolerance, and in Al-Azhar. The texts of the Quran safeguard the freedom of belief for all.” He then quoted the words of God in Quran: "There is no compulsion in religion" (Al-Baqarah: verse 256).


He pointed out that the Islamic civilization and the Islamic conquest of Egypt did not confiscate the freedom of belief, and that for more than 1400 years, Muslims never boycotted their Christian fellow citizens because of religion, and they have lived as brothers side by side all along that history.


The Bishop Qultah stressed that those seeking support from abroad, the West or the USA, are wrong and inane, calling them absurd, and arguing that they do not seek but their own interests, citing the U.S. invasion of Iraq where Christians were killed next to their Muslim brothers.


He also stressed the need for Arab to unite and integrate as one  nation, to reject division and fragmentation, and benefit from the Arab spring to achieve this cooperation and integration, with Arab peoples having emphasized that there is no turning back to the ages of tyranny, injustice, authoritarianism, and the deification of the president or the ruling family.


He denied reports that the Copts are concern about the ascent of Islamists, stressing that Islamic presence in Egypt was not a sudden or short-lived phenomenon that surfaced overnight, and that in modern times it was represented in the calls of Jamal Aldeen Al-Afghani and Sheikh Mohamed Abdu, and that the presence of Islamists now is quite natural after they have been subjected to repression, injustice and oppression for such a long period of time, adding that the challenge for Islamists is the practical application of the enlightened principles of Islamic Sharia.


Dr. Qultah noted that the migration of Egyptians to Western countries and the USA is not confined to Christians, and that it is not – as some say – a ‘religious’ migration, and that it comes out of fear for the future, for freedoms and financial stability.


He said that no country in the world boasts such strong solidarity between Muslims and Christians, in general goals, as in Egypt, and that discord which had sown division among partners of the same homeland in Egypt is on its way to extinction.


Bishop Qultah called on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to endeavour to maintain the armed forces’ honorable  track record and its place in the hearts of the Egyptian people and the love they feel for doing their duty, protecting the revolution and promising to safeguard and achieve their demands, and to hand over power to civilians after the current parliamentary elections, which Dr. Qultah considers the start of the construction of the modern Egyptian state.