{"id":634311,"date":"2018-01-11T04:01:00","date_gmt":"2018-01-11T04:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2018\/01\/11\/al-azhar-is-ambivalent-towards-tolerant-views-of-christians-in-egypt\/"},"modified":"2018-01-11T04:01:00","modified_gmt":"2018-01-11T04:01:00","slug":"al-azhar-is-ambivalent-towards-tolerant-views-of-christians-in-egypt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2018\/01\/11\/al-azhar-is-ambivalent-towards-tolerant-views-of-christians-in-egypt\/","title":{"rendered":"Al-Azhar is ambivalent towards tolerant views of Christians in Egypt"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a> Reports of persecution of Egypt\u2019s Coptic Christian minority topped coverage of Egypt in the foreign press this morning<\/strong>. A report by the Open Doors<\/a> charity organization claims that Coptic Christians are suffering from unprecedented levels of persecution, particularly with the recent wave of attacks on churches that has prevented worshippers from being able to gather normally. The report says 128 Christians were killed in Egypt for their faith and more than 200 were driven out of their homes in 2017, attributing the rise in persecution to \u201cthe overspill of Islamic terrorists driven out of Iraq and Syria\u201d. The report is being widely covered, most notably by the Guardian<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some Al-Azhar officials seem to \u201ceither have an ambivalent attitude or a two-faced\u201d attitude regarding tolerance towards Christians in Egypt<\/strong>, AZ Mohamed writes for Gatestone Institute<\/a>, citing a MEMRI report. Mohamed says the clerics are not following direction from Ittihadiya on pushing a more tolerant view because of the influence of extremist ideology and their uncertainty regarding both their public image and their popularity if they yield to President Abdel Fattah El Sisi\u2019s demands. \u201cThese reservations seem especially charged in the context of rivalries for religious leadership in Egypt, and signs of support for Al Azhar from the parliament, the media and the public. Possibly even more persuasive is the fear of gradually losing all power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Egypt is hoping that Russia\u2019s resumption of flights to Cairo will encourage the UK to lift its ban on flights to Sharm El Sheikh<\/strong>, TTG says<\/a>. The UK\u2019s insistence on keeping its ban on the Sharm El Sheikh airport is \u201cextremely frustrating,\u201d especially since the FCO does not have any security warnings in place for the town itself, UK and Ireland director at the Egyptian Tourism Authority Amr El Ezaby tells TTG. According to El Ezaby, \u201cauthorities had made GBP 20 mn worth of investments in airport security as well as improving infrastructure in the wider resort.\u201d Persistent demand from the British market for vacations in Sharm El Sheikh throughout last year should also spur the British government to action, El Ezaby says.<\/p>\n

Worth skimming in brief this morning:<\/p>\n