CAIRO/ The Meeting is going to start

Egypt is recently experiencing a generalized state of tension: hardly a week goes by without a rally in front of a mosque or a church. Egyptian Muslims believe that the Coptic Church has become a state within a state, because they do not agree to submit to the law when they considers it inconsistent with their beliefs. Egyptian Muslims believe that this is part of a partnership with the current system of government, to which the Church gives its unconditional support, even going so far to support political projects aimed at allowing President Mubarak's son to succeed in the government.

For their part, Egyptian Christians feel they are being deprived of their political rights, and despite the fact that Coptic Egyptian families are richer, and among them there is a high percentage of educated people, and highly trained Christian professionals, they cannot, however, aspire to the highest offices of state, such as President of the Republic or Prime Minister. In addition, Christians can neither build nor renovate a church without engaging in prolonged battles with a bureaucracy that treats them with hostility.

This situation has meant that the love affair between a young Muslim and a Christian girl was enough for thousands of ordinary people to take to the streets to protest against the lack of decisiveness by the State and the Church in dealing with proselytism (Islamic and Christian).

The question, however, is no longer limited to the common people, but now involves even the religious leadership. Days ago, in fact, Dr. Salim al-Awa appeared on a television channel known to be aligned with Islamic fundamentalism, to affirm that the Church is building up arms in the monasteries, in preparation for a war with Muslims, and he added that it is only a matter of time before Anba Bishoy, the Secretary of the Coptic Synod, will take to the field to correct Quranic verses and Islamic doctrines.

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