Bibawi: reconciliation meetings not solution to sectarian problems in Egypt

By Mohamed Mahmoud in Cairo
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-01-25

[-/AFP/Getty Image] Egyptian Copts and Muslims protest against recent sectarian violence.

Egyptian public opinion continues to be preoccupied with the Nag Hammadi incident where six Coptic Christians were killed in front of a church in the southern Governorate of Qina, on Coptic Christmas Eve on January 6th.

Last week, the Egyptian General Prosecutor transferred three male suspects to the Supreme State Security Court, a special court established pursuant to the Emergency Law. He charged the men with premeditated murder as well as "intentional harm to the national interest and public safety, and endangering society's safety and security."

Dr. Nabil Luka Bibawi, representative of the Culture Committee in the Egyptian Shura Council and one of the leaders of the ruling National Democratic Party, spoke with Al-Shorfa about his visit to Nag Hammadi following the incident, where he led a parliamentary delegation that offered condolences to the victims' families.

Bibawi said the incident left a deep wound in the souls of the Muslims and Christians in Qina and that it would happen again if no action were taken to address rampant sectarian tension in Egypt.

Al-Shorfa: You were one of the people and Shura Councils' committee members who gathered facts about the Nag Hammadi incident. How do you view the incident?

Bibawi: The Nag Hammadi incident was a national disaster on all levels, whether criminal, political or sectarian. It was also a clear warning to the Egyptian state to put an end to existing sectarian tension and reconsider the application of the constitution's articles pertaining to citizenship rights in Egypt. Moreover, there is a need to find new mechanisms to deal with such crises.

What just happened has happened tens of times before and will happen again if the state continues to try to solve such sectarian problems through traditional justice or the so-called "Arab meetings" or "reconciliation meetings". Perpetrators of sectarian crimes must be strictly and transparently held accountable before the law so that justice is achieved for both Copts and Muslims who have grown tired of the traditional approaches to resolving these problems.

Secondly, the government must be serious in dealing with the roots of this problem that has plagued us for more than 50 years. Since the 1970s, we find that Egypt's policy apparatus (the parties, government, civil society, religious institutions) deals with sectarian tension by finding temporary solutions for each problem in order to merely calm tempers and put out fires.

Al-Shorfa: How was your visit to Nag Hammadi?

Bibawi: There was obvious tension in the relationship between Qina's Governor, Magdi Ayyub, and Bishop Kyrillos of the Nag Hammadi Diocese because of statements in the media in which each accused the other of failing to perform their duty. That is why the main priority on my agenda for the visit was to calm both sides. The crisis ended with the establishment of some principles for future co-operation between the Governorate and the Church, and there was an agreement to reconsider the demands made by the Diocese in regard to building new churches.

The second reason for the visit was to try and establish a mechanism to calm the tension between Muslims and Copts. I was frankly shocked by the extent of tension between Copts and Muslims. That was the main reason behind the riots that followed the incident, including the destruction of shops and homes.

Al-Shorfa: What do you think of the government's policy in dealing with the latest crisis?

Bibawi: I think it was good, decisive and meaningful. This is the first time that the state put such incidents in their right context. The perpetrators were arrested in less than 48 hours. Moreover, the General Prosecutor personally went to the city of Nag Hammadi to follow the course of investigations which were completed in 14 days. Now, the case is before the State Security Court.

Al-Shorfa: But some have criticized the security forces "for not doing enough to protect religious establishments?"

Bibawi: This is a narrow interpretation for a very broad crisis. Those who think the solution is in the hands of the security forces and requires increased protection of churches are sorely mistaken. Sectarian tension in southern Egypt is a social problem that begins with family, school and college. There have been tens of sectarian incidents in the past, which all occurred while increased security for churches and mosques was in effect.

Al-Shorfa: What indications can we glean from the General Prosecutor's transfer of the case to the "Emergency Supreme State Security" court as opposed to a regular court?

Bibawi: The General Prosecutor's decision to transfer the case to a special court established pursuant to the Emergency Law, like the "Supreme State Security" court, sends two messages on behalf of the Egyptian regime.

First, the era of temporary solutions is over. Egyptian law will be resolute in future sectarian incidents. And second, it sends a reassuring message to Copts and Muslims in Egypt that sectarian incidents will be dealt with quickly and decisively and will be viewed as "threats to Egypt's safety and stability".

In cases adjudicated by the State Security Court, decisions are issued within a month and they cannot be appealed. In other words, the perpetrators will get the maximum penalties in the quickest possible time.

In doing so, the Egyptian government has two goals. The first is to grant justice to the families of the victims as soon as possible so they feel that it is the nation and the law that protects them as opposed to vengeance. And the second goal is to force anyone considering the perpetration of a sectarian crime to rethink their decision.

Al-Shorfa: But some activists have demanded that the perpetrators be tried by a regular court.

Bibawi: A case before a regular court could take years, and, in the end, the perpetrators could get away with their crime. This has happened in many sectarian crimes in the past. This slow judicial process has also caused Egyptians to lose faith in the law and thus resort to traditional solutions or "reconciliation meetings" instead.

Over time, experience has shown that solutions based on traditional justice do not calm the passions of those who have lost their beloved relatives. These solutions have also been the main reason behind the aggravation of the crisis and the increase in sectarian incidents. This is because the perpetrators know they will not be held accountable and will not be punished.

By using special courts, everyone will know that the matter is not as easy as it used to be. The law will be determinant in judging any Egyptian fanatic who kills for sectarian reasons.

Al-Shorfa: In one of your previous statements, you indicated that as a representative of the Culture and Media Committee in the Shura Council, you provided several recommendations to the Egyptian government for dealing with the crisis. What are they?

Bibawi: I provided three recommendations. First, that a presidential decree be issued to transfer the perpetrators of sectarian crimes to military courts and to sentence them with maximum penalties. In other words, capital punishment should be applied in some instances.

The second recommendation was that the ruling Democratic National Party, in its capacity as the majority party, should form a new committee called the "Citizenship Committee". This committee would consist of a group of well-educated and tolerant Copts and Christians, lawyers and media figures, in other words, a committee of wise men.

I also recommended that the committee's mission should be the activation of the first article of the Egyptian Constitution which guarantees the equality of all Egyptian citizens before the law. It should also conduct a study that provides recommendations aimed at ending sectarian violence in Egypt. This type of problem has been seen in Egypt during the last 50 years only and it should therefore not be difficult to excise it from the Egyptian body.

The current fanaticism between Muslims and Coptic Christians in Egypt is a cancer that has afflicted the body of Egyptian society. It has appeared because of many internal and external factors, including the entry of Wahabi thinking into Egyptian society with Egyptians returning from Gulf countries. Also, on the Christian side, you find very strict clerics who do not accept co-existence with Muslims and Islam as a religion.

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