Egypt's prime minister wants to repeal laws that discriminate against Copts

The announcement by the Egyptian prime minister that Christian religious communities would no longer be discriminated against in the construction of churches was greeted by the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) as an important step in the dismantling of anti-Copt discrimination. Within 30 days, a unified law is to be passed regarding the construction of churches and mosques, asserted Prime Minister Essam Sharaf. "After 80 years of discrimination, a law like this would be a milestone in the efforts toward equality between Christians and Muslims in Egypt," stated the head of the STP's Africa section, Ulrich Delius, on Thursday in Göttingen.

Up to now, a law passed in 1934 has held the Coptic church at a clear disadvantage compared to Islam in the construction of places of worship. Permission had to be sought even for renovations or urgently needed maintenance work, and was usually denied. In this year alone, a number of dilapidated church buildings have collapsed, forcing churchgoers to hold services out of doors. Radical Muslims, in particular Salafis, have repeatedly fomented public conflicts to prevent the construction of planned new churches.

The Prime Minister's announcement is apparently intended to reassure the Coptic religious minority after the violent incidents of last weekend. Since then, the number of people reported killed in the street fighting between Muslims and Copts last Saturday has risen to 15, and more than 240 people were wounded. Criminal prosecution of the 247 people who were arrested has also been announced.

Numerous Muslim organizations have called for demonstrations for a united Egypt and against the violence towards Copts. In Qena, in Upper Egypt, where heavy rioting against the minority broke out in April 2011 after a Copt was appointed governor, a coalition of Copts and Muslims was formed with the aim of stopping the violence.

The Copts plan to underscore their demands for equal rights with a massive demonstration in Cairo on the coming Friday, initiated by the Maspiro Youth Union.