Pope Shenouda: Claims of Copts oppression is groundless

The Patriarch of Orthodox Copts in Egypt Shenouda III on Sunday, following his meeting with Imam of al-Azhar mosque in Egypt Sheikh Sayyed Tantawi, said that all that has been said on the Copts' repression in Egypt is "fabricated claims."

He rejected "foreign intervention" in Egypt's internal affairs under the pretext of intervening on behalf of Copts.

Two weeks earlier, a group of Copts in the US published a full-page advertisement in the US daily Washington Post on the violation of Copts' rights in Egypt. The announcement was opposed by high-ranking Egyptian Coptic figures and by the first secretary of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and director of President Mubarak's office for political affairs, Dr. Osama el-Baz, al-Nahar said.

Meanwhile, Egypt's Coptic Christians shared the Greater Bairam joy with Muslims, as Islamic, political and religious leaders yesterday received a Coptic delegation to congratulate Muslim on the Greater Bairam. Both the Christian and the Muslim men of religion reiterated their rejection of all attempts at separation, confirming that the Egyptian people have of one mind and condemn any attempt at foreign interference in Egyptian affairs under religious pretexts.

Currently, there are several bills before the US Congress that aim at restricting aid and have other punative actions against countries that are labled as not protecting religious freedoms.