| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Africa North | |
| Egypt Copts decry attempt to "Islamize" Cairo | |
| 2009-02-16 | |
| Egypt's leading Christians have accused the governor of Cairo of trying to Islamize the streets by changing the names of some of the country's oldest areas from Christian ones to Islamic ones. The advisor of the Coptic Pope Shenouda III, Dr. Naguib Gebrael, filed a lawsuit against Governor Abdul-Azim Wazir for changing street names without any legal or historical reason. Gebrael cited the example of Victoria Square in Cairo's densely populated Coptic area called Shubra whose name was changed to Nasr al-Islam or the victory of Islam, the name of a fundamentalist association that offers charity services in the area.
"There is a committee in charge of naming streets and squares and its members include university professors of geography and history. Did fundamentalism infiltrate this scientific committee?" he added. Gebrael stressed that Copts have nothing against Islamic names and that the lawsuit is not out of fanaticism for Christianity, but rather keenness to preserve the history of Egypt and promote tolerance and multiplicity. Shubra is one of the oldest districts in Cairo and has a considerable Coptic population. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 For decades, Cairo Muslims have found it acceptable to drink beer at a Christian friend's house. The only way the Islamers could enforce sharia would be to enter Christian homes. |
| Posted by: Alistaire Greash5374 2009-02-16 04:39 |