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Watani Sunday Published by Watani Printing and Publishing Corporation 19 October 2014 27, Abdel Khaleq Tharwat st. – 9 Baba (Paope) 1731 Tel. 202-23927201 Editor-in-chief Managing Editor 25 Thul-Higga 1435 202-23936051 Youssef Sidhom Samia Sidhom Issue 714 Fax 202-23935946 Year 14 Website: www.wataninet.com E-Mail: watanipaper@gmail Editorial Problems on hold The Hanging Church painstakingly restored Religious parties run free

Youssef Sidhom

When 33 million Egyptians revolted against the one-year Islamist Muslim Brotherhood (MB) rule on 30 June 2013 and, backed by the military, overthrew it on 3 July they worked a pivotal change in the country’s history. For one, they rid their country of the MB who had hijacked Egypt’s Egyptian identity to replace it with an Islamic one; and second, they aspired to build a modern democratic civil State. Repre- sentatives of the various sectors of the Egyptian community teamed up with the military and set a three-point Road- map for the country to attain these goals. So far, Egypt has fulfilled two of them: a civic Constitution that is seen as the best ever in the history of Egyptian constitutions, and the election of moder- ate Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi as President. Both were voted in through landslide fair votes, meaning they have the solid support of the masses. Now Egypt ea- gerly awaits the implementation of the third and most critical provision, the election of a parliament, in order to ful- fil the Roadmap and move on towards a democratic future. With some 125 political parties on the arena, the political scene appears rather confused, especially with ambiguous talk of party coalitions. However, we hope that by the time—and this will be sooner rather than later—candidacy for the upcoming elections is open, there will be in place solid coalitions that would ably contest the race with polit- ical agendas that answer voters’ aspira- tions for a new Egypt. It is no exaggeration to say that the upcoming parliamentary elections pose a huge challenge. Only a balanced par- liament that translates the Constitution’s principles into solid, tangible laws can perform the legislative reform Egyp- tians aspire for. Otherwise, the nation The original splendour risks political and legislative pitfalls that would likely undermine the entire Roadmap. Why do I now voice fears which I re- peatedly warned against? I do so to awaken awareness on the active role every Egyptian should play in the elec- tions, both through campaigning and voting. The political scene currently in- cludes movements that aim to pull Egypt back into the fold of Islamism and revive the religious State, and these conspire to sneak into parliament to at- tain their goal. It is thus essential to monitor and identify the predispositions of candidates contesting the parlia- mentary race in order to disallow those who aspire for religious rule from find- ing a way in. before This brings me to a problem that is and after not being addressed, that of the Islamic parties which are still freely operating restoration on the political arena. Following the Arab Spring uprising in January 2011 Victor Salama and consequent rise of Islamists, these All the splendour had been buried underneath layers upon layers Herod the King who wished to kill the Christ Child. parties were able to acquire the approv- of smoke and dust. The years had taken their toll on the 5th- Five other churches are currently under various stag- al of the Supreme Committee for Party century church of the Holy Virgin and St Demiana, commonly Saving all of Old Cairo es of restoration, Anba Yulius said. Affairs (SCPA) and become a le- known as the Muallaqa (Hanging) Church in Old Cairo, the Cop- Watani talked to Anba Yulius, Bishop-General of Old Cairo, a gitimate part of the system. They are tic Cairo quarter which goes back to Roman times. Now, after a parish which includes 17 ancient churches. Anba Yulius was keen 16-year, EGP101 million (USD5.4 million) restoration, the to point out that even though he was the one today celebrating the What does the Hanging Church mean to you? now vocal about contesting the up- Finally, Watani asked Anba Yulius what the Hanging church coming parliamentary elections; they church is sparkling, back to its original magnificence. completion of the restoration, he was "harvesting the fruit which Located in a heavily populated area, the Hanging Church suf- many others had sowed". He explained that when he was seated in meant to him. "When I was seated in March 2013, the bishop’s strive to sway Egyptians towards polit- seat was at the church of St Joseph in Old Cairo, a modern-day ical Islam with honeyed rhetoric and de- fered from air pollution, a high subsoil water level, and leakage of 2013, the work had already been completed at the hands of bish- water from the outdated 100-year-old drainage system. Orna- ops who had been in charge of the parish before him. These were church. My love for the Hanging Church, which goes back to my ceitful agendas, and work to form co- childhood years when I would visit it with my parents or Sunday alitions with non-Islamic parties. I am mentation of the church’s wooden ceiling was stained with smoke Anba Yuhanna, Anba Silwanus and Anba Mina, and they worked from decades of lit candles and incense, and the walls and founda- hand in hand with the church’s pastors Fr Morqos Aziz and Fr School teachers, made me move the bishop’s seat here. confident that the majority of Egyptians "The Hanging Church was the papal seat since the Arab con- are awake to such by-now-notorious tion suffered from cracks brought about by the 1992 earthquake. Yacoub Soliman. "My bit lay in putting in place the final touches The area around the church is called Mugamaa al-Adyaan, Ar- and arranging for this celebration," Anba Yulius said. quest of Egypt in the 7th century when Pope Christodoulos practices but I still fear that some may moved the seat from to the new capital in Fustat, be lured or deceived into going along abic for ‘religious compound’. It houses a large number of the Everyone is wondering why the restoration took so long, Watani oldest churches in Egypt; the Amr Ibn al-Aas Mosque which is remarked. "In order for anyone to understand why," Anba Yulius present-day Old Cairo. There it remained till the 13th century; a with the Islamists. number of the popes who sat there are buried in the crypt. Yet it is an open question why re- the first mosque built in Egypt directly after the Arab conquest in replied, "he or she should know in what poor shape the church the 7th century, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue. was before the restoration. I am originally an architect and, when "But perhaps more than anything, the Hanging Church is for me a ligious-based parties clearly bent on es- spot where prayers are answered. The great 8th century miracle of tablishing an Islamic State should be al- The 5th-century church is among the oldest in Egypt and the I took orders, I served for ten years at the Pope Kyrillos Mill in first to be built in Roman basilica style. It earned its nickname, Old Cairo, where buildings go back to the 18th-century. Even moving the Muqattam Mountain has its roots here through the ar- lowed to remain on the ground. This, dent prayers of Pope Avra’am (c.975 - 979) and the congregation. despite an explicit clause in the Con- the Hanging Church, because it was built over two towers of the though they are not ancient, I gained experience in the proper way 2nd-century Roman fort known as Babylon Fort. The church was to handle old buildings and bricks. The Pope had been asked by the Fatimid caliph al-Muizz li-Din Al- stitution that bans them. Since the es- lah to prove the veracity of the Bible verse Truly, I say to you, if tablishment of the Constitution in Jan- the papal seat from the 7th to the 13th century. "Restoring the Hanging Church was not easy; it was carried out over several phases and each phase took its time. Perhaps the you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this uary 2014, I expected the SCPA to mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move (Matt withdraw its recognition of religious- State-sponsored restoration greatest challenge was the underground water that threatened the entire district, not only the church. All the buildings here were 17:20), at the peril of death or conversion to Islam. The Pope de- based parties and ban them. In the least, Last Saturday saw Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab join Pope clared three days of fasting and prayer at the end of which the Holy it could have required these parties to Tawadros II in a celebration marking completion of the restora- built over huge amounts of rubble, which further compounded the problem. But the underground water was finally channeled Virgin manifested herself to the Pope on the 5th column on the exclude religious references from their tion. The restoration had in fact begun in 1998 and ended in 2010, south side of the Hanging Church and guided him to the man, St Si- agendas, as a precondition for them to but the onset of the Arab Spring in January 2011 threw Egypt into through an excellent drainage system that serves all of Old Cairo. The waters no longer threaten the area or the buildings, nor will mon the Tanner, at whose hands the miracle would occur. Her im- run on the political scene. But the tumultuous times that made it impossible to celebrate the out- age is still on the column, and was preserved during the restoration. SCPA did nothing of the sort, not even standing feat. do so in the future." with the MB’s Freedom and Justice Par- Watani was on hand to cover last Saturday’s event and offer its ty (FJP). The FJP was dismissed and its readers a glimpse into the epic-scale restoration and its stunningly Restored not renovated The foundation headquarters and property confiscated beautiful result. Next, the wall cracks were repaired while preserving the orig- Fr Yacoub volunteered to guide me through the church. "When not by the SCPA but by the court ruling Cairo Governor Galal Said attended the ceremony, as did the inal walls and reinforcing them, replacing the missing or decayed I was first ordained in 1986," he said, "I would feel the ground which declared the MB a terrorist Antiquities Minister Mamdouh al-Damati and a number of senior stones, and cleaning and desalinating the masonry. shake slightly under my feet in the nave or sanctuary. I thought I group. To date it has never been said government officials, al-Azhar representative, a number of bish- "In this context," Anba Yulius said, "I insist that the church has was imagining things, but later realised I was not. The church is that the ban on the FJP owed to its re- ops, abbots, and abbesses of Coptic convents. been ‘restored’ not ‘renovated’. Restoration is a painstaking pro- built atop two towers of the Babylon Fort, the space between ligious basis which contradicts with the Pope Tawadros lauded the State-sponsored restoration executed cess that preserves all the original form and material, which is them was filled with palm trunks and stones. Since the wood of Constitution. by the Arab Contractors, one of Egypt’s top engineering contractor what was done with the Hanging Church. Had we conducted a the palm trunks had begun to disintegrate, the ground was no This suspicious SCPA silence on re- firms at the head of which sat Mr Mahlab before he was appointed ‘renovation’ it would have practically damaged it forever." longer stable; it shook." In 1983, radioactive carbon testing con- ligious-based parties despite their fla- PM. For his part, Mr Mahlab said the restoration took such a long Then came the especially difficult task of restoring the woodwork ducted through the Antiquities Authority revealed the age of the grant non-constitutionality threatens time because of engineering challenges in dealing with the under- which had undergone centuries of damage by termites and insects. wood to go back to 140 -150 years BC. an explosion of the situation once the ground waters that threatened the entire area’s monuments. He The wood was scrupulously treated, and the treatment insures that it The church has no domes, but its roof is in the shape of Noah’s Ark. parliamentary elections set off. Com- asked the construction companies that had participated in the res- will no longer be subject to such damage in the future. The gate dates back to 1898. A big Cross is engraved above, with plaints will be filed in court or with toration to produce a documentary about the epic work. The last phase involved the icon restoration, meticulously done the Bible verse: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will the Supreme Committee for Parlia- Antiquities Minister Mamdouh al-Damati said that the restora- by an expert Russian team. find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Math 7:7) mentary Elections for a decision on tion had been carried out over three phases. The first involved re- According to Anba Yulius, the restoration work extended to oth- In the nave there are lofty marble columns, eight on the right and the non-legitimacy of these parties. ducing the ground water and fortifying the church foundations er churches in Old Cairo, all of which go back to the 2nd to 4th left sides, and three in the middle. Their capitals are decorated with This is bound to disrupt the political and the Babylon Fort beneath it. The walls were then reinforced, centuries and need extensive work. "For now," he said, "restora- hyacinth shapes as in Roman temples. Especially stunning are the re- scene and obstruct the elections. It is missing and decayed stones were replaced, and the masonry tion of the famed Abu-Seifein’s is in its final touches and should stored iconostases made of walnut and ebony wood inlaid with ivory. past me to grasp why the matter is be- cleaned and desalinated. have been celebrated by Pope Tawadros next December. But we Above is the verse, "Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord." (Ps 95:1) ing so absurdly placed on hold. Yet if "The ornamentation and —the church is famous for its col- decided to wait till the coming June 1st, so that the celebration Perhaps the most impressive of all is an area on the south side the State persists in procrastinating, lection of more than 90 icons that date from the 15th to the 18th would coincide with the day the Church marks the advent of the where a glass flooring reveals the foundation. The tower of the we can only take matters in our own century—were subject to fine restoration in collaboration with Rus- Holy Family into Egypt." Tradition has it that the Holy Family Babylon Fort can be seen, and the new palm trunks. A number of hands and stop the sneaking of Is- sian experts. New lighting and ventilation systems were installed." stayed at Old Cairo during part of its visit to Egypt when it fled the original ones, however, have been left there for the record. lamists into parliament.

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2 Watani International 19 October 2014

Watani talks to Photo by Eid Saad Yacoub al-Sharouni

TheThe children’schildren’s friendfriend

As I prepared to meet the veteran writer Yacoub al-Sharouni, I asked myself Salwa Stephen der the title It is Best That I Am Free, is about a homeless girl. The idea was in- what could I say to a person who had authored more than 400 books for children, spired by my meeting with homeless children at a day care centre run by an as- many of which had been translated into English, French, German and Italian? sociation which offers them a meal and a few educational activities. How should I take the plunge into such a deep and profound wealth of knowl- dren’s apparel in Egypt. No doubt such diversity affords rich sources for a pleth- The story shows that homeless children prefer the cruelty of the street to the in- edge and imagination? I felt like a small child in the company of Santa Clause, ora of ideas. humane treatment they suffer at home. They are the victims of horrible conditions who fills children’s hearts with expectation of gifts. Besides, I love to travel inside and outside Egypt. Wherever I go, I learn more which stem mainly from poverty. I wish the State would help poor families just I had seen Sharouni around with children, and never failed to notice his con- and more about places and people. for the sake of the children. cern for the working child, the village child, and children with special needs. I I am also active with civil associations that directly deal with the marginalised I am against the idea of establishing a ‘village’ for homeless children, simply had also read many of his stories: Heroes of Fayrouz Land; Secret of the Queen sectors in our community, such as those who live in the many slums and the because they might run away from maltreatment by poorly informed, in- of Kings; Tale of Radobees; and Tales from Sharouna. poor in towns and villages. experienced supervisors or administrators who might not be able to foster love, Plus, I have a mega rich library which provides me with a wealth of knowl- patience and good cheer. The storyteller edge. And I am keen to follow international children’s book fairs and seminars. To use Sharouni lingo, there was once upon a time a little boy born in 1931 • With so many families struggling to make ends meet, do you think read- named Yacoub who, before he even learnt to read and write, was fond of books. • Was there a book you read as a child that later left a lasting impression ing has become a luxury parents can ill afford for their children? He would ask his older sister to read to him illustrated stories in children’s on you? Sadly, this is true. Books—unlike food and schooling, for instance—are among books. He dreamed of the day when he could read them himself. Time passed It was the 1940s’ biography of Marie Curie, written by her daughter and trans- the stuff that can wait. The main source of children’s books is the library, whether and the little boy went on to earn a law degree from Cairo University in 1952 and lated into Arabic by Ahmed al-Sawi, the former editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram, school or public libraries. Difficult economic conditions stand in the way of en- higher degrees in political economics in 1955 and 1958. He worked as a lawyer under the title The Immortal Student. This was a first-class book, combining riching libraries with newly published books. And because of the high cost of liv- with the State Court Authority but his love of storytelling got the better of him creativity, scientific knowledge and human emotions. ing, many parents are unable to buy books for their children. This has led most and he became a famed writer for children. His stories were read by children not publishing houses to minimise, some even halted, publication of new books for only in Egypt but all over the Arab World. • Why is the village of Sharouna so dear to you? children. In 1968, he was appointed Director General of the Egyptian Culture Ministry’s I was born in Cairo, but I used to spend my holidays at my grandfather’s General Organisation of Culture Palaces, and travelled to France for ten months house in the village of Sharouna in Maghagha, Minya, Upper Egypt, some • What do you think of the exploitation of children’s literature to prop- to study cultural work in the field of children’s literature. From 1984 to 1991, he 250km south of Cairo. He was the only person in the village who owned a li- agandise ideas or ideologies? was the Head of the National Centre of Child Culture and became a leading fig- brary and the only one to read the daily paper Al-Ahram. His friends and neigh- When this happens, the literary work loses the most important feature of real ar- ure on Arabic children’s literature and Child Culture. bours would gather in his house to learn the latest news. tistic creation. All aspects of art should be loyal to human values and free expres- The children’s friend went on to write some 400 books for his little readers, I absolutely enjoyed my time there. I used to observe the villagers’ activities, sion. If art is abused for any purpose other than creativity, the little reader in- and won numerous awards. His play Heroes of Our Country (1960) earned him and these are still vivid in my mind. Watering the donkey from the Nile, wheat stinctively spots it and finds little attraction in it. the Award of the Supreme Council for Arts and Literature in Egypt, and his The threshing, children playing on the alleys, and much more that came to form rich Best Egyptian Folk Stories the 2002 New Horizons Award of the Bologna Book memories. Twice I was there during the annual Nile flood season. This is today • In your story A Flower’s Adventure With A Tree, was it your purpose to Fair. In 2005 he won the distinction award in the Suzanne Mubarak contest for history; the Aswan High Dam built in the 1960s keeps the flood waters stored convey a message to officials to respect children’s opinion in all matters that children literature for his three works Tale of Radobees, Hassan’s Dreams,and behind it and they no longer inundate the land. concern or affect them? The Enchanted Mare. I wrote six stories about Sharouna, including Mystery of the Weird Dis- Yes, and this is not only my personal opinion. The Convention of the Rights of He was keen to pass on his knowledge to others and enrich his beloved children’s appearance for which I was awarded the Best Writer for Children prize for the Child adopted by the United Nations in 1989 stipulates children’s rights to the literature; he supervised several theses and dissertation projects in that field. 1981. freedom to express their opinion and gives them the right to form associations. Egypt was among the first countries that signed that convention. • We would like to know whence came the wealth of lofty values that fea- • Tell us about your experiences in journalism. ture in your works. This was during my final year in the Faculty of Law, when I joined a number • Do you think that today’s children, for whom the entire world lies a I come from a family with diverse interests. I write short stories for children, of my colleagues to publish a magazine which we called al-Ragaa’ (Hope). I mouse-click away, are more mature than the children of past generations? my older brother Youssef also writes short stories as well as pieces that may be used that new magazine to express my respect for women. No, they are not more mature. Rather, they are more aware and better informed. used to teach adults literacy, and my young brother, Sobhi, is a professor at the This was not the first experience, though; the first was when I was 14 and ed- But exploring cyberspace is sometimes done with no purpose, just to waste time. Faculty of Fine Arts. My late sister, Mufida, was a music teacher and we always itor of the English-language school magazine at my school. I think Egyptian children need to go back to magazines, but many of these have had a piano at home. Of my other two brothers, one, Mufid, is an electronics ex- become monthlies instead of weeklies. Children also need vibrant cultural activ- pert, and my late brother Shukry, was the owner of the biggest factory for chil- • Can literature contribute to solving the problem of homeless children? ities such as contests to stimulate their talents and to encourage them to interact I have already written many stories about homeless children. One of them, un- with their community.

Mervat Ayad The Quality Tourism Alliance, Germany’s an- nual biggest tourism fair, is will set off this year on 17 October in Luxor. According to Ahmed Shukry, head of the Egyptian Tourism Pro- motion Authority (TPA), describes the event, which will be held in Tourism cooperation with the Tourism Ministry and the TPA, as one of the biggest gatherings of tourism professionals in Europe. He expects some 1000 tour operators, airline and car rental companies, and tourism- related media figures to participate in the fair. "It is a business to busi- ness and business to customer conference that should help boost travel to Egypt, especially Upper Egypt," he says. Fair Head of the Hotels Chamber in Luxor, Samir Isaac, says that the par- ticipants in the fair will be hosted in five of the finest hotels in Luxor, including the famed Winter Palace, and will have the opportunity to do the legendary sightseeing of Luxor’s ancient temples and tombs. The fair will open in Karnak and close at Luxor temple. Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou expects the fair to help raise in Egypt’s tourism revenue by 4 million euros next year. The QTA’s sales in 2013 amounted to 16.1 million Euros. Mr Zaazou said that the Tour- ism Ministry will host the 2016 International Tourism Bourse of Berlin (ITB Berlin), the world’s largest tourism trade fair, in 2016. According to the Tourism Ministry, travel warnings by some 16 Eu- ropean countries last year against visiting the Sinai Peninsula in the Luxor wake of the terrorist bombing of a tourist bus that killed three Korean tourists and the Egyptian bus driver cost Egypt a USD1.3 billion drop in tourism revenue in the first quarter of 2014. That was down 43 per cent from the same period in 2013.

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