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Watani Sunday Published by Watani Printing and Publishing Corporation 27, Abdel Khaleq Tharwat st. 9 November 2014 Cairo – Egypt 30 Baba (Paope) 1731 Tel. 202-23927201 Editor-in-chief Managing Editor 202-23936051 Youssef Sidhom Samia Sidhom 16 Muharram 1436 Fax 202-23935946 Issue 717 Website: www.wataninet.com Year 14 E-Mail: watanipaper@gmail

Editorial Problems on hold Buffer zone on Gaza border Once Egyptians achieved the near-impossible task of ridding themselves of the oppressive thrown the MB leader Sheikh Safwat Higazy promised Egyptians "terrorism you never Islamist Muslim Brotherhood (MB) regime that rose to power in the wake of the Arab Spring thought existed". Another MB leader, Muhammad al-Biltagui threatened that, "there will be uprising, they knew they were in for a vicious battle with the Islamist faction. peace in Sinai only once Mursi is back as president". Move long overdue Egyptians had been willing to give the MB a chance to govern; after all, they did promise a The MB kept their word. Egypt, has been fighting Islamist terrorism ever since, but Egyptians life of prosperity on earth and paradise in the thereafter. However, the three elections that fol- are unapologetic. If anything, the MB viciousness serves only to steel public will against them. lowed the Arab Spring in 2011 clearly indicated that people had begun to see them for what The Sinai Peninsula especially has seen fierce battles between the Islamists, strongly supported Youssef Sidhom they really were and support for the Brotherhood waned. Muhammad Mursi won the pres- by the Palestinian MB off-shoot of Hamas, and the Egyptian army. Islamist al-Qaeda-like idency in June 2012 with a very narrow margin; the election results are still being contested in groups had begun to entrench themselves there in the Mursi days when there was a lot of talk Egyptians have greeted with relief court. The severely declining support for the MB drove Mr Mursi to make a grab for sweep- that the then president would offer Sinai as an alternative homeland to the Palestinian people. the move by the Armed Forces to ing powers in November 2012 and put an end to all possibility of democratic practice. Efforts This was one of the major reasons for Mr Mursi’s downfall. It offered strong evidence of his in- create a buffer zone on the Egypt to Islamise Egypt were steaming ahead and, fuelled by a nosediving economy, Egyptians de- tention to turn Egypt into part of an Islamic pan-world caliphate; this did not sit well with Egyp- Gaza border, meaning that it should clared rebellion. On 30 June 2013, exactly a year on Mr Mursi in office, some 33 million tians who in the main part cherish their ‘Egyptianness’ and favour a moderate version of Islam. be evacuated from its residents. The Egyptians took to the streets demanding the downfall of the president and the MB regime. During the period from February 2011 to October 2014, the Islamists waged 92 terrorist op- decision was taken in the wake of the The military gave Mr Mursi a 48-hour ultimatum to resolve the crisis, but he arrogantly re- erations in Sinai. Since July 2013 the Egyptian army has been waging a fierce battle against terrorist car bombing on 24 October jected it and, on 3 July, was overthrown. Jihadis in Sinai. Dozens of Egyptian soldiers have lost their lives, and dozens of civilians have which claimed the lives of 33 Egyp- Egyptians knew they were in for a vicious battle with the Islamists, a battle against terrorism been caught in the crossfire. North Sinai, at the northern tip of which lies the 14km-long tian soldiers and left 25 injured, not that Egypt could not afford to lose. The MB made no secret of this: once Mr Mursi was over- Egypt Gaza border, has become a dangerous place to live. the first since the 30 June 2013 Rev- olution which overthrew the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Ever since that date terrorist operations have repeatedly targeted Egypt’s mil- itary, police and civilians. The terror- ists and arms evidently entered Egypt through the Gaza border. The relief at the evacuation move was proportional to the build-up of Egyptian wrath at the increased terror- ist operations and the rising numbers of victims and injured, and also at what they perceived to have been in- action by the Egyptian authorities; the move was long overdue. The Egypt Gaza border area included numerous squatter settlements that acted as safe havens for access to the notorious tun- nels used in smuggling arms and ter- rorists into Egypt. Talk about evacuating the border with Gaza started in August 2013, the date the five-week-long MB sit- ins in Cairo were disbanded. The ter- rorist suicidal operations that fol- lowed aimed at shaking the con- fidence of Egyptians in their Armed Forces, and projecting to the world an image of a broken military force unable to control and protect the land. At the time, the Armed Forces pledged to wage a fierce war against the terrorists and purge Egypt of them. They chased them through the mountains, caves, and rough terrain of Sinai, only to discover that the hu- man and arms supplies came through the countless tunnels that riddled the border between Gaza and Sinai and that flowed into the houses on the border. At this point the army an- nounced it would evacuate the area of its residents and move them to new homes further west of the border in order to be able to raze the homes that included the tunnel openings. The plan was to clear a five- kilometre deep buffer zone that would be easily controlled by secur- ity, so that no more tunnels would be dug and no more terrorists would sneak into Sinai. The plan represented a shrewd strategy and, once executed, would have blocked the road before the On a recent visit to al-Arish, Watani finds Egyptians unrepentant, holding their ground evil which threatened the security and sovereignty of Egypt. But this plan was never put into action. The terrorist operations never stopped and Egyptian blood was in- exhaustibly spilt. The initial delay by the army and the government was in a way excusable because of the In the thick of the fight time needed to destroy all the tun- nels and construct substitute homes. Long months passed, however; ter- Queuing for the ferry selves." Many Copts left town in terror. Others whose live- rorist operations augmented, and no I recently paid a short visit to al-Arish, the capital of North Nader Shukry lihoods were closely linked to the town sent their children evacuation took place. A general Sinai. I travelled from Cairo to Ismailiya to catch the ferry that away to relatives and themselves stayed on. feeling of distress gave way to frus- crosses the Suez Canal to the Sinai Peninsula. In Ismailiya I roundings and climate we had sustained all day. Fr Mina Abboud Sharobim, 39, was killed on 7 July 2013. His tration and anger. The question that joined the crowds queuing for the ferry. Before the overthrow car was stopped by masked men; he was dragged out and shot at begged an answer was why the de- of President Mursi it was easy to cross the canal. Back then the Making themselves at home several times. Four days later Magdy Lamei Habashy, 63, was lay? The Armed Forces were surely al-Salam Bridge was in operation, but it had to be closed in the On the following day we went to the town centre. The most kidnapped and a ransom demanded from his family who were well aware of the danger of letting wake of terrorist threats. Now the only way to cross is by ferry. common memories the residents shared were about the de- poor by any standards, but a few hours later he was bound with sleeping dogs lie; what with the The passengers were unhappy with the long wait. The ferry can struction that followed the Arab Spring and the stepping down chains, beheaded and his body thrown near the local cemetery. arms and terrorists that flow into Si- only carry 10 to 15 vehicles a time, and the passengers and cars of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. Is- Another Copt, 37-year-old Hani Samir, was shot and killed by nai through the tunnels. So why the have to go through rigorous security checks before boarding. Eve- lamist Jihadis held sway over the region and, during the Mursi masked men as he stood in front of his house in al-Arish. delay that allowed terrorism to strike ryone knows that this is to make sure that no arms or contraband time in office, it practically became ‘home’ for them. Dozens of Copts have been kidnapped for ransom, which ob- and boast fake victory at the expense find their way to Sinai, but the arduous process is frustrating and A young taxi driver told us about the notorious attack against viously offers the terrorists a lucrative means of financing their of the Egyptian blood spilt? the passengers raise their hands and ask God to avenge them the town’s Second Police Station in July 2011, some six operations. All the Copts in Rafah and Sheikh Zuwayid—some The straw that broke the camel’s months into the Arab Spring. He said a procession of 40 SUVs 17 extended families—left town. According to one Copt, Fadya back was the recent bombing that against the terrorists who have turned their lives to hell. Two hours on we were finally on our way across the canal. In flying the black al-Qaeda flag shot at the police station, killing Abdel-Sayed who, with her family, was among those who left, killed 33 of our young men. The army five soldiers, three civilians, and injuring 25. One of the big 120 Coptic families left al-Arish. rushed to execute its evacuation plan only two days’ time a horrendous car bomb would be detonated in order to create the buffer zone on at Karm al-Qawadis near Rafah, claiming the lives of 33 Egyp- problems when standing up to terrorism in al-Arish, he ex- the Egypt Gaza border. With a sigh of tian soldiers and injuring 25 others, but there was no sign yet of plained, was that a terrorist could be living there normally yet Bridge closure relief I uttered: "At last!" The border the carnage to come. took part in the bombings or shootings and then returned home. A common complaint was on account of the hard times residents were secured safe exit and The first thing that met our eyes once we started out on the These terrorists were hard to uncover, he said. where trade and business are concerned. Last summer, the pris- relocated in new homes further west road was the encouraging sight of heavy equipment working Another longtime resident of Arish said that conditions were tine beaches of Arish saw practically no tourists; and rampant of the border. I was amazed, however, on the New Suez Canal project, digging the new course and today relatively stable compared with the time when Mr Mursi crime drives away business. that such an essential move triggered paving new roads. After that we crossed several security was president and directly after he was overthrown in July The closure of al-Salam Bridge poses another serious prob- an outcry in the media and among checkpoints where armoured vehicles stood surrounded by 2013. Efforts by the army to maintain peace made a lot of dif- lem to residents, especially since it is the only way petrol and rights activists who cast doubts on its mounds of sand and large rocks as defence against possible ference, he said, but people still felt insecure on account of the vital goods can cross into the region. The shortage of petrol has legality and wept over the curtailed terrorist attacks. On both sides of the road nothing was to be sporadic bombings and shootings. "The children are terror- led some gasoline station owners to dilute it with water, a very rights of the displaced. Yet these seen but the desert and a few homes and camels belonging to ised," he told us. "Many residents of North Sinai, especially serious crime with harsh consequences for car owners. claims were quickly refuted, and the local Bedouin. those who lived in the towns of Rafah and Sheikh Zuwayid on During my short stay in al-Arish there occurred a terrorist at- move proved constitutional and in the the Egypt Gaza border, have left." tack in which two armoured vehicles were bombed; six soldiers interest of Egyptian national security. Tight security The border has been the scene of continuous clashes between died and another five were injured. All communications were The rights of the residents were hon- It took us two and a half hours to reach al-Arish. Despite the the Egyptian Armed Forces and the Hamas-supported Jihadis cut for five hours until the police and army had combed the dis- oured and they were properly com- serene beauty of the town and its legendary palm-dotted beach- of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis and Ansar al-Sharia. The Islamists ap- trict to hunt down the culprits. pensated. front, the frequent terrorist operations have left an oppressive pear from time to time on the streets distributing leaflets threat- Residents were understandably livid with the terrorists. They There are fears that the dis- mood. We headed for the guest-house of the church of the Holy ening whoever cooperates with the police or the army. followed the news by the minute and were relieved when they placement process would work to Virgin—which has not escaped terrorist attacks—where Father knew the culprits had been killed in the ensuing battle. They in- move the focal point of terrorism Raphael Moussa was waiting for us. He had sent someone to Hard for Christians sisted that the terrorists were receiving foreign funding and from the Egypt Gaza border further facilitate our entry to the area around the church, which is un- Copts living in Sinai were in for especially hard times; they were getting back at Egyptians for overthrowing the Islamist inland. I care to say that even if the der tight security. The way to the church ran through an ob- suffered doubly at the hands of the Jihadis for being both government, and they demanded that the tunnels leading to the displaced have undergone rigorous stacle course of sand mounds, while soldiers were stationed on Christian and well as Egyptian. The church of the Holy Family Gaza strip be fully destroyed in order to stop the flow of arms searches for weapons or ammunitions, in the border town of Rafah was torched in the first days of the to the Jihadis in Sinai. their consciences cannot be searched top of the building to spot anyone approaching and direct a searchlight on him—I say ‘him’ because no woman has yet 2011 Arab Spring uprising. Other churches were later burnt, in- Now, following the Friday 24 October bombing, a state of for terrorist thought or evil intentions. cluding Mar-Girgis’s (St George’s) in al-Arish. emergency has been declared in Sinai, and a 1.5 - 3km deep buf- I hope that those in charge of the dis- dared approach—and ask him to stop and show his identity placement operation have sufficient card. Inside the guest-house were more armed officers who Masked Islamists riding motorbikes or driving in Rafah shot fer zone established on the Gaza border. This has meant blowing wisdom to put in place strict measures were in constant contact with those outside. at Coptic homes or shops. They distributed fliers that de- up all buildings in that zone, including homes in Rafah that and close surveillance to ensure the We were warmly received and the simple meal we were of- manded: "Nusranis (a derogatory term used to denote Chris- housed tunnel openings, as well as the church. It is another huge displaced residents would not carry fered tasted like a banquet. Our rooms, clean and simply fur- tians) pack and leave the land of Islam. You have 48 hours to sacrifice that Egyptians are paying for overthrowing the Is- out terrorist activity anew wherever nished, offered a welcome respite from the tense sur- do so, if you don’t there will be no one to blame but your- lamists. Yet Egypt is unrepentant and holding its ground. they set foot.

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2 Watani International 9 November 2014

Pope Tawadros II in Russia Reaching out eastwards

Michael Victor posed to make way for a colossal Palace of the Mariam Rifaat Soviets that was never built, so the church was reconstructed in the 1990s on the same site. The original church was the scene of the 1882 world It has been some 26 years since a Coptic Pope premiere of the famous 1812 Overture by Tchai- visited Russia. That was back in 1998 when kovsky, written in 1880 to commemorate Rus- Pope Shenouda III visited Moscow to join in the sia’s defence against Napoleon’s Grande Armée Russian Orthodox Church’s celebration of a mil- in 1812. It debuted under a tent near the then lennium of Christianity in Russia and the bap- unfinished cathedral which also memorised the tism of St Vladimir. 1812 defence of Russia. The 1812 Overture is Now Pope Tawadros II has just returned home best known for its climactic volley of canon from a visit to Russia that started on 29 October, fire, ringing chimes, and brass fanfare finale. during which he was warmly welcomed by Pa- The Pope’s tour took him to the Donskoy triarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia. "The Monastery founded in 1591 to mark Moscow’s heads of two ancient and significant Churches deliverance from Khan Kazy-Girey’s invasion. have stood side by side speaking in almost iden- Commanding a highway to the Crimea, the tical words of hope, unity and collaboration. monastery was intended to defend southern ap- This is only the beginning of what I am sure will proaches to the Moscow Kremlin. prove to be an even deeper, stronger, and more The Pope paid a visit to the Intercession (Pok- effective relationship between our Churches." rovsky) convent in Moscow, known to have These words, by Anba Angaelos, the Coptic Or- stood there since 1635. "It is good to exchange thodox Bishop-General of the UK, summed up notes on the monastic tradition in our two the essence of the visit. Churches," Pope Tawadros said. He extended Accompanying Pope Tawadros were Met- an invitation to the convent’s Mother Superior ropolitan Bishoi of Damietta; Bishop Ra- to visit Egypt’s convents. phael, Secretary-General of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church; Bishop Se- rapion of Los Angeles; Bishop Kyrillos of The Kremlin and the Hermitage Milan; Bishop-General Angaelos of the UK; Among the monasteries the Pope visited was papal secretary Fr Angaelos Ishaq; and the the Novospassky Monastery, one the first to be spokesman of the Coptic Orthodox Church, founded in Moscow in the early 14th century, Fr Boules Haleem; Mother Edrosis, abbess of and the Trinity Lavra of St Sergius, considered St Theodore Convent in Cairo; and Professor the most important Russian monastery and the Ishaq Agban of Port Said Theological and spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Pastoral College. Church. It is situated in the town of Sergiyev Posad, some 70km northeast Moscow, and is In a spirit of love currently home to over 300 monks. The mon- astery was founded in 1345 by one of the most The two heads of Churches discussed various venerated Russian saints, Sergius of Radonezh. matters including contemporary social life, pas- No visit to Russia would be complete without toral care, education and issues of morality, a tour of the Kremlin in Moscow and the Her- while also touching on the current events af- mitage in St Petersburg. True to form, His Ho- fecting both Egypt and Russia. liness visited the Kremlin building which hous- They talked about the relationship between the es the Russian government, key administrative two Churches, ecumenical dialogue and the sit- agencies and the Duma (Parliament). Later in uation of Christians in the Middle East. Patriarch his Russia visit, Pope Tawadros was guided on Kirill stressed the relevance of dialogue between a tour in the State Hermitage, the world renown the two Churches, which he said began in 1985 museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, but was interrupted. He expressed his concern at founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and the violence against Christians in Syria and Iraq open to the public since 1852. One of the larg- and the Middle East. est and oldest museums in the world, its collec- Pope Tawadros spoke of the great heritage of tions—of which only a small part is on perma- spirituality and monastic tradition within the nent display—comprise over three million Russian Orthodox Church and commented on its items including the largest collection of paint- contemporary role and influence. He said that: ings in the world. "Collaboration between our Churches will be of great value to our people, both in Egypt and Rus- sia, and a symbol of proactive unity to the whole The sun again rises world." The last day of his Russia visit took Pope The two popes decided to form a joint bilateral Tawadros to the New Jerusalem Monastery in committee that would be concerned with pro- the Istra region near Moscow, founded in 1656 posing a plan for regular dialogue and collabora- by Patriarch Nikon as a patriarchal residence on tion between the two Churches on the spiritual the outskirts of Moscow. The abbot, Father Su- life, pastoral care, education and social ministry. perior Theophilactos, received the Pope and Bishop Serapion of Los Angeles and Met- guided him around the monastery which is cur- ropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of rently undergoing reconstruction. the Moscow Patriarchate Department for Ex- Pope Tawadros ended his visit by expressing ternal Church Relations in Moscow will preside his happiness at having visited Russia, its over the committee. churches and monasteries. He said he was in- Bishop Angaelos said: "This has been a very deed blessed to have walked through the land positive meeting and was conducted in a spirit and seen its monasteries and convents, and es- that sincerely looks for collaboration and deeper pecially to have met the wise leaders who served relationships. We pray that this spirit be con- the Church. "We hope to see you in Egypt," he veyed to our faithful and that it may be replicat- said. "This would make us very happy." ed in all of our ecumenical and inter-Church re- "Russia is a place where Christians sustained lationships." a lot of suffering, churches and monastic cen- tres were closed for a long time, and the mere A first mention of Christianity was unaccepted," he Pope Tawadros, accompanied by the Coptic said. "But the sun finally rose again." Orthodox delegation and Mahmoud al-Badry, Egypt’s Possibly, a Coptic church in Russia Touring churches and monasteries Speaking about unity between the Churches, Pope Taw- Ambassador to the Russian Federation, was received by Pope Tawadros presided over Holy Mass at the Ar- Throughout his 10-day stay, Pope Tawadros visited a adros said, "we are trying to build a dialogue in order to the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov menian Church of St Catherine in Saint Petersburg, a number of Russian Orthodox churches and monasteries. He adopt the same concepts. We are very close to each other. at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow. The For- church which dates back to 1708. During his sermon he started with the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, on the We can accomplish this through love and dialogue." eign Minister said that the Coptic Pope’s visit to Moscow talked about "living with Christ" and the unending joy northern bank of the Moskva River, a few blocks southwest When asked by the press whether he wished for the Copts was a historic one because, with respect to all history and He gives. The Pope met members of the Coptic com- of the Kremlin. With an overall height of 103 metres (338 to live under an independent State, the Pope replied in the previous visits, it was the first visit by a Coptic Orthodox munity in Russia and Fr Thomas Ava Mina who is sta- ft), it is the tallest Orthodox Christian church in the world. negative; it was not an issue, he said, "we live on earth but Pope to what is now the Russian Federation. "We wel- tioned there to look after their spiritual needs. The The current church is the second to stand on this site. The our thoughts are in Heaven." come you, while at the same time recognising the great Church in Cairo, Pope Tawadros said, was considering original church, built during the 19th century, took more "We as Christians," the Pope insisted, "are sure to go role of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt and the the idea of establishing a Coptic church in Russia to than 40 years to build and was destroyed in 1931 during the through difficult times. But we lean against the Lord’s prom- Middle East." serve the community there. communist rule of Joseph Stalin. The demolition was sup- ise: ‘Surely I am with you always, till the very end of age’." Watani International.... Watani International.... Watani International.... 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