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| Africa North |
| UK govt meets with British Copts to discuss Cathedral violence |
| 2013-04-23 |
| [Al Ahram] The British government and leaders within the Coptic Orthodox community in London met to discuss the recent sectarian violence in Egypt, Ahram Online has learned. According to a Coptic activist who attended the meeting, the discussion focused on "the escalation of attacks on Copts in Egypt." "We have been promised that the issue will be raised [by the British] with the Egyptian government," the activist said. Father Antonious Thabet, the pastor of the St. Mark's Coptic Church in London, led a delegation which met with Alistair Burt, the British Middle East Minister, on 11 April at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). St. Mark's Church is the oldest Coptic church in Europe. It established a number of churches in the UK including the church of Stevenage, which is now the biggest the Coptic church in the United Kingdom. Father Antonious confirmed his attendance, adding that such meeting is important. "We are doing what we have to do to help stop the violence against Copts in Egypt," he told Ahram Online. But he refused to comment on whether the Coptic delegation had called on the UK to put pressure on the Egyptian government over the sectarian violence in Egypt. He added that Egyptian Copts "are seeking help from God only." Dr. Ibrahim Habib, head of the United Copts of Great Britannia, attended the meeting and confirmed that the UK minister has been asked to "put more pressure on the Egyptian government." "However, some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... we stressed that we are asking for more active diplomatic pressure on Egypt, not military intervention," Habib told Ahram Online. "We do not support or agree with the appeals from other Coptic activists in the West for international protection for Copts in Egypt," he added. |
| Posted by:Fred |