Egyptian President Appoints New Council of Ministers

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has appointed his council of ministers, whose thirty-five members include one Copt although 10 to 20% of the Egyptian population is Coptic Orthodox. (If the government were to give Copts full representation in the cabinet three to seven of the ministers would be Copts.) The new government's Coptic Orthodox minister is also one of two women heading ministries. Of the thirty-five ministers appointed ten served in previous cabinets under either President Hosni Mubarak or the Egyptian Armed Forces, five belong to the Muslim Brotherhood, and one leads a breakaway faction of the Muslim Brotherhood. More here and here. A full listing of the membership in the new council of ministers can be found here.

New Egyptian Government to Include Coptic Vice-President

It has been announced that newly elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party intends to appoint a Copt and also a woman to the Egyptian vice-presidencies as a sign of his intention to be a president for all Egyptians, very much in opposition to his previous campaign comments on the suitability of women and non-Muslims serving in the Egyptian presidency. More here.

Al-Azhar, Brotherhood Scholars Reject Egyptian Islamist Fatwa

Muslim clergymen and scholars from Egypt's al-Azhar University and its influential Muslim Brotherhood have rejected a fatwa recently issued by an Islamist imam forbidding the country's Muslims from voting for nominal Muslims or Copts (amongst others) in the upcoming Egyptian parliamentary elections. More here.

Protestant Appointed Vice-Chairman of Muslim Brotherhood Party

It turns out that the Egyptian Christian appointed vice-chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood's political party, Rafiq Habib, is not a Copt, but an Evangelical Protestant scholar of politics and Islam. More here.

I had thought the Brotherhood had strong-armed a Copt into its party's leadership to lessen the Copts' fears of living in an Islamist state, but to find that the appointee is not even Orthodox makes me wonder how on earth the Brotherhood thinks it can seriously claim to represent (or want to represent) the interests of all Egyptians when it doesn't even understand the significant differences between Orthodox Copts and the followers of Western religious movements in Egypt.

Regardless, the link above includes an interesting interview with Habib on his reasons for supporting the "moderate" Muslim Brotherhood that's worth a read.

"Egypt at a Crossroads"

An interesting article on the current perception of the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamism in Egypt and its political future can be found here.

Coptic Orthodox Youth Organizations Agree to Meet with Muslim Brotherhood

Three Coptic Orthodox youth organizations have agreed to dialogue with representatives of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. Another Coptic Orthodox youth organization, the Coptic Youth Movement, refuses to meet with the Brotherhood until it apologizes for treating Copts as second-class citizens in their own country. More here.

Muslim Brotherhood Still Planning Meeting with Coptic Orthodox Youth

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood continues to claim that it will shortly be organizing meetings with Coptic Orthodox youth in an effort to explain to them the Islamist movement's political platform. The Coptic Youth Movement has rejected the overtures and Pope Shenouda III (al-Suriani) denies endorsing such meetings, so what will come of the Brotherhood's initiative remains to be seen. More here.

Pope Shenouda Denies Discussing Youth Meetings with Brotherhood Leader

Pope Shenouda III (al-Suriani) of Alexandria has denied discussing meetings between Mohamed Badie, leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, and Coptic Orthodox youth. More here.

Muslim Brotherhood Dissident Forms Political Party

A member of the main dissident faction within Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Hamed al-Dafrawy, has announced that he is establishing the Peace and Development Society party, whose membership will be open to all Egyptians regardless of religious affiliation. More here.

Muslim Brotherhood Leader Calls Pope Shenouda

Mohamed Badie, leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, has called Pope Shenouda III (al-Suriani) of Alexandria asking to meet with young Copts to assuage their fears concerning the role the Brotherhood is beginning to play in Egyptian politics and emphasize its belief in the equality of all Egyptians. This is in spite of previous 2007 statements by the Brotherhood that non-Muslims and women should not be allowed to run for the presidency. More here.

Millions Participate in Egyptian Referendum

The BBC is reporting that millions voted in today's referendum in Egypt on proposed constitutional amendments that would allow presidential and parliamentary elections to be held within 6 months. The amendments have been backed by the National Democratic Party (former President Hosni Mubarak's party) and the Muslim Brotherhood, but are criticized by opposition leader Mohammed el-Baradei for not curbing presidential powers. More here.

Muslim Brotherhood Angers Cairene Protesters

During a press conference yesterday three senior members of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood stated that they had dropped their demand that President Hosni Mubarak resign. The statement prompted a divide amongst Cairo's anti-government protesters, most of whom have been demanding President Mubarak's immediate resignation.

President Mubarak has already stated that he will not run in the September presidential elections, but many fear that the Egyptian Armed Forces would leverage the remaining months of his presidency to ensure a transition to a new establishment-backed president should Mubarak not resign immediately. More here.

Muslim Brotherhood Defends Coptic Orthodox Church

Muslim religious leaders in Egypt have issued statements in support of the Coptic Orthodox Church following threats against the Copts from an Al Qaeda affiliate in US-occupied Iraq. The Muslim Brotherhood, a fundamentalist movement in Egypt, said that it was "stressing to all, and primarily [to] Muslims, that the protection of holy places of all monotheistic religions is the mission of the majority of Muslims," whilst the leader of Egypt's famous al-Azhar University said that the threats undermined Egyptian national unity. The threats were issued after the wives of Coptic Orthodox priests kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam were rescued and returned to their families, with Al Qaeda claiming the rescues were against the women's wills. The full story here.