Hossam Abdel Moniem, a former leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood, said that the leaders of the Egypt's ruling group are not qualified to rule the country, given that the members were once prevented from taking any executive position during the era of the Hosni Mubarak regime.

Moniem said that the Muslim Brotherhood is based on the principle of hearing and obedience, and such a principle cannot produce creators, intellectuals or administrative people for the state.

During an interview with ONA TV, Moniem noted the vast differences between leading a group and running a country- a difference, he added, which is not helped by the current confusion of religion and politics. This has had negative repercussions on religion due to their mismanagement, he said. more >>

Deputy Head of the Egyptian Democratic Social Party Emad Gad said that pressure from religious groups in the country is corrupting the judicial system in Egypt.

"The court's response to the request submitted by Abu Islam's defense staff is a reflection of the authorities' submission to the pressure exerted by religious groups who work to Islamize the public sphere in Egypt," Gad told Mideast Christian News.

"The exclusion of the court's secretary was to further extend the Islamization of cases and further sedition amongst employees … it is normal, reasonable and expected request from abu-Islam's defense," he added more >>

Priest Ekram Lamei, Chairperson of the Evangelical Synod, criticized the decision issued by a Cairo court to exclude the secretary of the court from a hearing session because he is a Christian.

The decision came in response to a request submitted by Abu-Islam's defense lawyer to have the court secretary removed from court proceedings.

Father Lamei said he considered the decision an insult against Christianity and Christian people and stressed the need to submit an appeal against the decision. more >>

Rev. Refaat Fikri, head of the Media Center for the Evangelical Church in Egypt, said the problems facing Egyptian Christians have been going on since the 1970s and looks to continue as there is a lack of political will by the ruling regime to solve them.

This came in response to the initiative launched on Wednesday by the Building and Development Party, the political arm of Gamaat Islamiyya under the title "A Unified Nation."

It aims to "strengthen the national fabric and maintain strong relations among all Muslim and Christian communities of the Egyptian society." more >>

Coptic-owned businesses and pharmacies in Menbal village, Minya in northern Egypt were attacked by a mob, resulting in extensive damage and several injuries.

"The thugs attacked my shop, assaulting it with stones. Some of the contents were damaged … they destroyed a number of Coptic-owned shops and pharmacies," Michael Sobhi, a witness from the village, told Mideast Christian News.

"The Copts of the village couldn't confront the thugs, as their numbers increased. They had firearms and blades, so Copts tried to avoid fighting with them," he added. more >>

St. Mina's Church in Port Said was the site of a deadly police shootout with thieves, who had previously stolen a container containing an estimated two million Egyptian pounds.

The suspects stormed the courtyard of the church to take shelter from security forces as they demanded safe passage. Security forces disappeared from the area around the church as the members attempted to protect the church from the suspects.

The priest of the church attempted to calm the suspects to avoid any potential disaster, given recent clashes between security forces and members of the local population. more >>