Egypt Could Streamline Church Construction Amid Anti-Christian Violence
A new law Egypt is considering would streamline the construction of churches even as violence against Christians in the country continues to rise.
Magdy al-Agaty, minister of parliamentary affairs, said the cabinet will discuss the law before it is sent to parliament for approval.
"The law sets a four-month deadline for governors to respond to any request for a license to build a church," al-Agaty explained.
According to al-Agaty, heavily populated areas will also have their own churches.
Egypt's Coptic Christians are among the Middle East's largest group of Christians and have struggled for a long time to secure permission to build churches.
Egyptian authorities have often refused to give Christians building permits for churches over fears it "disturbs" the peace with their Muslim neighbors.
"Even if this law passes there will still be no equality in the building of places of worship, as building mosques does not require all these measures such as the approval from a governor," an activist told The New Arab.
Nevertheless, she acknowledged the law would be "a positive step forward to ending discrimination."
Christians have endured numerous attacks, especially within the province of Minya, home to a large Christian community.
In the past, mobs have attacked Christians and torched their homes over a rumor of plans to build churches.
Recent attacks include a Christian who was stabbed to death a month ago, and an elderly Christian woman who was stripped of her clothing and paraded through the street over allegations her son had an affair with a Muslim woman.
Pope Tawadros II, the leader of Egypt's Coptic Christian church, says national unity is being "defaced" and issued a warning of increased attacks on Christians. He noted that since 2013, there have been 37 sectarian attacks on Christians - nearly an incident a month. He's calling the situation "very painful."
