“Unfortunately, this positive change is outweighed by the restrictions this new law imposes on Christians seeking to build churches in Egypt, which is why Egyptian Christians are having a negative reaction to the passage of the new law”, he added.
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However, “the situation is still controversial”, said Coptic Catholic Bishop Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina.
Yesterday, Zylstra updated the story: “Egypt’s parliament approved a new church-building law this week, relieving the almost insurmountable requirements. that Christians had to meet before constructing a church”.
The nation’s parliament is expected to approve the revisions. “Thank God we have this law now”, he said.
Activists also criticized the section that limits the size of churches according to the number of Christians in the community because there are no official statistics regarding the Christian population.
Critics, however, say the legislation will merely enshrine restrictions against Christians.
Father Sergius, a leading official in the Coptic Church, called the law “historic”.
The Church last week announced it had reached a compromise with the government and now approved of the law, though analysts have suggested that the agreement came only under heavy pressure from government officials.
Activists have long campaigned for a unified places of worship law to govern mosques and churches. “But several Coptic MPs said it was ‘a step in the right direction'”.
He said the law means church-building will now depend on the flexibility of each governor. Officials wanted security services, which the Church said was biased against Christians, to have the final say over church construction.
Youssef Sedhom, the chief editor of the Coptic news outlet Watani, told AP that the law indicates that the state wants to keep having a “full mandate and monopoly” over Egyptian Christians and their churches. The provisions are “vague” and empower local authorities to say “yes, this is allowed” or “no, this is not allowed”, he wrote.
Churches that were built without permits in the past will be recognized if it meets construction regulations and if rites were performed in the past five years. Muslims, in particular Salafites, argue that “Egypt’s religion is Islam, according to the constitution, and the main source of the law is Sharia”. On Aug 18, it rejected the draft bill, calling it “dangerous to national unity”. The congregation then issued a statement accepting the bill.
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The government does not make the official number of Christians public in its census and Christians have long complained of being undercounted.
