Egypt’s Coptic church announced that it has invited Mohamed ElBaradei, the former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a possible contender for the Egyptian presidency, to attend Easter celebrations next Saturdays. The church assured that the invitation is not political, saying that ElBaradei was invited because he is a prominent scientific figure and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
ElBaradei says he will attend the Easter celebrations.
"Copts should feel that we are working together in one country," he said, adding that.
ElBaradei has shaken up the Egyptian politics recently by declaring that he may run for president if he has guarantees that elections will be free and fair. He is spearheading an opposition coalition called the National Association for Change (NAC), which pushes for constitutional reforms.
ElBaradei attended Friday prayers at the popular Al-Hussein mosque in Cairo last week.
Reverend Sergious, undersecretary for the patriarchate, stressed that the church does not involve itself in politics and said the celebration is a religious occasion and should not be used by anyone to fulfill future aspirations.
A source close to Pope Shenouda said that the church is committed to supporting the President Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party. The source said that the church will not back nominees with ambiguous platforms that might favor of religious movements or have unclear foreign connections, apparent references to the NAC’s cooperation with the Muslim Brotherhood and ElBaradei’s years spent abroad.
In related news, scores of pro-democracy activists from groups including the 6 April Movement, the NAC, and Kefaya rallied in front of a Mansoura police office to protest the detention of Ashraf Wagdi, an NAC member who stands accused of possessing "illegal materials."
Mohamed Ghoneim, the NAC coordinator for Daqahlia Governorate and the country’s top kidney transplant professional, said that the arrest of Wagdi is a "childish" behavior and an "inexplicable persecution."
Safwan Mohamed, coordinator of the pro-democracy group Ayez Haqqi, said that the security in Alexandria beat and arrested four young members of his group.
Mohamed Jilani, coordinator for a grassroots campaign to support ElBaradei, said that any backing action will be "a waste of time" unless ElBaradei joins a political party. The campaign announced that it has established groups in Suez, Ismailia, Port Said, and Damietta to collect signatures supporting ElBaradei’s push for change.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
