“The protection of Egyptian Copts is exclusivily the state’s responsibility,” said Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit at a press conference in Rabat on Wednesday.
“The Egyptian church is independent and capable of defending itself,” he said, adding that the church “rejects outside interference.”
Aboul Gheit went on to say that the New Years Eve church bombing in Alexandria is still under investigation. He emphasized that although the nation as a whole–and not only Coptic Christians–was infuriated by the attack, churches in Egypt have continued to conduct their religious activities without interruption.
Following the church attack, Vatican’s Pope Benedict XVI urged world leaders to defend Christians and Copts. The statement was quickly criticized by Al-Azhar’s Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb who considered the statements “an unacceptable interference in Egypt’s affairs.”
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
