Prayer sought for Egypt

BY4George Conger

THE ANGLICAN Bishop of Egypt has issued a call to prayer for his embattled country after President Mohammad Mursi issued a decree widening the powers of the president and blocking his actions from judicial review by the courts.  More than 500 people have been injured in clashes between police and protestors angered by the seizure of absolute power by the Muslim Brotherhood government.

Opposition leaders and representatives from Egypt’s Christian minority have also walked out of talks on drafting a new constitution after the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated committee announced that Sharia law would be the basis of Egyptian law.

On Nov. 24 Anglican Bishop Mouneer Anis wrote there was “agitation within Egypt” after the president issued a decree saying “his decisions are ‘final and unchallengeable by any individual or body until a new constitution has been ratified and a new parliament has been elected.’ The Supreme Judicial Council described the declaration as ‘an unprecedented attack on the independence of the judiciary and its rulings.’”

The Bishop added that the larger political situation was unsettled also as “the churches in Egypt alongside some liberal parties, withdrew their representatives in the committee responsible for writing the new constitution. This was an act of protest, because the majority of the committee is Islamists who want to impose their own views in the constitution. As we dream for real democracy, it was my hope, with many other Egyptians, to have a constitution that is inclusive of all Egyptians.”

Bishop Mouneer Anis urged Christians worldwide to pray for Egypt as “almost two years since the start of the revolution, and we are still longing for stability, democracy, and the opportunity to rebuild Egypt.”      TAP

– The Church of England Newspaper

Background: Christians account for about ten percent of the Egyptian population. The history of Christianity in Egypt dates back to the Roman era. Alexandria was an early centre of Christianity.