FJP Meets Former VP of French Senate

Saad Al-Husseini, member of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) Executive Office, on Wednesday, met with Adrian Gouteyron, former member and vice president of the French Senate. They discussed the recent Maspero incident, inter-religious dialogue and ways to boost relations between France and Egypt after the revolution.

The French senator started off by expressing his delight in visiting Egypt after the revolution, and stressed his country’s keenness to support the democratic process in Egypt, particularly as it is in line with the principles of the French Revolution.

On the other hand, Saad Al-Husseini showed his appreciation for the tremendous impact of the Egyptian revolution – which he described as “the people’s revolution” – on society, where it created a state of harmony among all Egyptians, Muslims and Christians, explaining that the most important feature of the revolution was the spirit of unity that prevailed throughout society, and pointing out that there was not even one recorded incident of aggression against any places of worship during the events of the revolution, whether churches or mosques.

In response to a question about the Maspero incident and whether it has created a rift in the relationship between the Muslim and Christian sons of the one nation, Al-Husseini stressed that there is no so-called sedition nor sectarianism in Egypt, asserting that the implementation of the principles of Sharia (Islamic Law) is the best guarantee for the rights of the Copts in Egypt, the most important of which is the freedom of religion, the right to build churches and the right to a special law of personal status. He added that Islamic law grants followers of other religions the right to be judged by the laws of their own faith.

Al-Husseini stressed that Christians in Egypt are not treated as an isolated community or an ethnic minority; but are regarded as an integral part of the fabric of the one homeland, with all rights and all duties of citizenship.

Al-Husseini also pointed out that the FJP has issued several statements emphasising the need to remove the current frustration and anger caused by failure of the previous regime to regulate unlicensed churches, a problem planted as a means of blackmail and to sow discord and tension within Egyptian society. The FJP holds that the current and future governments must set a timetable for the licensing of those churches to prevent any further problems and tension.