It was discovered Thursday evening near Luxor in Egypt that a mother and her two daughters were killed and their bodies thrown into the Nile River.
"We have the chance to show that America values the dignity of the street vendor in Tunisia more than the raw power of the dictator ... America must use all our influence to encourage reform in the region ... we need to speak honestly about the principles that we believe in, with friend and foe alike."
Which prominent American spoke these words? It was neither Senator John McCain, enthusiast of democracy promotion, nor former President George W. Bush, architect of the Freedom Agenda. It was our realist, pragmatic President Barack Obama, in a major speech on May 19, 2011, during the heady early months of the Arab Spring.
Speaking at a conference in Milan, Italy, on May 8, 2013, that city's archbishop, Cardinal Angelo Scola, called for the abolition of blasphemy laws worldwide. Such a step would significantly help protect globally the freedom of speech and religion desperately needed by Christians in particular while countering Islamic fanaticism with freedom.
http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130522-906073.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/22/dc-coptic-solidarity-idUSnPNDC18901+1e0+PRN20130522
Morsi Sheikh, former head of the Appellate Court and director of the Center for Justice and Democracy of Human Rights, stated that Copts in Egypt face continual threats and violence from Islamists.
He was commenting on one of the fathers of the children accusing Coptic teacher Demiana Abdel Nour of insulting Islam after the child's father threatened to kill thousands of people. Her case had been postponed, prompting the father's outburst.
"The Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis do not want justice to run its course, by threatening them, and judges often succumb to the pressure," Sheikh told Mideast Christian News.
Thousands of Egyptian Christians Mourn the Death of Pope Shenouda III
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- Published on Sunday, 18 March 2012 17:35
An estimated 100,000 Coptic Christians in Egypt have queued to pay respects to their spiritual leader, Pope Shenouda III who has died aged 88.
Thousands of mourners filed past their spiritual leader's dead body as it sat in the papal chair during a vigil inside Cairo's St Mark's Cathedral on Sunday.
Pope Shenouda's body was placed in a coffin before being seated on the ceremonial throne dressed in an embroidered robe and golden mitre.
The pope died on Saturday after suffering from cancer and had lead Egypt's Church for forty years.
The religious head sought to soothe sectarian tension during his tenure at the top of Egypt's Orthodox Church, but saw increasing flare-ups in the majority Muslim nation in the final months of his life.
Around 10 per cent of Egypt's population are Coptic Christians, making them the Middle East's largest Christian minority with 80 million followers.
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The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/9151484/Thousands-of-Egyptian-Christians-mourn-the-death-of-Pope-Shenouda-III.html
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