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July 29, 2014 Special Dispatch No. 5810

A Move Towards Coexistence In Egypt: Iftar Held At Cairo Synagogue Attended By Representatives Of Egyptian Minorities

July 29, 2014
Egypt | Special Dispatch No. 5810

On July 9, 2014, a rare event took place at the Sha'ar Shamayim synagogue in Cairo: representatives from Egyptian ethnic and religious minorities participated in the iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daily Ramadan fast. Participating in the first iftar ever held there, and under tight security, were Baha'is, Christians, Jews, Amazighs (Berbers), Nubians, and others.

Another participant was Al-Azhar cleric Sheikh Muhammad 'Abdallah Nasser, known as "the Preacher of Tahrir Square," who is coordinator for the Men of Al-Azhar for a Civil State Movement.[1]

It was also reported that this ceremony was planned as the first annual such gathering, to be hosted by a different minority every year.

This paper will review the ceremony and reactions to it.

Amazigh Representative: The Ceremony Symbolizes The Change In Egyptian Society

The ceremony was held by the Egyptian Alliance for Minorities, an organization founded in 2012 after the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) movement came to power. The organization arose in protest against the constitution ratified under the MB regime – a regime which, said one of the founders, Mina Thabet, did not represent all Egyptians.[2] Thabet added that when Egypt's 2014 constitution was being drafted, he submitted to the drafting committee a document with 30 articles pertaining to Egyptian rights and freedoms; of the 30, five were approved by the committee. At the same time, the new constitution's article on religious faith,which enshrines freedom of religion but imposes conditions on ritual, remains controversial.[3]


(Source: egyptianstreets.com, July 10, 2014)

The Saudi London-based daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat's detailed report on the iftar at the synagogue was sympathetic to the Egyptian regime, noting that participants all "expressed affinity with their Egyptian [identity]" and said that they were glad to "express their unique culture[s] for the first time in 60 years, thanks to the new constitution ratified by the Egyptians in early 2014."[4]


(Source: egyptianstreets.com, July 10, 2014)

Amani El-Washahi, Amazigh affairs in Egypt advisor to the World Amazigh Organization president, said that the iftar attests to the changes in Egypt, and added, "Had we raised this idea four years ago, it would have been blocked." She praised the tolerance for monitories in Egypt today, saying: "Egypt has minorities that are culturally, religiously, and ethnically different, and the aim of this meeting was to emphasize the value of peaceful coexistence, tolerance, and acceptance of the other."[5]


Magda Haroun, leader of the Jewish community in Egypt (Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat,London, July 11,2014)

The Jewish Minority Is The Smallest In Egypt

In an interview, Al-Washahi told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat that it was decided that the first such iftar would be held at the Cairo synagogue because of the fact that of all the minorities in Egypt, the Jewish one is the smallest: "We started with the Jewish minority, because it is the smallest minority in Egypt, and there are no more than 19 [Jews]...and they are declining. The youngest Jew is over 60, and this means that within a decade or two, no Jews will remain in Egypt. We are today close to bidding farewell to one of the country's oldest minorities."

In Egyptian Media, Reservations About The Iftar Due To Israel-Hamas Conflict In Gaza

The iftar was covered by the Egyptian press, and because of the Israel-Hamas fighting that had begun the previous day, some protested against it in the press.Egyptian Jewish community leader Magda Haroun told Al-Sharq Al-Awsatt hat the iftar had nothing to do with the events in Gaza, because it was planned long in advance. She added that the iftar was aimed at "showing the world that we are thesons of a single homeland, and stating that our sectarian or religious dispute is unconnected to anything else. This is the first time that a gathering like this has been held in a Jewish synagogue."

Haroun also expressed her regret that some of the invited minority representatives had reservations about holding the ceremony at the synagogue, and therefore refused to take part in it. She also stressed her Egyptian identity: "I regretted this, because the synagogue is not a settlement but it is part of 'Adly Street, a part of Egypt that has existedfor over a hundred years, and those who built it were Egyptians…

"I don't feel like a member of a minority at all. I am at home; I am in Egypt. This meeting does not direct attention to minorities for any other reason, it's just a meeting for people to get acquainted with one another for each to respect the other. [This is because] because diversity is an expression of the linguistic, cultural, artistic, and other richness of Egyptian heritage."[6]

Endnotes:

[1]In 2013, the Men of Al-Azhar for a Civil State Movementwas established at Al-Azhar by Sheikh Muhammad 'Abdallah Nasser. The movement, which doesnot officially represent Al-Azhar, opposed the MB rule and protested against it.

[2]Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), July 11, 2014.

[3]The new constitution guaranteed full freedom of religion, along the lines of the 1923 constitutional formula. This ensures that an individual may choose his faith, even a non-monotheistic one, and may also choose no religion. Freedom of worship, however, is limited to members of the monotheistic faiths.See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 1049, Egypt's Draft Constitution 2014: Focus On De-Islamization, Expansion Of Military Power, January 10, 2014.

[4]The new constitution, ratified in a January 2014 referendum, mandates full equality of rights among citizens irrespective of religion, gender, and so on, and emphasizes that affiliation to the country is based on citizenship. It guarantees non-Muslims' right to be judged on matters according to the law of their religion, and also assures them freedom of conscience. However, as mentioned in the previous note, freedom of worship is limited to members of the monotheistic faiths. See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 1049, Egypt's Draft Constitution 2014: Focus On De-Islamization, Expansion Of Military Power, January 10, 2014.

[5]Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), July 11, 2014.

[6]Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), July 11, 2014.

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