Copts reject new law on places of worship

On Wednesday, the Egyptian government approved amendments to four articles of the Unified Draft Law on Places of Worship proposed by the Orthodox Church. The amendments minimize the area required for houses of worship and delegate responsibility for issuing permits to local municipalities.

The long-anticipated move came in response to repeated calls by Egypt’s Copts for an anti-discrimination act to accompany the existing law on building mosques. Last Sunday, the House of the Egyptian Family, an ad hoc committee formed by both Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayyeb and Pope III Shenouda, rejected the draft law.

Some have attributed the rejection to widespread public criticism, especially from Coptic activists who regarded the bill as “discriminatory and restrictive.”

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