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Pope accused of 'meddling' in Egypt

Arab World Materials 2 January 2011 23:43 (UTC +04:00)
Pope Benedict XVI has been accused of interfering in Egypt's internal affairs in the wake of a deadly bomb attack on a Coptic church in northern port city of Alexandria, PressTV reported.
Pope accused of 'meddling' in Egypt

Pope Benedict XVI has been accused of interfering in Egypt's internal affairs in the wake of a deadly bomb attack on a Coptic church in northern port city of Alexandria, PressTV reported.

Egypt's top Muslim cleric Ahmed al-Tayeb criticized the Pop for calling on the world nations to defend the Christians. He described the call as an "unacceptable interference in Egypt's affairs," Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported Sunday.

"I disagree with the pope's view, and I ask why did the pope not call for the protection of Muslims when they were subjected to killings in Iraq?" said Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the oldest Islamic seminary.

At a New Year's Mass at the Vatican, the Pop appealed for the "concrete and constant engagement of leaders of nations" to protect Christians in the Middle East, in what he termed a "difficult mission."

His remarks came after a deadly bomb attack hit Coptic Al-Qiddissin church on Christmas Day, leaving 21 people dead and almost 100 others wounded.

Eight Muslims were among those hurt, according to the interior ministry.

The attack sparked angry street protests in the city among Christians who accuse authorities of not doing enough to protect Copts, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 80 million.

Tayeb, who renewed his condemnation of the church bombing, said Azhar would form a joint committee with the Coptic Church to resolve disputes between the communities.

The committee, which should begin its work in two weeks, will "discuss reasons for deterioration (in Muslim-Copt ties) and propose appropriate solutions," he added.

Tayeb later met with the head of Egypt's Coptic Church, Pope Shenouda III, at his headquarters in Cairo's St. Mark Cathedral.

Security authorities say the investigations are underway to find the assailants. According to Al-Jazeera, so far 17 people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had formerly blamed "foreign hands" for carrying out the attack on al-Qiddissin church.

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