Slide 1

Towards a Better Future

Milad Iskander, President
www.amcoptic.com
Roadmap to a strong, stable and
prosperous Egypt


Slide 2

Copts: Egypt’s Strongest
Patriots
Pope Kyrollos the 5th : Egyptian selfdetermination, and education
(including teaching women and girls)
Makram Obaid : Liberation of Egypt
from the British
Fuad Aziz Ghali : Military leadership


Slide 3

Copts are under constant
threat
“Violence against Christians still
continues but state police and/or
Muslim mobs are increasingly
becoming the perpetrators. “
Christian Solidarity International


Slide 4

Copts in Egypt have
nowhere to turn
1. Caught between the Egyptian
government, which engages in
criminal activities against them, and
is careless about their plight
2. Islamic fundamentalists who are
waging war against them with
government support and complicity


Slide 5

Copts in Egypt have
nowhere to turn
3. a government-controlled press that
both omits and glosses over
atrocities committed against the
Copts, and actively incites Islamic
mob violence against their Coptic
compatriots


Slide 6

Critical Requirements for
Progress
1. Equal protection and equal civil and
human rights for all citizens
2. Action to effectively protect the
people against the rogue elements,
including strong secular judiciary to
hold those responsible accountable
3. Free and fair participation and
representation in all aspects of the
political process and government


Slide 7

Critical Requirements for
Progress
4. Economic policies to address the abject
poverty that provides the continuing
basis for Islamic fundamentalism
5. Strong independent hate-free and
truthful media, educational curricula and
popular entertainment, higher education
and research


Slide 8

Step 1: Equality
 The Problem: Copts are
discriminated against in all aspects
of life in Egypt, as mandated by
Egyptian law and policies
 What Can Be Done:
Purge law code of discriminatory
sections (e.g. Undo 1971 imposition
of Islamic Law and Hamayoni
Decree)


Slide 9

Step 2: Protect Human
and Civil Rights
 The problem: Government failure to
protect the persons and property of Copts
from fundamentalist attackers, including
police and other government officials
 What can be done:
Vigorously identify and prosecute those
responsible
Egyptian government must lead by
example


Slide 10

Step 3: Fair and Adequate
Representation
 The Problem: Lack of Coptic representation,
which is much diminished from 15% in 1931
versus less than 1% today
 What can be done:
Promote principles and practices of democracy
among the Egyptian population at large
Open up the political system to enable all
qualified candidates to participate
Remove government interference in religious
affairs and vice versa


Slide 11

Step 4: Economic
Progress
 The Problem: Economic stagnation, with
high unemployment and massive poverty
leads to extreme ideologies and violence
 What can be done:
Create an unbiased system in the public
sector
Enforce nondiscriminatory employment
and education policies


Slide 12

Step 5: Support Enlightened
Public Participation
 The Problem: Public discussion of ideas is
limited by a close-minded focus that excludes
non-Muslims and is filled with negative
stereotypes about the Copts and Egypt’s history
 What can be done:
Eliminate government support for media and
publishers that attack or misrepresent Copts,
Coptic culture and Egyptian history
Remove religious bias from education at all
levels


Slide 13

A Strong, Stable and Prosperous
Egypt will Benefit All
There is a strong correlation between
persecution and intellectual repression,
and consequent economic stagnation,
which destabilizes the country and region.
Egypt today is a country that is rich in its
potential but poor in its leaders and a
prisoner to the fundamentalists’ ideals of
an Islamic state.