Egyptian
Christians who were scared over the eventual takeover of the Parliament by the Muslim
Brotherhood welcomed the recent decision by the Supreme Court to dissolve the Islamist-controlled
parliament due to election irregularities.
Open Doors United
Kingdom (UK) (http://www.opendoorsuk.org) a Christian advocacy group stated
this in a release adding that Christians welcome ruling to dissolve parliament
but still face uncertain future.
Speaking on
this recent development, Mr. Athanasious Williams, a Christian human rights
lawyer in Egypt stated: "But now they feel that there might be a better
chance for a secular government."
He said that
about a third of the seats were reserved for ‘independents', but there was
confusion because some seats were contested on a proportional representation
basis and others using the ‘first past the post' system. “The Supreme Court
ruled that the elections were invalid and the lower house of parliament will
now be dissolved.”
According to
him,along with the decision to strike the parliament, the court also ruled to
allow Ahmed Shafiq, the final prime minister of former President Hosni
Mubarak's regime, to continue running for president.
Williams
stated: “In this weekend's (16-17 June) presidential elections, Shafiq, despite
his connection to the old regime, is seen by many Christians as a preferable
option to the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohammed Mursi.”
He noted
that local leaders have warned that the court ruling does not guarantee that
the Islamists won't regain power through a rerun of the election, but it does
give voters another chance to elect a government more sympathetic to Christians
and other ethnic minorities.
Nahla, a
young Christian who runs empowerment programs for Coptic women in rural areas,
explained how many Christians are responding to the dichotomy facing them.
"How can we stop ministry when the hunger for the Lord is increasing these
days like never before?
He continued:
“Our biggest challenge is to continue to love, forgive and pray for the people
who hate us, so we can be a real blessing to our community and our country. The
Bible says love never fails, and we want to keep reflecting the shining love of
Jesus to all our neighbors."
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