.Controversial Copt inflames anger with honesty about Palestine
A controversial Egyptian Copt living abroad has incensed Egyptians over a letter he wrote about the recent Israeli war on Gaza. Morris Sadek, the head of the National Coptic Assembly in the United States, wrote an open letter on Jan. 19, titled "Israel's Victory," which has left Egyptians - both Copts and Muslims - angry over his claims.
In the letter, he called Hamas a part of the Muslim Brotherhood and argued that Palestinians should not complain of their situation vis-a-vis Israel. "Soon after Palestinians elected Hamas under the symbol 'Islam is the solution' Hamas turned against the Palestinian Authority and declared an Islamic State in Gaza, where they applied the Sharia and killed Christians and burned their stores and kidnapped foreign correspondents," the duel U.S.-Egyptian citizen Sadek wrote, linking Egypt's powerful opposition Muslim Brotherhood to Hamas.
"Hamas sold Gaza to Iran and they sold it in exchange for weapons and tunnels in cooperation with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, and declared jihad on Israel which provides them with food, and Israel sent trucks full of humanitarian supplies over to Gaza," he continued.
Other than serving as president of the National Coptic Assembly, Sadek is also president of the Human Rights Center for National Unity in Egypt, which was established in 1995. He was an advisor for Middle East affairs with Advocates International based in Fairfax, Virginia in 1999-2000.
His provocative views have turned-off former associates, including those who initially joined him in establishing the human rights center in Cairo. Leading activist and Copt, George Ishaq, is one of them. He thinks that Sadek is in search of wealth and power. "[Sadek] is ignorant and does not have a clue about what he is talking about," Ishaq told the Middle East Times in his downtown Cairo office. "Here in Egypt, Sadek is not listened to because he doesn't know anything and is only trying to make himself famous and get people to give him money," Ishaq said, adding, "What we need to talk about is citizenship, because when it comes to the end, we are all Egyptians and we need to live together and stop seeing religion as a dividing issue."
Other Egyptians point to Sadek's attacks on Islam in his writings, arguing he is taking advantage of freedom of speech guaranteed in the United States to defame Islam. "This is not the first time I meet or see Copts abroad who enjoy cursing Islam because they know they can get away with it," Egyptian journalist Manar Ammar told the Middle East Times. She added: "I met people in Chicago who cursed the Prophet and criticized him, feeling happy that they were taking advantage of freedom of speech. But their problem is really with [Egyptian] law enforcement, not Muslims."
Sadek's diatribes against Palestinians and Arabs are not limited to the recent war in Gaza itself. He wrote: "Although the Palestinians are the invaders of the land, instead of thanking Israel for food and help, they declared war. This is Islamic hate. Their place today should be the Higaz [Saudi Arabia] where they came from; and instead of thanking Israel for giving them a piece of its land to live on, they declared war."
Ishaq said that while Sadek's views are also held by some within Coptic communities abroad, in Egypt, he is seen as "crazy." "Few, if any of the Copts I talk with take this man seriously. He is just so wrong and ridiculous," Ishaq said.
According to the Coptic National Assembly's Web site, Sadek is a member of the District of Columbia bar association and a special legal consultant. Only late last year, he fired off a volley of letters stating his belief that Islam is "a religion of hate and violence." According to the journalist, Sadek has on a number of occasions misquoted the Koran to back up his assertions. It is "despicable and horrifying" that someone of his prominence, she said, "could be so blinded by hate that he wants to defame a holy book from a religion."
Sadek argued that Egypt was the rightful home of Copts, "not the Arab descendants that now live in the country" and has told Muslims to leave the country. On the Web site, he explicitly wrote, "I am an Egyptian. Do not call me an Arab." In reality, nearly all Egyptians are a mix of Arab, Bedouin and Pharaohnic descent, which Ishaq said is part of what makes the country so great. "We are a mix of people and cultures because of our history. This man is trying to destroy a country and make a religious war where there is none."
Middel East Times
In the letter, he called Hamas a part of the Muslim Brotherhood and argued that Palestinians should not complain of their situation vis-a-vis Israel. "Soon after Palestinians elected Hamas under the symbol 'Islam is the solution' Hamas turned against the Palestinian Authority and declared an Islamic State in Gaza, where they applied the Sharia and killed Christians and burned their stores and kidnapped foreign correspondents," the duel U.S.-Egyptian citizen Sadek wrote, linking Egypt's powerful opposition Muslim Brotherhood to Hamas.
"Hamas sold Gaza to Iran and they sold it in exchange for weapons and tunnels in cooperation with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, and declared jihad on Israel which provides them with food, and Israel sent trucks full of humanitarian supplies over to Gaza," he continued.
Other than serving as president of the National Coptic Assembly, Sadek is also president of the Human Rights Center for National Unity in Egypt, which was established in 1995. He was an advisor for Middle East affairs with Advocates International based in Fairfax, Virginia in 1999-2000.
His provocative views have turned-off former associates, including those who initially joined him in establishing the human rights center in Cairo. Leading activist and Copt, George Ishaq, is one of them. He thinks that Sadek is in search of wealth and power. "[Sadek] is ignorant and does not have a clue about what he is talking about," Ishaq told the Middle East Times in his downtown Cairo office. "Here in Egypt, Sadek is not listened to because he doesn't know anything and is only trying to make himself famous and get people to give him money," Ishaq said, adding, "What we need to talk about is citizenship, because when it comes to the end, we are all Egyptians and we need to live together and stop seeing religion as a dividing issue."
Other Egyptians point to Sadek's attacks on Islam in his writings, arguing he is taking advantage of freedom of speech guaranteed in the United States to defame Islam. "This is not the first time I meet or see Copts abroad who enjoy cursing Islam because they know they can get away with it," Egyptian journalist Manar Ammar told the Middle East Times. She added: "I met people in Chicago who cursed the Prophet and criticized him, feeling happy that they were taking advantage of freedom of speech. But their problem is really with [Egyptian] law enforcement, not Muslims."
Sadek's diatribes against Palestinians and Arabs are not limited to the recent war in Gaza itself. He wrote: "Although the Palestinians are the invaders of the land, instead of thanking Israel for food and help, they declared war. This is Islamic hate. Their place today should be the Higaz [Saudi Arabia] where they came from; and instead of thanking Israel for giving them a piece of its land to live on, they declared war."
Ishaq said that while Sadek's views are also held by some within Coptic communities abroad, in Egypt, he is seen as "crazy." "Few, if any of the Copts I talk with take this man seriously. He is just so wrong and ridiculous," Ishaq said.
According to the Coptic National Assembly's Web site, Sadek is a member of the District of Columbia bar association and a special legal consultant. Only late last year, he fired off a volley of letters stating his belief that Islam is "a religion of hate and violence." According to the journalist, Sadek has on a number of occasions misquoted the Koran to back up his assertions. It is "despicable and horrifying" that someone of his prominence, she said, "could be so blinded by hate that he wants to defame a holy book from a religion."
Sadek argued that Egypt was the rightful home of Copts, "not the Arab descendants that now live in the country" and has told Muslims to leave the country. On the Web site, he explicitly wrote, "I am an Egyptian. Do not call me an Arab." In reality, nearly all Egyptians are a mix of Arab, Bedouin and Pharaohnic descent, which Ishaq said is part of what makes the country so great. "We are a mix of people and cultures because of our history. This man is trying to destroy a country and make a religious war where there is none."
Middel East Times
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