From an informed Coptic Christian:

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Pope Shenouda (I've never seen the spelling "Shinoda" before) has recently become more public because of a terrible humiliation to our church last year. In the first ever sexually explicity pictures published in a general public magazine, an excommunicated monk was pictured having "relations" with a woman. The article claimed that these pictures were taken inside the monastery (which to any educated Copt is an absolute impossibility even by rules of time and privacy). Not just any monastery either, but one of our holiest monasteries, "El Moharraq", where the Holy Family stayed as tradition has it, for just over six months. Pope Shenouda spoke up very loudly. Especially after 30 000 angry Copts gathered at the Cathedral in Abbassia, Cairo the day the magazine was published.

The issue for us, is that if Copts in the diaspora make a huge fuss about our situation in Egypt, it does not ever improve things for us. It makes the Muslim extremists feel more sorry for themeselves, puts President Hosni Mubarak on edge since he has to answer to the West as well as to the extremists (who have already once tried to assassinate him) - which makes him hate dealing with Pope Shenouda. That's why when that newspaper article came out, Pope Shenouda said on a TV interview, "You want them outside to be quiet, but how can you expect them to when something like this happens? This is an insult to Egyptian integrity." To put it bluntly, there exists in New Jersey another Patriarchal Residence.

September 11 has had a terrible impact, in that the Middle East views the West as a group of "Christian Nations". While on a subway in Egypt, a fanatic Muslim was yellign in our car, "It is *us* who are persecuted! The Copts are persecuting us!" Adding Bush's "policies" with the East, they hate Christians even more, and this is showing up in all forms of media. here were better times, and Pope Shenouda still stresses the harmony, but is not ignoring the problems. You should see how long it takes in Egypt to be able to obtain *permission* to build a church, 3-4 years is average.

Censorship in Egypt is hardly sympathetic toward Christians. I always find it odd that they will play movies like "Sister Act" but not "Touched by an Angel". They will play movies where Christians take on odd, un-Christian "mockery" roles....but never one that shows Christianity in a positive light.

Having said that, it is still not *THAT* awful on an individual level. On the working and governmental levels, the Christian always sees the worst, but there are good Muslims that treat us with dignity and respect, and many that look up to us as teachers.

One of our "living Saints", Father Angelos the Antonian, for example, often has hundreds of visitors everyday. Many of these are Muslims who promise to change their bad habits and sins but seek Abouna's (Father's) advice.

Long life to Shenoute III.

Peace and grace. Agape,

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Amen, maranatha!