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Where are the Copts when you need one?

Egyptian law forces all political parties to include Christians and other minorities, which creates a dilemma for Islamists.
 Coptic Orthodox Christians touch the pictures of the Virgin Mary and Jesus (L) and  Pope St. Kyrillos VI for blessings after a religious session by Father Makary at St Mark Catedral in Cairo January 2, 2015. Father Makary Younan is one of the most popular among the Coptic Egyptians to practice exorcism. Picture taken January 2, 2015. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY) - RTR4JXRE
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Egypt’s Islamist Nour Party is looking for Coptic candidates to run on its ticket in the upcoming local elections. It’s not an easy feat, given the high-profile religious controversy surrounding the subject and the party’s huge losses in last year’s parliamentary elections.

Word of Coptic candidates running on the Nour Party list in the parliamentary races did not go unnoticed. In fact, it met with cutting criticism from liberal parties and religious authorities, most prominently Pope Tawadros II, leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. In an October interview on the TV show “Hona al-Asema,” he said, “One cannot espouse two ideologies, and those who do are not honest with themselves. The Coptic candidates on the lists of religious parties lack credibility and are honest neither to Muslims nor to Christians.”

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