CAIRO — It seems the Egyptian authorities have been promoting the participation of both Muslims and Copts in the building of houses of worship as a standard to achieve peaceful coexistence in the country since the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood regime on July 3, 2013. In this context, politicians and media outlets hailed the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of Qena’s Feb. 7 decision to donate funds for the completion of Al-Numani Mosque’s construction works.
Despite the political and social praise of the church’s donation to the construction of the mosque, fatwas and calls to include Muslims in the construction of churches, through donations or construction work, continue to raise controversy.