Towards a Better Future

1. Towards a Better Future Milad Iskander, President www.amcoptic.com Roadmap to a strong, stable and prosperous Egypt

2. Copts: Egypt’s Strongest Patriots Pope Kyrollos the 5th:Egyptian self-determination, and education (including teaching women and girls) Makram Obaid: Liberation of Egypt from the British Fuad Aziz Ghali: Military leadership

3. “Violence against Christians still continues but state police and/or Muslim mobs are increasingly becoming the perpetrators. “Christian Solidarity International Copts are under constant threat

4. Copts in Egypt have nowhere to turn • Caught between the Egyptian government, which engages in criminal activities against them, and is careless about their plight • Islamic fundamentalists who are waging war against them with government support and complicity

5. Copts in Egypt have nowhere to turn • a government-controlled press that both omits and glosses over atrocities committed against the Copts, and actively incites Islamic mob violence against their Coptic compatriots

6. Critical Requirements for Progress • Equal protection and equal civil and human rights for all citizens • Action to effectively protect the people against the rogue elements, including strong secular judiciary to hold those responsible accountable • Free and fair participation and representation in all aspects of the political process and government

7. Critical Requirements for Progress • Economic policies to address the abject poverty that provides the continuing basis for Islamic fundamentalism • Strong independent hate-free and truthful media, educational curricula and popular entertainment, higher education and research

8. Step 1: Equality • The Problem: Copts are discriminated against in all aspects of life in Egypt, as mandated by Egyptian law and policies • What Can Be Done: Purge law code of discriminatory sections (e.g. Undo 1971 imposition of Islamic Law and Hamayoni Decree)

9. Step 2: Protect Human and Civil Rights • The problem: Government failure to protect the persons and property of Copts from fundamentalist attackers, including police and other government officials • What can be done: Vigorously identify and prosecute those responsible Egyptian government must lead by example

10. Step 3: Fair and Adequate Representation • The Problem: Lack of Coptic representation, which is much diminished from 15% in 1931 versus less than 1% today • What can be done: Promote principles and practices of democracy among the Egyptian population at large Open up the political system to enable all qualified candidates to participate Remove government interference in religious affairs and vice versa

11. Step 4: Economic Progress • The Problem: Economic stagnation, with high unemployment and massive poverty leads to extreme ideologies and violence • What can be done: Create an unbiased system in the public sector Enforce nondiscriminatory employment and education policies

12. Step 5: Support Enlightened Public Participation • The Problem: Public discussion of ideas is limited by a close-minded focus that excludes non-Muslims and is filled with negative stereotypes about the Copts and Egypt’s history • What can be done: Eliminate government support for media and publishers that attack or misrepresent Copts, Coptic culture and Egyptian history Remove religious bias from education at all levels

13. A Strong, Stable and Prosperous Egypt will Benefit All There is a strong correlation between persecution and intellectual repression, and consequent economic stagnation, which destabilizes the country and region. Egypt today is a country that is rich in its potential but poor in its leaders and a prisoner to the fundamentalists’ ideals of an Islamic state.