AFRICA/EGYPT - “We are returning to normality even if protests are continuing,” missionary states

Cairo (Agenzia Fides) - “The situation seems to be returning to normal, even if protests are continuing in Tahrir Square,” Father Luciano Verdoscia told Fides, the Comboni missionary who has worked for years in Cairo. Fr Luciano states that “these days of protests have deeply affected Egypt, also on an economic level, because all commercial avenues have been blocked, while business people, especially those in tourism, are working hard to recover.”
The meeting yesterday between Vice-President of Egypt, Omar Suleiman, and representatives of the opposition, among which there were two leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, has not led to an agreement, because the Muslim Brotherhood would continue to demand the resignation of President Mubarak. “At the start the Muslim Brotherhood had refused to deal with the Government because they made the resignation of President Mubarak a precondition. So it was an unexpected meeting,” says the missionary. Fr Luciano takes a cautious stance on the dialogue: “we need to see how talks develop between the Government and the Islamic Brotherhood. We need to keep in mind that different forces will enter the dialogue, so there are not only the Muslim Brotherhood that represent the opposition.
“It seems to me,” continues the missionary, “that in Egyptian society opinion prevails that no group has priority over the others. There are different social groups that do not want an Islamic government. Firstly, persons associated with Mubarak: the members of his party, the members of the security forces and contractors who have had huge advantages in recent years. Furthermore, young people demonstrating in the streets want democracy. The same Muslim Brotherhood say they want democracy and look to the Turkish model (where the party in power is inspired by Islam and democracy). There are also various tendencies within the Muslim Brotherhood, ranging from the most radical to a moderate wing, who says they want to come to power via a democratic process. If then we come to power by a democratic path, primacy will be given to Islamic principles, and this would create a problem for the other elements of Egyptian society.
“In Tahrir Square, Christians have prayed, and some newspapers have published images where you see Christians raise the Bible and Muslims, the Koran, saying: 'we are one people'. It is a good sign. We all hope that the path takes this direction. We hope that this transition takes place in the most painless way possible. The Egyptian people have a tradition, a history and culture not indifferent. What has happened is a sign of maturity of this population,” concludes Father Luciano. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 7/2/2011)