Egyptian military permits peaceful protest

(Vatican Radio)The Egyptian military on Friday permitted a rally by the Muslim Brotherhood against the ousting of President Mohammed Mursi. The group has been left reeling under a huge backlash from a public that says it and its Islamist allies abused their electoral mandate.

There are concerns of Islamist violence in retaliation for Mursi's removal from office, and some former militant extremists have vowed to fight.

Security officials said suspected Islamic militants opened fire at four sites in northern Sinai, targeting two military checkpoints, a police station and el-Arish airport, where military aircraft are stationed.

The military and security responded to the attacks, and one soldier was killed and three were wounded.

So what are the hopes for national reconciliation in a country that in the last two years has seen the removal of two presidents and is in the midst of economic turmoil.

Lydia O’Kane put that question to Egyptian Jesuit Fr Samir Khalil Samir, a scholar of Islam and lecturer at St Joesph’s University in Beirut.

He says, “I think first of all the demission of this government and the election or the nomination for the moment of a new government and then come to a new democratic election, this is one step. Then to revise the constitution either by going back to the previous one, correcting this previous one, but you cannot start with a new constitution which was done very quickly, very very quickly when I compare with what they are doing in Tunisia for instance… So we have to create a new constitution taking into account the fact that people want democracy one, but also equality for everyone.”

Christians in Egypt make up 10 per cent of the population and have suffered disproportionately over the past year. Speaking about the situation of the community in the country, Fr Samir says Christians feel that Egypt “is no more our country” Listen