It was quite irresponsible of the popular Egyptian newspaper, An-Naba, to publish pictures of a Christian priest in a sexually compromising position. No reader can believe that an Arab newspaper would degrade itself by publishing such pictures. Whatever the newspaper’s motive, publishing the pictures was deliberately provocative since it was accompanied by an equally provocative article which offended the entire Coptic Christian community in Egypt.
The Arab public is used to reading sensational media stories which frequently trigger controversies. That same Arab public is also accustomed to tolerating such stories in the name of freedom of expression and the right to publish one’s viewpoints. But how can a photograph showing something clearly obscene be called a viewpoint?
The viewpoint in this instance is, unfortunately, abundantly clear. The question, on the other hand, is not how a man — or a priest for that matter — conducts himself in his own bedroom.
The issue is rather the motive of the newspaper which by publishing an offensive photograph insulted Coptic Christians and their church and also attempted to distort the church’s image. The Copts believe that by publishing the photo of one of their members, the newspaper was attempting to suggest the debauchery of Coptic society as a whole. Furthermore, the offense is even deeper as a priest’s nudity will never be dissociated from the church to which he belongs.
The ties between communities, no matter how fragile, should be maintained at any cost. Any rash act strikes at the root of the demographic fabric and shatters its stability. Relations between communities should not be left to the mercy of any certain individual’s whims.
The violent demonstrations which followed the publication of the objectionable picture were no more than the natural reaction of an aggrieved community which took the report as a slur on the entire community. In addition, the appearance of the photograph in the newspaper was most inappropriately timed.
If it had appeared at a less emotionally charged time, it would have perhaps gone unnoticed. The provocative photos, however, appeared at an extremely sensitive moment.
The Egyptians have been striving to bring about a closer rapport between the Muslim and Coptic communities for the last 10 years. The government had almost succeeded in putting an end to Muslim fundamentalist attacks on churches and Christian commercial establishments.
The extremists’ attacks increased tensions between Muslims and Christians in the towns where they have lived in peace and harmony for centuries. The situation nonetheless improved remarkably as a result of intense efforts made by both the government and church leaders.
All these efforts have now been rendered worthless. A recent statement by Patriarch Shenud, head of the Egyptian Church, on Egyptian TV expressed the feelings at the abuse committed by Naba. He said, “All the great efforts to strengthen national integrity and drive its roots deep in order to cultivate an atmosphere of amity among people, cutting across religious divisions, were shattered by the article and a few photographs.”
Healthy social relations between different religious communities cannot be sacrificed, even in the name of freedom of expression.
