Don't Congratulate Copts on Easter, Says Deputy Chairperson of Egypt's Nour Party
Deputy Chairperson of Egypt's Nour Party Sayed Mustafa stated that Muslims should not congratulate Copts during their holiday since they are of two different faiths.
"We are not forced to congratulate Copts on their religious holidays, because we disagree with their faith and Copts celebrate the Easter according to their beliefs," Mustafa said in a statement.
"Copts are likewise not supposed to congratulate us on our Islamic holidays, as our religion obliges us that there is no compulsion in religion … the Nour Party is a political party with an Islamic reference so we do not, as policy, discuss the prohibition of such congratulations," he said.
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Dr. Abdel Rahman el-Bar, mufti of the Muslim Brotherhood, issued a fatwa on Sunday to not congratulate the Copts on Easter, as it violates Islamic law.
Fliers were distributed in the governorate of Beni Suef, outside of Cairo, which read "Sham el-Nessim is Not Our Holiday," and included a fatwa prohibiting citizens from celebrating the holiday.
"Sham el-Nessim is a national and Pharaonic feast related to agriculture, but it has become linked to Lent and Easter so Muslims should not imitate the [Christian] other and celebrate it," the flier said.
"Allah ordained our Islamic holidays and how to celebrate them, thus we do not need to imitate others in their festivals in which truth and falsehood are confused," It added.
