Egypt Coptic advocate group joins NSF

The Copts for Egypt movement has joined Egypt's main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front (NSF). The opposition alliance voted unanimously to approve the Coptic group's membership. Copts for Egypt said in a statement Thursday that the group sought unity "despite differences" and described the NSF as "the strongest representative of the Egyptian opposition." "Our membership [in the NFS] will boost its legitimacy and our strength, especially as it has agreed to meet the demand of the revolutionary youth in combining political experience with revolutionary vigour and also building a social base that supports and affirms the opposition's unity for a better future for our beloved Egypt." The statement hailed the NSF's commitment to non-violence and dismissed attacks on the opposition coalition that accuse it of adopting and encouraging violence. Copts for Egypt was founded in 2009 to defend the rights of Egypt's Orthodox Christian population. Until then, and especially since late President Anwar Sadat's reign, the Coptic community was represented only through the Coptic Church, which was in turn represented only by its head, the late Patriarch Shenouda III who had been obliged to play the part by political realities. But an incident in November 2010 which resulted in Copts taking to the street and clashing with security forces in a Cairo district marked Copts' entry into the political scene, with Copts for Egypt representing many. The group calls for an end to state policy of resolving sectarian incidents informally and demands unified regulations governing the building of religious establishments for both Muslims and Christians.