Egypt’s Salafists will not hold a protest today for the release of Camelia Shehata, says Yasser Metwali, head of the New Muslims Coalition.
Shehata is the wife of a Coptic priest who was allegedly been held hostage by the church since she converted to Islam. Salafists have repeatedly demanded her release and staged many protests to that end.
Metwali said that the cancelation of today’s protest has nothing to do with reports that Egypt’s Christians are organising their own protest, because the decision was made last week. He also slammed Egypt’s media for accusing Salafists of trying to hijack the Egyptian revolution by staging protests demanding for Shehata’s release, insisting that they had been calling for her release before the revolution and had staged 17 protests prior to 25 January.
Metwali added that now the case of Shehata is being investigated, and that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces had promised them that the problem would be solved before 15 May.
Last week, thousands of Salafists demonstrated in front of the Abbasiya Cathedral and only left after they were promised that Shehata would be released within 15 days. Following this, the prosecutor-general ordered the Coptic Church to deliver Camelia Shehata for questioning.
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