The "House of Fatwa" (Dar al Ifta al Misryah), the Egyptian body
presided by the Grand Mufti of Egypt and responsible for disseminating
guidance pronouncements and dissolve doubts and disputes regarding the
application of the precepts of the Koran, has issued a ruling to confirm
that it is absolutely legitimate to allow Christians to build churches
in an Islamic nation, with due observance of the State laws. In the pronouncement it also states that Islam supports civil laws based on the principle of equality among citizens, and that the Prophet Mohammad was in favor of the principle of "reciprocity" among States with different religious identities.
The pronouncement of the "House of Fatwa" follows the announcement made by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi during his participation in the Christmas Mass in the Orthodox Coptic Cathedral, when the Head of State announced plans to open by 2018, the largest Coptic church of Egypt, to be built by the engineering department of the armed Forces within an area of more than 16 thousand square meters, in the new capital which is being built on the edge of Cairo's metropolis.
The House of Fatwa, in view of Christmas, had also issued a pronouncement to reiterate that a Muslim should not have any hesitation to extend his congratulations to friends and Christian acquaintances on the occasion of their festivities and liturgical solemnities.
The Body, through its interventions, aims to confirm the initiatives of the official institutions of the Egyptian Sunni Islam – starting from the University of Al Azhar - often called by the President al Sisi to counter the spread of extremist doctrines and manipulation of the Koran.