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For the next three weeks (I left on June 19) Egyptian papers teemed with coverage of what was developing into a constitutional crisis — demonstrations, letter-writing, rallies, the whole nine. Those who supported the secular character of the Egyptian state — Muslim or Christian — argued that in the name of equality(Muslims are free to divorce and remarry) and human rights (marriage is a fundamental right) the Coptic Church should either issue the licenses or be forced to do so by the state. The most interesting position, however, was that of the Church itself. In addition to religious freedom it invoked sharî’ah in its defense! Time and again, Church officials publicly invoked such sharî’ah maxims as, “When confronted with People of the Book (Jews and Christians), adjudicate among them on the basis of their own religion.” The Coptic patriarch, Pope Shanoudah III, even went so far as to quote the Qur’ân directly in his weekly sermon: “Let the People of the Bible adjudicate according to what God revealed therein. And whoever does not adjudicate in accordance to what God reveals, they are among the corrupt” (5: 47). As if these statements were not explicit enough, in an interview published on 10 June in the official Ahram newspaper, Pope Shanoudah stated plainly and without equivocation, “We simply ask the judges, if they want to reconcile with the Church, to apply the Islamic sharî’ah.”

It would be disingenuous, of course, to read more than tactical sophistication into the Pope’s and the Church’s position. After all, Pope Shanoudah did not rush out to sign up with the Muslim Brotherhood. Still, their statements and protestations make it clear that he and the Church understood that under sharî’ah they would enjoy the right to preserve their way of life as Christians and that the rules governing Muslims do not automatically extend to non-Muslims.

http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/08/dr-sherman-jackson-western-views-of-shariah/

I say no thanks to Shariah law...

Yes to freedom.

Seated as I am next to a large glass window, I am not casting stones... but to entitle your thread with "Pope..." when you are referencing the Coptic Patriarch is somewhat misleading. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy See of Saint Mark, is currently Pope Shenouda III. As such he is "Pope" only over a single See (the seat of a Bishopric). That is akin to saying that I am the King of My House, or the Archbishop of Chicago. There is no supreme pontifical authority invested in the schismatic Coptics.

And a closer consideration of the quote leads me to believe that what Shenouda was trying to convey was not an understanding of how People of the Book would fare under sharî’ah law, but rather a consideration of why the doctrine of the Coptic Church must remain in effect for Coptics, even in a community that embraces sharî’ah. Let the Muslim People be governed by the law that they hold as their faith, and let the Coptics do likewise, even when social convention and secular liberalism diverges from that doctrine.

Lou, Archbishop of Chicago has a nice ring to it...

Do as Apple does.. patent that shit up! :)

It's all bound to settle down eventually...

+1 One day.  People will stop following all these different religeons, Because they will all thread and bleed into one.
Thank the Lord.