Sinai: Muhammad protected it, the Egyptian state ends it with the settlement that was not respected

What 15 centuries of continuous cognition of the Holy Monastery of Sinai could not bring about, nor dozens of conquerors, the Egyptian state is present attempting to bash done a tribunal ruling that efficaciously confiscates some the spot and the historical gathering of the Monastery, leading to its closure.

This concerns the Holy Monastery that is the lone Christian monument which the Prophet Muhammad himself sought to protect. His Achtiname (a covenant), which is preserved successful the Monastery’s room and bears the imprint of his thenar arsenic a seal, grants privileges to the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinai.

The effort to “evict” the Monastery from Sinai has a past of astatine slightest 25 years, arsenic it has been targeted by the Muslim Brotherhood arsenic good arsenic Egyptian nationalists who resented the prestige and planetary scope of a surviving Orthodox Christian monument successful the bosom of the Sinai Peninsula.

Yesterday’s development, with the tribunal determination that efficaciously strips the Monastery of each its property—including the religion itself and the building—constitutes a profound insult and provocation not lone to the full Christian satellite but besides to the planetary community. The Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinai is 1 of the astir salient Monuments connected the UNESCO World Heritage List.

At the aforesaid time, a large contented arises successful Greek-Egyptian relations, since President Sisi, during his sojourn to Athens, had, unneurotic with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, welcomed the statement that had been reached to forestall specified a improvement and to resoluteness the ineligible quality that had been ongoing against the Monastery since 2015.

According to reports, arsenic aboriginal arsenic the extremity of 2024, pursuing political-level consultations with Cairo, a Greek delegation visited Egypt and a colony was approved betwixt Archbishop Damianos and the Egyptian state. According to this agreement, ineligible appeals would beryllium dropped, and the Monastery’s ownership rights would beryllium recognized, with the work to cooperate with Egypt’s Antiquities Authority for the extortion of the monuments.

This statement was publically welcomed successful Athens by Mr. Mitsotakis and Mr. Sisi, with the Greek broadside awaiting the finalization of the process with the signature of the colony by Egypt’s Ministry of Justice. Instead, yesterday a tribunal determination was issued, which Cairo did not adjacent fuss to officially pass to oregon pass Athens about.

This determination by Cairo must beryllium addressed astatine the highest governmental level, with simultaneous mobilization of UNESCO and the EU, and a connection indispensable beryllium sent that it volition negatively interaction the bilateral relations of the 2 countries.

Certainly, Egypt’s effect volition besides find its credibility, and Athens volition gully important conclusions astir the grade to which it tin trust connected assurances from Cairo successful the future, particularly connected different large issues successful the Eastern Mediterranean. According to unofficial religion sources, the tribunal ruling declares that each spot of the Monastery belongs to the Egyptian state, portion the monks are lone granted the right… to stay successful the Monastery.

In this way, Egypt is attempting to erase a 15-century-long history, treating the Monastery arsenic a specified “dead” monument, ignoring the information that it is not lone a tract of planetary taste practice but besides an progressive spot of spiritual worship.

In 2015, the archetypal situation to the Monastery’s spot arose from the then-governor of South Sinai, who filed a ineligible lawsuit against Archbishop Damianos, the caput of the Monastery, due to the fact that the Monastery had not been legally recognized arsenic a ineligible entity. The lawsuit progressive 31 buildings and 40 cultivation properties, including the Monastery’s facilities, gardens, guesthouses, and library.

Serious concerns are besides being raised arsenic to whether the determination affects the Monastery’s unsocial and priceless library, arsenic good arsenic the invaluable icons housed successful the church, the accumulation area, and the restoration workshop.

Unless determination is contiguous governmental involution to halt the implementation of the tribunal ruling, the Monastery is astatine hazard of imminent closure and conversion into a “tourist attraction,” portion the destiny of the monks remains uncertain, particularly since astir 10 Greek monks are aged and galore of their residence permits successful Egypt person expired without renewal.