Naguib Sawiris

edited December 1969 in Random Issues
Greetings to all,

What do you guys think of Naguib Sawiris? I heard him saying some strange things about the Coptic population of Egypt, like "I grew up with Muslim Families", "Copts are responsible for most of their current misery", "96% of my employees are Muslims" etc

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/hardtalk/9645900.stm

What a paradox, the richest guy in the Islamic republic of Egypt is a 'Christian', whereas the richest man in Christian Ethiopia is a Muslim.

Thanks,

Comments

  • I have no disagreement with his main message. Apart from his personal philosophy of breaking legs that bump with yours, he is still very coptic-oriented. He speaks of nationality, and how this is the home of the copts. When speaking about the 96% of muslims who he employs, he says this not to portray his distaste to the Copts, but t exhibit that one must not differentiate between Copt and Muslim. If we want the Muslims to accept Christians as equals, then a christian must accept Muslims likewise.

    His message is for the Copt to not be passive people. If we do not take an active part in fixing our country, then we have only our selves to blame.

    Then again, I am not into the whole nationalistic idea. But that is just my own preference.

    ReturnOrthodoxy
  • The first bit of this video makes me a little more restless. His view of the Quran as being, "like the Bible" and that the problem is the Sharia rather than the Quran.

  • Well after listening to the first few minutes of that interview, I wasn't too amused. I don't know much about him but based on his rhetoric it seems that he is not a faithful Orthodox but is concerned more about the worldly things.

    He doesn't have Christian friends; he hires mainly Muslims; he calls Copts closed and unproductive. . .no wonder Muslims love him. It isn't because he is special - it's because he is just a business man and nothing else.

    He doesn't like the "turn your cheek" mentality but says he is like the Jews, an "eye for an eye". . .

    He makes it seem as if it's so simple: Just pick up your bootstraps and get in there.

    This is not the case. But usually when people get rich this is the mindset they adopt: If I can do it, so can you. He said he was raised in a Muslim household and all his friends were muslim. . thus he had advantages many Copts don't have.

    Maybe if he hired more Copts than they would have some stability and be able to be proactive. Am I really to believe that Muslims are that much more qualified?!?! It's silly to believe that. He hires Muslims because that gives him more opportunities and benefits him.
  • [quote author=ReturnOrthodoxy link=topic=12624.msg148196#msg148196 date=1322675913]
    The first bit of this video makes me a little more restless. His view of the Quran as being, "like the Bible" and that the problem is the Sharia rather than the Quran.


    He's a businessman. Plain and simple.
  • Anyone that made that kind of money has, without a doubt:

    1.  been in bed with nefarious elements;
    2.  compromised his ethics and morals;
    3.  made demented deals with some pretty evil people.

    I would say he is blatantly trying to protect his hide, at the expense of his people, so he doesn't get assassinated.

    I never liked the guy, and I don't like him now.

    His comments about the Copts are completely wrongt, and show a cowardice on his part.

    Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I used the "coward" word.

    I am trying to avoid using profanity.  I suspect my FOC would wash my mouth out with the same concoction I gave for clean the
    censers.
  • [quote author=ilovesaintmark link=topic=12624.msg148203#msg148203 date=1322684158]
    Anyone that made that kind of money has, without a doubt:

    1.  been in bed with nefarious elements;
    2.  compromised his ethics and morals;
    3.  made demented deals with some pretty evil people.

    I would say he is blatantly trying to protect his hide, at the expense of his people, so he doesn't get assassinated.

    I never liked the guy, and I don't like him now.

    His comments about the Copts are completely wrongt, and show a cowardice on his part.

    Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I used the "coward" word.

    I am trying to avoid using profanity.  I suspect my FOC would wash my mouth out with the same concoction I gave for clean the
    censers.



    ILSM,
    I found the way you said that bolded part to be hilarious. The funny thing is my priest met with him, and described him as a very ethical guy, who is very christian at the core, and in love with the church. I just smiled at him and asked him, and told him, "Well, you have a large congregation who own cell phones." (Sawiris' WIND phone company has a branch in Canada)

    ReturnOrthodoxy
  • Anyone in business will tell you...any business school will tell you...
    you cannot reach those numbers without my above captioned abuses.
  • You'd think someone with that kind of power would at least be wise with words.

    Which Copt, after seeing this video, would want to vote for the political party that Mr. Sawiris formed?

    It's sad how power, politics, and money corrupts. Our Coptic society cannot be built on corrupt power, pride (whether of personal accomplishments in society or pride of nationalism), and the Jewish/Islamic laws of "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" in order to get more power, as well as political and economic liberation.

    As the simple Ethiopian monk Abouna Abdel-Messih (Gabra Christos) lamented saying: "MAFEESH CHRISTOS!"

  • [quote author=Biboboy link=topic=12624.msg148233#msg148233 date=1322698916]
    You'd think someone with that kind of power would at least be wise with words.

    Which Copt, after seeing this video, would want to vote for the political party that Mr. Sawiris formed?


    He's appealing to the majority. He's not trying to appeal to the Copts at all, and many would vote for him anyway do to the plain fact that he has the "Coptic" label.
  • You have all failed to mention that Pope Shenouda rides in his private jet virtually anywhere. I think that in itself is a great service to the Coptic community.
  • [quote author=caji link=topic=12624.msg148237#msg148237 date=1322700793]
    You have all failed to mention that Pope Shenouda rides in his private jet virtually anywhere. I think that in itself is a great service to the Coptic community.


    I'm sure he has donated a lot of money as well and done several other good works for the church. What others have said still remains, regardless.
  • Could he be trying to repair his image after his Mickey Mouse incident on Twitter?
  • Well, let's be honest here.

    If you've read the rantings of a sand monkey (Mahmoud Salem), you'd see that indeed what Sawiris has been saying is not far from the truth. Copts are quite alienated from their society. They tend to stick within their own communities.

    This is a fact.

    Has life treated them in such a way that they do not want to mix with non Christians? I don't know. But I think they could be forgiven for doing this fault.

    Sawiris is not a spokesman for the Coptic Orthodox Church, so there's no point in raising him high and expecting him to respond like a Bishop.

    He's a businessman that's Egyptian, who happens to be Coptic Orthodox.

    His last message was very clear: "We're 10 million, and You'll have to kill every single one of us; but we're not leaving".

    I felt was, although the right thing to THINK, it was the wrong thing to say, because let's face it - the MB are going to win in these elections (AS EXPECTED), and an already Islamic fanatical country will become even more fanatical, and Copts are going to get it harder.

    They will feel less and less like its their home.

    What I mean is: Copts WILL leave... in masses.. in droves. I already know so many well off copts that cannot take living there any longer, and they already want to leave.

    The constitution will definitely not change.. perhaps the MB will remove some powers that are given to the President, but that's it.

    By the way, the Coptic Church urged EVERYONE to vote, so whether u like him or not, its thanks to him that we had a party to even vote for.
  • I don't like people who speak out of both sides of their mouth, and for that matter who are willing to sacrifice their blood lineage to save their hide and bank account.

    His statements are absurd.

    He has cocktails with the people that are torturing and killing his co-religionists.  How continental?
  • Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

    I think .  .  .
    A rich man always compromises Truth with material riches. That is why the Lord said " It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. " Matthew 19:24

    A poor has only His Faith to care for - and he will be more determined to keep it, but a rich man is more likely to have many things that will take his attention away from the Lord (money, power, dignity and social status,...etc). So why do we expect this rich man to be equally zealous as any ordinary Orthodox Christian?

    Blessings,
  • I think this is complete judgement.Since He has nothing to do with your spiritual lives, his character and him being rich and blah blah has nothing to do with any of you. Please drop this subject. You don't know him personally or his agenda or what is in his heart. And since none of you are God no one should say what he did or does is right wrong absurd or not. why dont you pray for the guy and ask god to bless him instead of condemning him.
    Love is the greatest commandment. I dont think a single post here was loving towards him. So therefore there is no point in trashing him.

    Peace and Love of Christ
  • Sawiris brought his comments to a public forum, ie, the media.
    He made absurd comments.  They beg a reply.

    The guy is looking to protect either himself, his family, his riches, his prestige, or whatever, but it should not come at the expense of the entire Coptic existence.

    I don't believe in whining or laziness, but I find it difficult to succeed in the general community sense if there is no recognition of one's human existence much less a citizenship for a Coptic.
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