Parliament's legislative committee on Monday refused during its meeting to discuss a memorandum concerning the relocation of eight Coptic families from Amreyya, near Alexandria.
Committee members said they cannot discuss a topic handled by another committee, in this case the human rights committee. They said the memo was referred to them by Samy Mahran, Parliament's secretary general, and not Parliament Speaker Saad al-Katatny.
The human rights committee had recommended that traditional reconciliation sessions be regulated by law, particularly in Bedouin, rural and nomadic societies, to ensure human rights are protected.
MP Suzy Adly rejected the idea of regulating reconciliation sessions, saying the practice itself violates the law.
Violence erupted in El-Nahda village in Amreyya after rumors spread that a Christian man had been sexually involved with a Muslim woman and had pictures of her on his cell phone.
Several Coptic homes and businesses were attacked, and a reconciliation committee made up of local Muslim and Christian leaders ruled that eight Coptic families be evicted from the village to restore calm.
