The US congress on Monday assigned a special envoy for minority affairs in the Middle East and Asia, and allocated an annual US$1 million for supporting the rights of these minorities.
Morris Sadek, head of the National American Coptic Association, said the decision passed with 402 votes in favor and 20 votes against.
Sadek was stripped of his Egyptian nationality by court order in May for allegedly inciting against Egypt's interests.
Meanwhile, the Coptic Church denounced calls for the international protection of Copts in Egypt. “We seek God’s protection and nobody else’s,” said Shubra al-Kheima Bishop Morcos.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party also rejected the move.
“The US is trying to interfere in the region’s internal affairs again, now that the old regimes, its former allies, are toppled,” said the party's vice president Rafiq Habib.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
