An announcement of "The Early Spring Festival in Egypt," signed by the late sheikh 'Atiya Sakr, a former head of the Al-Azhar University Fatwa Committee, has enraged Copts.
The announcement, which was circulated in Egypt, stated that the early spring holiday was connected to the Christians and the Jews, and that Muslims were forbidden from participating in infidel holidays and from sharing in the joy.
Coptic Church Holy Synod secretary and Damietta Archbishop Anba Beshawi said that the announcement was aimed at sparking conflict between Muslims and Copts, and that the early spring festival was Pharaonic, not Christian.
Source: Al-Masri Al-Yawm, Egypt, April 26, 2008
