Britannia Radio

The following is research published today from the MEMRI Special Dispatch Series and TV Project.

• Egyptian Cleric Mahmoud Amer Threatens the Secular in Egypt with Jihad and Justifies Islamist Prohibition of Art, Calling It the 'Art of the Bedroom,' 'of Lesbians,' and 'of Prostitutes'; Christians are Infidels who Don't Accept Muhammad

• Yohanna Qulta, Deputy Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church in Egypt: If the Salafis Come to Power and Instate the Jizya Poll Tax, We Will Oppose This to the Point of Martyrdom

Special Dispatch No. 4403—Egypt/Minorities in the Middle East

Egyptian Cleric Mahmoud Amer Threatens the Secular in Egypt with Jihad and Justifies Islamist Prohibition of Art, Calling It the 'Art of the Bedroom,' 'of Lesbians,' and 'of Prostitutes'; Christians are Infidels who Don't Accept Muhammad

Following are excerpts of an interview with Egyptian cleric Mahmoud Amer, which aired on Modern Houriya TV on December 9, 2011.

To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3252.htm.

Mahmoud Amer: "I do not believe that Jesus was crucified. I believe in what the Koran says: 'They killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them.' Am I supposed to believe in the words of our Lord, or in the words of the Vatican? Those were the words of our Lord, not mine. They think [he was crucified]. That's what Christians believe, and I'm not arguing with their beliefs. If they have an issue with my beliefs, let them come and discuss it with me. But I won't hold them to account, because those are their beliefs."

Interviewer: "It sounds as if you are declaring Christians to be infidels."

To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5971.htm.

Special Dispatch No. 4402—Egypt

Yohanna Qulta, Deputy Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church in Egypt: If the Salafis Come to Power and Instate the Jizya Poll Tax, We Will Oppose This to the Point of Martyrdom

Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian priest Yohanna Qulta, deputy patriarch of the Coptic Catholic church, which aired on Al-Hayat TV on December 10, 2011.

To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3249.htm.

Interviewer: "When I asked if the Copts were thinking of leaving Egypt, you said: 'Absolutely.'"

Yohanna Qulta: "Of course. The fear we encounter on TV and in national newspapers, which I don't want to name... Actually, why not? Al-Ahram, Al-Akhbar... They run large headlines, quoting the Salafis as saying that the Copts should either leave Egypt or pay the jizya poll tax in submission." [...]

To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5970.htm.