El-Sisi to Upper Egypt’s citizens: Do not deal with others based on their religion

During a conference to discuss the governmental efforts to remove infringements on state land, he said, “If the Egyptian people practice real faith, they should not deal with others on the basis of their religions. It is not your business. You should only bear the responsibility of your faith. We should not discriminate among people upon their religions and respect the choices of others in their faiths.”

He added, addressing the people of Upper Egypt, “It is a shame not to take a position to deter those people who harm or kill the citizens who live with us because of their religion.”

He continued, “What I am saying stems from my protection of my religion that has become smeared by such sectarian attacks. Such attacks perform a major role in breaking the image of Islam before the world.”

He stressed that the extremist attacks aim to raise the chaos in the country, calling the people to realize the lessons of the surrounding countries hit by the sectarian tensions.