The report was courageous to admit that religious discrimination is a two-way street, but it was inaccurate when it claimed that Egypt does not allow copts to teach Arabic language because the curriculum includes verses from the holy Qu'ran. A decree issued last year by Minister of Education Hussein Kamel Bahaa Eddin permits Copts to teach Arabic language in all schools. They also share the same ethnicity, race, culture, and language. Christians are geographically dispersed throughout the country, and Christians and Muslims live as neighbors. At times religious tensions flare up and individual acts of prejudice occur.
Discrimination is practiced by members of both faiths.
The report also claims that there are occasional violent assaults against copts. Yet in all fairness, it must be noted that these assaults are not only directed against copts, but against Muslims as well. This US state department report includes some weak or discouraging points, but it may just be the best and most optimistic report on religious tolerance in Egypt in decades.