Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is not my intention to take much of the chamber's time or to go over a lot of the ground that others have already covered. There is no doubt that it is a tragedy for the Coptic Church around the world and particularly for those in Australia and within the electorate of Cowan that Pope Shenouda III has passed.

I would say, as has been said, Pope Shenouda has certainly helped and encouraged the proliferation of churches across the world. The increase from 1971 in North America of four churches to more than 200 was certainly a massive increase. As I have said before, even in the last few years there has been a church within Cowan, so that has been a great step forward for the Coptic community within the electorate. That church, the St Mark and St George Coptic Orthodox Church, has provided a great spiritual home for the Coptic people within the northern suburbs of Perth.

I come to the balance of what I would like to talk about. Unfortunately, the Coptic Church remains persecuted within the main homeland of Egypt, being the main centre of the church. As we know, 10 per cent of Egyptians are of the Coptic Orthodox Christian faith. Since the Mubarak regime fell and the alleged great step forward of the so-called Arab Spring, 100,000 Copts have left Egypt in fear for their safety. The reality is that the current government of Egypt is not a moderate government. It is strongly influenced by extremists such as the Muslim Brotherhood and, since the fall of Mubarak, it has not been good for the Coptic Church. The reality is that the Coptic Church has borne the brunt of growing religious intolerance in Egypt, which has no doubt been manifested in sectarian violence. There is also no doubt that there is a connection between the increasing Islamification or extremism in Egypt and the attacks on the Coptic Church. The increasing levels of hostility towards the Copts in Egypt has been matched by an unwillingness of the government to execute the laws to provide the protection that a government is responsible for. The rising number of bombings and attacks on the church and on the followers of the Coptic faith has been terrible and there has been no decline in recent times. So it really is a test and a challenge to the Egyptian government—as the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Tony Abbott, said—to provide freedom of religion and to provide protection of faiths in their country.

They have been found wanting so far and I can only hope and pray that there will be an improvement in the future. The loss of Pope Shenouda III has been a great tragedy for the Coptic community but they are a people of great resilience and faith and they will rise together as one with the new pope when the new pope is selected.

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