
Following are excerpts from an interview with Magdi Khalil, an Egyptian-American writer, which aired on BBC Arabic TV on January 3, 2011:
Magdi Khalil: There is no doubt that the Egyptian government persecutes the Copts. The Copts are persecuted by any definition, including the definitions of the international organizations.
The Egyptian government has allowed [the culprits] to escape punishment for their crimes over the past four decades. In all the cases of crimes against Copts, the government has enabled the culprits to avoid punishment, and in many of these crimes, the government was an accomplice. The Egyptian government and its security agencies have been cooperating with the Salafis in recent months.
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