By Mohamad Baali
Albawaba.com - Cairo
The editor in chief of the Cairo-based An Nabaa newspaper, which is locked in a lawsuit over an article on an ex-monk photographed in compromising positions, said Wednesday that he had “confidence in the Egyptian judicial authorities,” but later wept as he described his good intentions in publishing the story.
At a press conference at his office, Mamdouh Mahran addressed the politically explosive scandal over the now-debunked account of the defrocked monk, who was presented as still being part of the Coptic Church while running a sex-and-blackmail ring from a monastery.
He said his goal had been to warn against delinquency, then began to cry, claiming that he published the story out of shock that Christianity’s sacred shines were being profaned.
Mahran also dismissed as baseless reports that security authorities had passed to him the videocassette featuring the randy ex-monk, adding that these officials were not happy with his performance.
The editor maintained that despite the ruckus, he had strong ties with Egypt’s Coptic minority.
But top Copts say the report has fueled prejudice against them, and many young church members rioted in Cairo last month.
Apparently reacting to their outrage, the government charged Mahran with undermining national security and inciting sectarian divisions. He was subsequently expelled from the Egyptian Press Association, and Egypt’s Higher Press Council successfully sued to bar distribution of the newspaper.
Mahran nevertheless told reporters that the courts “previously were fair with my newspaper when they permitted it to be issued daily despite the opposition of the…Higher Press Council.”
Mahran hinted at an old dispute between his paper and the council by recalling the press body’s opposition to An Nabaa’s change from a weekly to a daily.
The editor in chief said his publication ranked third among the daily newspapers in terms of violations of professional standards, preceded by the semi-official Al Ahram with 1,938 violations and Al Akhbar with 1,010.
He claimed his paper had racked up only 950 violations, without specifying the period of time to which he was referring.
An Nabaa’s weekly edition, which reported about the former Coptic monk, ranked fourth in terms of violations, preceded by Al Usboua (547), Al Maydan (366) and Hurriyati (189).
He said An Nabaa, by comparison, came in at a mere 134.
“If the council wants to close An Nabaa down for its professional violations, it should close Al Akhbar and Al Ahram first,” added Mahran.
The Higher Press Council’s criticism of the paper has focused on failures to source alleged news, lack of compliance with the code of ethics for publishing stories about crime, and alleged promotion of lies.
Responding to a question on his alleged involvement in blackmailing businessmen, Mahran said he had received only one letter on the subject from the Higher Press Council, with an attached complaint by businessman Nageeb Sawires.
The editor in chief added that he had published the complaint with a response, and pointed to his “strong ties with the Christian businessman Rami Lakah.”
Mahran said his paper had supported Lakah, but got nothing in return but a copy of the Holy Quran.
He further said that he had filed a suit against the minister of interior for confiscating his newspapers.
“I do not ask for the permission of anybody to publish what I want, and I do not present my articles to any agency,” Mahran said in response to a question about why he had not consulted with the Coptic Church before publishing the monk story.
Mahran asserted that “certain authorities” had blown the issue out of proportion, but would not tell Albawaba.com to whom he was referring.
A statement, a copy of which was obtained by Albawaba.com, was distributed to those who attended the press conference.
The Christian employees of An Nabaa said in the statement that their objective in publishing the monk story was to expose those who damaged the reputation of the church.
“The objective of publishing [it] has never been to defame the church,” said the statement – Albawaba.com
