Egyptian churches embrace Al-Azhar basic freedoms document

Al-Masry Al-Youm Staff 12/01/2012 Egypt’s three major churches and the Maspero Youth Union have come out in support of Al-Azhar’s proposed basic freedoms document, which lays out a basic framework for respecting freedom of belief and expression in Egypt. The Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical churches all support the document, and the Maspero Youth Union said that while it welcomed the content, the group rejected its validity because it was issued by a religious institution. On Tuesday, Al-Azhar announced the proposal, which observers believe is a bid by the institution to assert itself as the voice of moderate Islam at a time when more conservative Islamic groups are ascendant