ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

218 by the People's Assembly. And the gover- nment is perhaps less liberal towards them than it was in the past. But the Copts conti- nue to have important positions in Egyptian society. They have government positions, and a large family in the community—the Sawiris family—controls Orascom Tele- com, one of the largest telecommunication companies in the Mediterranean. One last remark. The criterion of reci- procity applies only to cases in which the legitimate interests of the States are at stake. The Italian State has the right and the duty to defend its citizens abro- ad and to ensure that they are not subject to discriminatory measures. But it cannot deal with Christians as such except in the name of ideal principles and within the framework of any international conven- tions. Italy is not "defender of the faith", "protector of the faithful" or "guardian of the holy places". If it behaved as such it would be a confessional state, that is to say an institution of which many Italians would prefer not to be citizens. P.S. With this answer the column goes on leave for four weeks. Happy holidays to all readers. We will meet again on Mon- day 1 September. BIBLIOTHECA ALEXANDRINA REFUSES BOOK 2009 Dear Dr. Serageldin: During your speech at the University of Geneva you encouraged native Egyp- tians to contribute their works to the Bi- bliotheca Alexandrina. The mission of the Bibliotheca, you stated, is dedicated to re- capturing the spirit of openness and scho- larship while bringing the Mediterranean together for a free circulation of ideas and cultural enrichment. Your impressive in- ternational professional history gave me the final impulse to do so. Offer of books From that perspective, as a contribution to create a cultural bridge over the two sides of the Mediterranean, I offered two of my books; Offer accepted on April 23, 2009, with many thanks. Only one book, however, has been ack- nowledged: L'Islam: Storia, Fede, Cultura. Editrice la Scuola di Brescia,1996 a lea- ding publishing house in Italy for scholars, I received a nice thank you letter. Book refused Since the other book seemed not to have been delivered, I offered to resubmit another copy of the lost book titled Musul- mani e cristiani i nodi invisibili del dialogo , a reprint of Cristiani e musulmani verso il 2000 , una convivenza possible. Editrice Paoline , another leading publisher in Italy. It has been refused by the Bibliotheca apologizing for the decision. As an Iskandarani, Egyptian born inAlexan- dria living in Milan, Italy, I feel sorry to have been allowed to concur only partially with the spirit of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina to recapture the spirit of openness of the ori- ginal Bibliotheca and to be a place of dialo- gue, learning and understanding between cultures and peoples. I conclude wishing to connect myself with your sentiment to which I fully concur: “I may disagree with your views, but I will lay down my life to defend your right to express your views.” While I thank you for your attention I wish you every success for your challenge.