Dr. Fathi Sorour, Speaker of the People's Assembly and a leading National Democratic Party (NDP) figure, denied that parliament had received a bill on a unified law for building places of worship, adding: "If anybody repeats it, he is mistaken and the idea of a quota for Copts inside the People's Assembly is contrary to the Constitution." Sorour paid condolences and expressed feelings of grief and anxiety of all the Egyptians in a speech he delivered before Mari Girgis Church, Al-Sayyeda Zeinab on Thursday because of the New Year's Eve bombing of an Alexandria church that killed and injured a large number of innocent Christians.
 
Fathi Sorour assured Egyptians abroad that Egypt is safe and that the tragic incident is just like any suicide bombings that have taken place in Great Britain and the United States and they should not weaken us.
 
PA Speaker Fathi Sorour firmly rejected the allocation of a quota for Copts inside the People’s Assembly just like the women's quota, saying that the Constitution prevents any political activities on a religious basis and that both Muslims and Copts share a common history and national identity.
 
Sorour refused to describe the Copts as a minority in Egypt, stressing that they are Egyptians enjoying all the rights and duties as Muslims. He also rejected the allegations that were reported by some that Muslims engaged in activities which were illegal and extremely harmful to Christians, calling it unfounded and provoked by terrorists.