The Copts and the Egyptians were often synonymous, meaning almost the same thing. During the many years that the late Butrus Pasha was a minister, especially when he was the head of the Council of Ministers, he had such authority and influence that he was able to quell the agitation among his community. He avoided delving into the depths of ambition and estrangement between them and the Egyptian Muslims. Butrus Pasha, who after assuming the position of minister of finance, and then holding several ministerial positions, and finally becoming head of the Council of Ministers, was proof against the claims of those who alleged that qualified Copts were prevented from holding high positions. He knew the true interests of his community very well. His political acumen, broad understanding, and foresight made him aware that the British occupation guaranteed fair treatment for all communities, and that the natural advantages possessed by the Copts gave them an excellent position that they only needed to exploit. He also knew that public confrontations and general disputes between his community and their Muslim compatriots could lead to a change that would not be in their favor. I am certain that if Butrus Pasha had lived until today, he would have been the last person to agree with the current incitement. Unfortunately, after his death, no Copt rose to a position of prominence and influence within his community that would enable him to restrain the agitators from deviating from the path of moderation.

The killing of the minister, whom the Copts considered their leader, was accompanied by circumstances and conditions that greatly embittered the Copts towards their Muslim compatriots. The Muslims responded in kind, and even more so. The deep-seated resentments between the two groups did not subside until the end of last year. Months before that, the complaints of the Copts were summarized into one issue: the teaching of their religions to their students in government schools. The government had addressed this issue in the days of my predecessor. Its decision at the beginning of 1907 was to facilitate religious education for non-Muslim students in government primary schools by having teachers from their own communities teach them the principles of their religion, if such a teacher was found among the school's teachers. Otherwise, a teacher from outside the community would be chosen for them by their community, but the government would not pay their salary. It was stipulated that non-Muslim students would only receive this privilege if their number in the school reached at least 15. If the number of students requesting religious education fell below this number, they were allowed to leave the school during the last lesson of the day, which was dedicated to religious instruction for its students. The non-Muslim Copts were wronged because the students learned their religion freely, while the Coptic students were charged for learning their religion, unless a teacher was found from within the school.