{{Short description|Egyptian Coptic priest}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}} {{Infobox religious biography | honorific_prefix = Father | name = Zakaria Botros | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1934|10|24}} | birth_place = Kafr El Dawwar, Egypt | nationality = Egyptian | occupation = Priest, television host, Islamic critic | religion = Christianity | denomination = Coptic Orthodox | awards = Daniel of the Year (2008) }}
'''Zakaria Botros''' ({{langx |arz|زكريا بطرس}}; born 24 October 1934, in Kafr El Dawwar) is a Coptic Orthodox Christian priest. He worked as a priest in Australia in 1992. He is best known for his critiques of the Qur'an and other books of Islam. ''World Magazine'' gave Father Botros the Daniel of the Year award in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|first=Mindy |last= Belz |url= http://www.worldmag.com/articles/14763 |title= Broadcast news |work= World Magazine |date=December 13, 2008 |access-date= 2012-09-16}}</ref> He has been named "Islam's public enemy No. 1" by Arabic newspaper ''al Insan al Jadeed''.<ref name="www2.canada.com">{{cite news |url= http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=5b0a37a7-fa50-4e8d-8ceb-caaa9b58a398 |title= Anti-Islam cleric with C$ 60 m bounty in Langley |first= Cheryl |last= Chan |publisher= Canada |newspaper= The Province |location= Vancouver, BC |date= August 13, 2010 |access-date= 2012-09-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120606153159/http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=5b0a37a7-fa50-4e8d-8ceb-caaa9b58a398 |archive-date= June 6, 2012 |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher= Jihad Watch |url= http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=33761 |title= Interview with Father Zakaria Botros, 'Radical Islam's Bane' |work= Catholic Online |date= 2009-09-06 |access-date= 2012-09-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121009095636/http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=33761 |archive-date= 2012-10-09 |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url= http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/223965/islams-public-enemy-1/raymond-ibrahim |title=Islam's 'Public Enemy #1′ |first=Raymond |last=Ibrahim |journal= National Review Online |date= 2008-03-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015032907/http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/223965/islams-public-enemy-1/raymond-ibrahim |access-date= 2012-09-16|archive-date=2012-10-15 }}</ref> Al-Qaeda has put a C$60 million bounty on his head.<ref name="www2.canada.com" />
==Television== Botros became widely known in 2003 after he appeared on talk shows on the Hayah Evangelical Channel. He went on to have his own show on the channel. His criticism of Islam led to many debates about him on talk shows and threats from the Muslim Brotherhood.<ref>{{YouTube|2oN1uFe46t0|'''قناة «أوربت» الفضائية''': حلقة من برنامج "'''القاهرة اليوم'''" تتكلم عن ماهية تلك البرامج ومقدميها}} - تاريخ البث: 7 نوفمبر 2007 م.</ref> He frequently appears on Al Hayat TV.<ref name="IEN1">{{cite web|url=http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTUwY2QyNjA0NjcwMjExMzI2ZmJiZTEzN2U1YjYyZjE#more|title=Islam's Public Enemy #1|date=March 25, 2008|author=Raymond Ibrahim|author-link=Raymond Ibrahim|publisher=National Review|access-date=29 October 2012|archive-date=26 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826085053/http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTUwY2QyNjA0NjcwMjExMzI2ZmJiZTEzN2U1YjYyZjE#more|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Programme cancelled=== In July 2010, the Joyce Meyer Evangelical Ministry – which was a partner for Hayah Channel – informed BBC Arabic that it would discontinue broadcasting Zakaria Botros's show. A quote from the letter reads: {{Blockquote |Our ministry's representative in the middle east informed us that the Hayah Channel decided to stop broadcasting Zakaria Botros's talk show, and this is the last month of its broadcast.}}
The ministry did not comment on the cancellation.<ref name="BBC_Arabic_2010_05">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/arabic/artandculture/2010/05/100517_malayuqal_christians_bbc_tc2.shtml '''موقع «BBC Arabic»''': قناة "'''الحياة'''" وبرامج زكريا بطرص المثيرة للجدل؟] - تاريخ الوصول: 22 مايو 2010 م.</ref>
=== Al Fady Channel === Zakaria opened his own channel in April 2011, which he called "Alfady". It is broadcast in North America<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.islam-christianity.net/ |title=الموقع الرسمى للقمص زكريا بطرس |publisher=Islam-christianity.net |access-date=2012-09-16}}</ref> and the Middle East since November 2011.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}
==Vienna presentation== Botros was supposed to give a presentation in Vienna on 6 May 2012. The presentation would have been his first major appearance in Europe, but the event was cancelled due to "numerous threats of violence."<ref name="www2.canada.com"/><ref name="libertiesalliance.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.libertiesalliance.org/2010/05/08/father-zakaria-botros-threatened-into-silence/ |title=Father Zakaria Botros: Threatened into Silence |date=8 May 2010 |publisher=Liberties Alliance |access-date=2012-09-16 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214751/http://www.libertiesalliance.org/2010/05/08/father-zakaria-botros-threatened-into-silence/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Viennese Association of Academics published an apology in the press.<ref name="libertiesalliance.org"/>
==Response from Muslims== === Debates === His most well known respondents included Abo Islam Ahmad Abdullah, Dr. Ibrahim Awad, and Dr. Abdullah Badr. Other public figures suggested that he be ignored.<ref>[http://jesus-for-all.com/father_zakaria/3amr_adeeb_khaled_gendee_attacking_fz.wmv] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402144709/http://jesus-for-all.com/father_zakaria/3amr_adeeb_khaled_gendee_attacking_fz.wmv|date=April 2, 2012}}</ref>
Abo Islam Ahmad Abdullah said he invited the Coptic priest to a debate with a moderator on a TV show inside Egypt, but the offer was refused due to safety reasons because he would be arrested by Egyptian authorities and may be killed by fanatic Muslims, despite Muslim scholars promising to stay with him during the whole trip to guard him they cannot protect him from Egyptian authorities nor from fanatic muslims.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neelwafurat.com/itempage.aspx?id=egb61093-61391&search=books |title=Nwf.com: Urbanization in Western Asia: Environmental: ßĘČ |publisher=Neelwafurat.com |access-date=2012-09-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2006/05/21/23951.html#7 |title=خالد الجنalدي:نعم تزوجت مسيحية وأبنائي يتعلمون في مدرسة قبطية |work=alarabiya.net |date=21 May 2006 |access-date=22 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alarabiya.net/save_print.php?save=1&cont_id=29517 |title=إسلامي مصري يتعهد باستقبال زكريا بطرس في مصر وتوصيله لبيته |access-date=2012-09-16}}</ref>
=== Calls for stripping his citizenship === In 2009, Nabih Elwahsh asked the Egyptian government to strip Zakaria Botros's citizenship due to "the instability and disturbing the public security which he caused to Egypt".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freecopts.net/arabic/article.php?id=620 |title=الأقباط الاحرار - "الوحش" يطالب بإسقاط الجنسية عن القمص زكريا بطرس |website=www.freecopts.net |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302080842/http://www.freecopts.net/arabic/article.php?id=620 |archive-date=2 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youm7.com/News.asp?NewsID=133133 |script-title=ar:اليوم السابع | "الوحش" يطالب بإسقاط الجنسية عن زكريا بطرس |publisher=Youm7.com |date=3 September 2009 |access-date=22 June 2014|language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.coptreal.com/WShowSubject.aspx?SID=24017 |title="الوحش" يطالب بإسقاط الجنسية عن القمص زكريا بطرس |publisher=coptreal |access-date=2012-09-16 |archive-date=23 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023131437/http://www.coptreal.com/WShowSubject.aspx?SID=24017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.el-wasat.com/portal/Artical-55565423.html |title=جريدة الوسط اليومية | الوحش يطالب بإسقاط الجنسية عن زكريا بطرس |publisher=El-wasat.com |access-date=2012-09-16 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001039/http://www.el-wasat.com/portal/Artical-55565423.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
=== Calls to arrest him === An Egyptian lawyer, Mahmoud Riad, sued the Egyptian president, the Foreign Minister, the Interior Minister, and the Information Minister in a lawsuit to force the Egyptian government to request that Interpol arrest and extradite Zakaria Botros back to Egypt so that he might be held accountable for his denunciation of Islam. He stated that denouncing Islam is high treason, and that Egypt should withdraw the ambassador to the country where Botros broadcasts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arabtimes.com/portal/article_display.cfm?Action=&Preview=no&ArticleID=7907 |title=محاكمة زكريا بطرس |publisher=Arab Times |access-date=2012-09-16 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073306/http://www.arabtimes.com/portal/article_display.cfm?Action=&Preview=no&ArticleID=7907 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.copts-united.com/article.php?I=108&A=4000 |title=الأقباط متحدون | طلب القبض على "زكريا بطرس" من الإنتربول الدولي |publisher=Copts United |access-date=2012-09-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://alrajol.net/articles/details.aspx?id=8334 |title=The Leading AL Rajol Site on the Net |publisher=alrajol.net |access-date=2012-09-16}}</ref> Earlier, four lawyers had asked for the same thing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shareah.com/index.php?/news/view/action/view/id/9483/ |title=موقع لواء الشريعة :: الأخبار ::دعوى قضائية تطالب الإنتربول بالقبض على القس زكريا بطرس |publisher=Shareah.com |access-date=2012-09-16}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.fatherzakaria.net/ Official website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Botros, Zakaria}} Category:1934 births Category:Living people Category:Egyptian people of Coptic descent Category:Coptic Christians from Egypt Category:Christian critics of Islam Category:Christian clergy in Africa Category:Converts to evangelical Christianity Category:Coptic Orthodox priests Category:20th-century Oriental Orthodox clergy Category:21st-century evangelicals