COMMENTARY: Dialogue between Christians and Muslims in Egypt Can Enhance Peace

Christian leaders in Egypt met this week, in an effort to determine how they could best conduct a dialogue with Islamic groups to reduce sectarian violence.

Pope Shenouda III -- Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church leader -- and Anglican Church leaders discussed ways they could begin "constructive dialogue" with Islamists.

The fact is that the Islamists'Muslim Brotherhood party recently won a majority of seats in Parliament. This Islamic victory could mean more problems for Christians living in Egypt, unless they are nipped in the bud.

About 90 percent of Egyptians are Muslims, while only nine percent are Coptic Christians.

We believe that a meeting should be held at least once a month between Christian and Islamic leaders. These meetings should focus on cooperative relationships between Egypt's two major faiths, and avoiding future conflicts.

Indeed, harmonious Christian-Muslim meetings -- accompanied by a meaningful dialogue -- may well result in friendly relationships between the two groups.

In the final analysis, these meetings with constructive dialogue will most likely reduce the hostility and violence between Christians and Muslims -- perhaps even lead to a rapprochement between the two groups -- and that is an accomplishment that all of Egypt can proudly experience.