Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court heard a final appeal last week for 45 Coptic Christian citizens who were denied their attempt to legally reclaim their Christian identities after officially converting to Islam.
Of the 45 plaintiffs, half were adults when they changed the required religion section on their national identity cards from Christian to Muslim. The remainder were children whose Coptic parents had become Muslims. All have declared they want to return to their Christian faith.
Arguing before presiding Judge Essam Eddin Abdel-Aziz on June 18, Coptic lawyer Naguib Gabriel declared that a lower administrative court’s April ruling against his 45 clients’ joint-action suit had “embarrassed the Egyptian government at an international level.”
“This [refusal] says that the government is forcing people to embrace beliefs against their free will,” Gabriel said. “It is forcing them according to their official papers to belong to a religion they don’t believe in.”
Further in the article, the worrying case of Baha’is is also mentioned:
Although next week’s verdict will directly affect citizens from Christian background, it will also impact the legal stalemate against both the tiny Baha’i religious community and Egypt’s growing number of ex-Muslims who have become Christians.
“This verdict indirectly targets converts to Christianity, and the Baha’is, too,” one former Muslim in Cairo told Compass. “During the past three years, it had become so much easier for former Christians to change back,” he said, referring to the first watershed decision in April 2004, which permitted a Coptic-born woman who had converted to Islam to recover her legal Christian identity. “Now, this ruling is saying, indirectly, that it is impossible to let any Muslim change his religious identity.”
Visit the news article to read more of the coverage.
Here is also a news clip (Arabic) in the Al Masry Al Youm newspaper [click for larger image:]
![]()
(Hat tip for the news clipping: Bilo)
There is no justification for Egypt’s unnecessary and unreasonable religious restrictions. Our duty as Muslims is to be accepting and peaceful as opposed to enforcing our beliefs on others. If the Koran itself rewards people of other faiths, as stated in this verse here:
2:62 – “Verily they that believe and those of Jewry and the Christians and those Sabaeans, whoso believes in God and the Last Day,
and do what is right, their rewards await them with their Lord, and fear shall not come upon them, neither shall they be grieved.”
Then why should Egypt not recognize these basic rights?
Islam emphasizes interfaith, personal freedom, and good deeds, while Egypt punishes them. Does it not agree with the words and teachings of Allah?
The Egyptian government should recognize Baha’i and Christian rights, and allow its citizens to independently choose their own religious path without any strict or unfair process. If not, then as we stated before in the below video, Egypt has no place in the UN’s Human Rights Council:
In its human rights pledge to the UN, Egypt stated:
Egypt will also emphasize the importance of focusing on the objectives of poverty eradication, fighting racial discrimination and xenophobia, promoting cultural and religious tolerance, advancing the rights of women and children, and raising the overall global awareness of human rights with strong emphasis on the role of education.
Read full document here (word file.)
If Egypt truly believes this, then the government will no longer oppress minorities simply for having different beliefs. Why does Egypt claim to be religiously tolerant and in support of human rights if Baha’is, Christians, and even bloggers and activists remain to suffer throughout the country?
This isn’t the Egypt we should approve of. This isn’t our Islam. This isn’t anything we should stay silent about! Egyptian Muslims must take action and help oppressed religious minorities gain an equal and fair status so they can practice their faiths proudly and fearlessly. This is our true duty as Muslims.









Loading...
bilo
6 July, 2007
Thank you for this post. It is quite telling!
By the way, those who use Internet Explorer (IE) are unable to browse through this site, which hangs on them once you click away from the main page. They also have problem with viewing the page as the typed material formatting is corrupted. I suspect that many are not commenting here because they are unable to link to this page if they use IE as a browser. This is not a problem when using Netscape or Firefox.
Guy
6 July, 2007
I am an American. I was raised in a small city where there was litle knowledge of any other faiths. As a Christian, I grew up with friends of other Christian sects, all claiming they had the better understanding or only acceptable path to God. Among these sects were Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist, Christian Scientist, Prespeterian, Congregational, Bhuddists, Jehovas Witness, etc., too many to remember. In addition there were different sects (or temples, of the Jewish Faith, and I lived next to a Mormon Church. I was raised with the ignnorance that my own parents had of religion, although we were from good families and wealthy – but ignorance of something is not nesessarily a negative, it is just the lack of knowledge for whatever the reason is. There was prejudice against the Catholics, and the Jews, and the Mormons. We considered the Muslims as just being people who followed a religion, and that Allah was their name for God. Most of what we saw of the muslim Faith was in the movies, which educated us very little. That is not to say others were more informed, but I was not. So I can fully understand the feelings of the followers of Islam who object, because I objected myself to strange religions of which I was not informed – I didn’t care to be informed because of my own love for Jesus the Christ. But, Praised be God, I was susppicious of those who worked so hard to teach me that their own faith was the only faith, because I had friends from man faiths and I did not see that they were ungodly. So, as I matured, I began to question the fact of religious inharmony, bigotry, and difference. I did this becuase when reading the religious books of the Faiths I did not see any real essential difference. My Catholic friends had their lives almost entirely guided by their religion, and they were forbidden to see certain movies, or partake in certain activities – frankly, however, I didn’t see this as a particular benefit since most of them were not acting according to what their own Prophet had stated. My Jewish friends were different, they acted more in accordance with their faith’s teachings. And those of the Mormon Faith essentially had the conduct of my approval, although their Faith, at the time, excluded the black race from many positions in the faith. I am telling you this because I want you to understand, of the many differences of the religions of my many associates, in all I found many praisworthy actions, and also actions that were very neglectful of praise. When I considered the cause of what I witnessed, I began to search, and I searched in many places where one should not go. My life became confused. I once challenged a friend to live according to the teachings of the Gospel which I attempted to accomplish; but in our modern and corrupted world, I found this impossible to do; so I continued my search. Based upon my learning, I decided that if then current science was correct, then religion was not true; and likewise, if religion were correct, then science was not true. My delemma led me to seek God. Troubled and confused, I came across the teachings of the Baha’i’ Faith. It took me two years to realloy investigate the Faith – you must undersand the name, itself, was so strange to me. I went through many tests before and after beceomming a Baha’i’. I have been a Baha’i’ now for over 40 years. What I owe most to the teachings of Baha’u'llah is the fact that He gave me the understanding that Muhammad was a Prophet of God, and that His followers follow the teachings revealed in the Quran. Imagine, from a boy who believed Moslims were people who wore turbans, I now became someone who realized the wonder of Islam and the station of Muhammad, and the miracle of the Quran. It was not until God opened my eyes and my heart that this happened to me. Did I lose anything because of my change from Christianity? No, in fact my love of Christ increased ten fold because I learned Who He is. I do not want to turn anyone from their chosen Faith. Now, indeed, I support their belief with all my heart. My only encouragement fof everyone to discover the wonder of their own Prophet; do not take ownershipn of His Faith, rather become a servant to His teachings. I used to think that Allah was just a name, like Jehovah. Now I know that there are many names for God. Let us come together under God; I will still be an American, you may be from another land and of another Faith. But I am still your brother, I am not your enemy. I would hold you in my arms if you were saddened; I would cry with you if a loved one was lost; if you had no food, I would share my food with you, and give you the greater portion; if you told me what you believed about your Prophet, I would add to it; if you were happy I would laugh with you; and if you were gone from me, I would lament and miss you, even as I do now. Let us lay down our weapons and our fears,trust in God, and love one another. If we joined together just imagine what wonders we could achieve!
bilo
8 July, 2007
Thank you for fixing the error with Internet Explorer. The site and all the links now work fine.
Esra'a
8 July, 2007
Thanks for bringing the error to our attention bilo. The theme’s author was kind enough to help us through this, the mistake was with the style sheet and now everything seems to be working properly, including the comments.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Guy, thanks a lot for sharing your insight!
Guy
8 July, 2007
I wish to add to my former comment with different subject matter. This concerns the great land of Egypt and its people. No one can deny the greatness of Egypt. It has stood as a beacon to mankind throughout the centuries; it attracts the interests of the world; it stands as a land that plays a most important role in the development of mankind and religions; its mysteries will fill the books of time. There is so much good that can be stated about the Great Egypt that the limits of such knowledge can never be fully reached. However, in the scope of all considerations, as it is in any nation, the land is there; it’s vastness and beauty has no ability of its own to be great, or to cast the sun of greatness upon mankind. It is merely land, and that which covers the globe. It is like a mine, or a great ocean that reveals itself only through the rationale and action of mankind; otherwise, its possessions lie hidden within it to be trod upon by the passer by. It is not until man works to exploit the land that it becomes great; so it is reasoned that the greatness of any nation is not the nation but contained in those who posssess it, within the people themselves, their beliefs, their dedication to humanity. What is it then that makes such a nation as the Great Egypt stand out amongst the nations of the world? It is the dedication to humanity of its people, their product both spiritual and material, their advancement; but most of all their dedication to humanity and human rights. Consider the Great Prophet, the Lord Muhammad. Consider the sufferings and humiliation He was willing to bear to bring about the change in human rights from the Barbarians to a new civilization of mankind, a civilization that was destined to enlighten the whole earth and to bring about the enlightenment of the former Dark Ages. It was this infusement of knowledge when comingled with the teachings of His Highness, Jesus the Christ and of the former Prophets, such as the Lord Bhuddah, and Moses, that caused the world to make a giant leap forward and found a new civilization with relgions to guide it that spread around the world. Such a nation as the Great Egypt, this great land of historical beacons and greatness, can do no less than to uphold the rights of all mankind. Once again, the Great Egypt must place its name in the pages of history and the development of rights. Surely God will recognize with great rewards, the execution of such an endeavor, and place in the annals of history the names of those who set aside differences, serve the teachings and principles of the Lord Muhammad, and become the servants of the rights and welfare of mankind.
Mideast Youth - Thinking Ahead » Blog Archive » Blogger arrested in Kuwait
20 August, 2007
[...] Especially if it’s against our constitutions? Egypt has similar articles promising freedom, none of which are ever applied. As for Kuwait: Article 31 [Arrest, Move, No [...]
Breck
18 October, 2009
There is apparently a lot to know about this :p
ppi network
6 July, 2010
Between me and my jelous wife, I won the argument on this subject because she did not agree with you.. lol
iphone 3
5 December, 2010
Wow! Thank you! I permanently needed to write on my website something like that. Can I implement a part of your post to my website?
Westie
6 January, 2011
Absurd accusations against the Coptic community of keeping two women who converted to Islam captive. The psychosis of a country that prohibits changing of religion. Islamic attacks against Shenouda, the criticism of the imam of Al-Azhar against Benedict XVI.
Westie
6 January, 2011
Absurd accusations against the Coptic community of keeping two women who converted to Islam captive. The psychosis of a country that prohibits changing of religion. Islamic attacks against Shenouda, the criticism of the imam of Al-Azhar against Benedict XVI.
Anyway, Nice post.
Siefert
10 January, 2011
Wonderful read! Is this copywritten or can I post it on my blog? payday loan
swissdent
27 January, 2011
Hi, really great blog you have created. I liked reading this posting. I did want to publish a comment to tell you that the design of this site is very aesthetically pleasing. I used to be a graphic designer, now I am a copy editor. Anyway, Thank you for your share!
Kraig Billotte
3 February, 2011
Cooking is the change of preparing eatables with heat. Cooks choose and associate ingredients using a comprehensive trade mark aga of tools and methods. In the development, the flavor, grain, appearance, and chemical properties of the ingredients can change. Cooking techniques and ingredients reorganize greatly across the world, reflecting corresponding exactly environmental, financial, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary by many in capability and training.
promovarweb
6 February, 2011
Nice post, but por info… more pls!
Baha'i in Iran | Blog | Podcast: The religious minorities in Egypt after Jan. 25th
19 June, 2011
[...] Egypt must secure religious freedom [...]