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A human rights case that all the human rights organizations and the UN should be speaking up about loudly. But...don't hold your breath. Only HRW seems to have noticed.
"Egypt: In Hiding, Convert Continues Fight for Rights," from Compass Direct:
CAIRO, November 15 (Compass Direct News) – Sick of hiding in a secret apartment in Cairo, Mohammed Ahmed Hegazy risked his life to shop for groceries late one night last week, a cap pulled low over his face.The Egyptian convert from Islam to Christianity does not normally chance being recognized in public by running errands for himself. Death threats forced Hegazy into hiding in August after he made an unprecedented legal bid to have his national ID card changed to note his conversion.
The 24-year-old belongs to a new breed of Egyptian Christian converts who see no contradiction between their faith and political activism.
“The Bible says to love your enemy and your neighbor as yourself,” Hegazy explained. “Working politically to provide food for poor people or freedom for the oppressed is one way to fulfill this command.”
That conviction in part motivated Hegazy’s court case, but that same desire to take action has also frustrated him as he has sat idle for the past three months in hiding.
The Christian acknowledged that he was finding his new life extremely difficult. He said it was impossible to hold a job because he couldn’t leave his apartment regularly for fear of being attacked by Islamists or state security police.
On a rare occasion that Hegazy took the chance of shopping in public, a Christian recognized his face from a newspaper photograph.
“If you are who I think you are, then God help you,” the Christian told Hegazy.
Hegazy’s new lawyer, Gamal Eid, noted: “In a country like Egypt, his fears are credible.”
Egypt Condemned
A report condemning Egypt’s treatment of converts away from Islam and members of the Baha’i faith this week noted that until 1990 most Christian converts did not believe they could remain in the country.
“Before [1990] it was just individual converts, and they left the country,” said an anonymous Christian convert quoted in the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights report released Monday (November 12). “But fifteen converts … wanted to stay and stay together, this was something new.”
Since then, some converts have worked, albeit anonymously, to become more active in Egyptian society.
“The state does not recognize conversions from Islam and refuses to allow citizens to legally change their religious affiliation,” the report stated. It noted that because family law is governed by religion, converts face difficulties in the areas of divorce, marriage, inheritance, and their children’s mandatory religious education.
Read it all.
Posted by Robert at November 18, 2007 12:20 AM
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May God help them all.
Posted by: John C![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 18, 2007 1:38 AM
Everybody posting and lurking here who is a practising member of a Christian church - print out the article about Mohammed Hegazy (and the original article which appeared here on Dhimmiwatch a while ago).
Share it with your pastor or parish priest.
If your church has a regular list of 'people to be prayed for', get him and his wife put on that list, and make sure the whole church knows why. Teaching moment.
Some churches are already very clued up, because of links with organisations like Barnabas Fund, Compass Direct, and others. But many pew-sitters and pew-snoozers are still blissfully ignorant and are even blindly gobbling up the usual 'we worship the same God as you do and we respect Abraham and Jesus' Muslim spin.
Hearing about what is happening to Mr Hegazy and his wife - in hiding for three months, lest they be murdered for the 'crime' of converting out of Islam to Christianity (and it would be the same had they chosen any other non-Muslim faith, or none) - might shatter a few illusions.
Posted by: dumbledoresarmy at November 18, 2007 5:09 AM
I have a different theory why the death cult punishes apostasy by death. This allows adherents to the death cult who are just psychopaths and who psychologically and enthusiastically embrace killing to hone their killing skills. It's just hunting season to kill an apostate. The other other other white meat. It is not a coincidence that islam is the fastest growing religion in planetary prisons worldwide. Religious edicts that allow murder of infidels and apostates are edicts as such that will always appeal to certain vicious dregs of humanity that share our planet.
Posted by: David England at November 18, 2007 8:43 AM
I wonder, if it was possible and safe to easily change your religion from islam (as it is officially shown on documentation in many islamic countries), how many would leave and prefer to be shown as Christian, any other religion, Agnostic, or no specific religion at all.
I mean if there was absolutely no comeback at all for doing so, how many would reject islam?
Maybe many who were not religious, would do so, just to stick 2 fingers up at the petty tyrants who currently hold so much sway over muslim lives.
Posted by: Celsius at November 18, 2007 8:48 AM
Egypt requires citizens to carry identity cards. The information includes the religion of the person. This is a major stumbling block for those who want to change their religion from Islam. Of course, the card is a minor inconvenience for those "apostates" who must deal with the real threats of violence, imprisonment and death from outraged family members, police and other government officials. I agree with Dumbledoresarmy that the case of Mr.Hegazy can be a teaching moment in churches. However, as a Catholic, I have gone to many meetings and rallies in support of victims of Islam and have met only one Catholic priest, from Nigeria, and have never met any Catholic nuns at these events. I must conclude that American Catholic clergy are too busy attending "Interfaith" committees to learn anything about their fellow Christians suffering throughout the Islamic world.
Posted by: maryrose at November 18, 2007 10:54 AM
At the 30th anniversary celebration of the U.S. aid program last year, the aid given totaled $28 billion, by far the largest amount of development aid given to any country in the world by the United States.
Not bad going
Posted by: shiva at November 18, 2007 1:29 PM
I know this post is not a religious post and I ordinarily steer away from religious views, but as a practicing Christian, I highly recommend the power of prayer! "The Voice of the Martyrs" recounts hundreds of true stories about former Muslims who converted to Christianity and were hounded, brutalized and imprisoned (or killed) for their decision to become Christians. But the prayers and financial support of many Americans has helped, gotten many out of prison, fed them, given them Bibles, in their own language and sustained their love for Christianity. Google VOM. It is fascinating.
Posted by: youngtimer at November 19, 2007 5:44 PM
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