An open letter to all Copts from Michael Meunier, President of the U.S. Copts Association:
Dear Copts,
Given the grave conditions facing our Coptic brethren in Egypt, we now present you, the Copts of the Diaspora, an opportunity to instigate change on their behalf.
For the past month, the U.S. Copts Association has been laboring alongside various members of Congress to generate a letter to President Mubarak concerning the treatment of Egypt’s Copts. This letter to Mubarak is now before every member of Congress for review. Representatives may choose to sign in support, demanding that Mubarak’s government implement genuine changes on behalf of the Coptic minority. However, without adequate backing from the Coptic community, this letter may go unsigned by your representative.
Your role in supporting this crucial measure to alleviate the suffering of our brethren in Egypt is vital. The strength of the message to Mubarak depends in large measure on the total number of Congress members who sign in support. Your voice must be heard by your representatives in Congress; they must hear many of their constituents demand that Egypt’s human rights record concerning its Christians be improved.
We ask that you help by taking the following important steps within the next week:
Go to www.house.gov and under Find your Representative, enter your zip code.
Once you have found your representative, contact his/her office via phone and fax and speak to either the Chief of Staff or the Foreign Affairs Legislative Assistant.
Indicate your support for the Pitts-Wolf-Aderholt Letter to Mubarak. State your strong support for this letter and ask that your Congress member sign on. Fill in the enclosed letter with your representative’s information, sign and fax to his/her office.
If your Congress member’s office has any questions about this letter please ask that they contact the offices of Congressmen Pitts, Wolf, or Aderholt for further information.
NOTE: The offices of Congressmen Pitts, Wolf, and Aderholt have asked that
NO calls be placed to their offices, even if simply to thank them. They are fully aware of the situation and have sponsored this effort.Working alongside you for the Copts,
Michael Meunier
President
U.S. Copts Association——————————————————————————
Sample Letter to Fax to your representative:
ENTER YOUR REPRESENTATIVES RELEVANT INFORMATION BELOW AND FAX TO HIS/HER OFFICEContact our office at (202) 737-3660 to receive a faxed copy of this letter for your church.
__________________________________________________________________[MONTH) [DAY], [YEAR]
The Honorable [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME]
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC.RE: Pitts-Wolf-Aderholt Letter to President Mubarak
Dear Representative [LAST NAME]:
As a constituent and an American-Egyptian Copt, I write to urge your support and signature of the Pitts-Wolf-Aderholt Letter to President Mubarak of Egypt.
This letter is intended to generate attention to the plight of Egypt’s Christian minority, the Copts, and urge President Mubarak to instigate change on their behalf. The Copts, the largest Christian minority in the Arab region, have endured decades of human rights abuses perpetuated and sanctioned by discriminatory government policy. Additionally, Copts have long been the targets of Islamist violence within Egypt. Copts, approximately 11 million of the Egyptian population, are Islamists’ easiest targets, and have suffered violent attacks, forced religious conversion, and murder. Mubarak’s regime has proven ineffective in both the containment and prevention of this aggression.
It is imperative that the human rights violations against the Copts are ended and that Mubarak’s regime ensure the eradication of discriminatory legislation and law enforcement. The Coptic minority has suffered too long as Mubarak’s regime has fed the culture of intolerance within the nation.
I urge you to join other members of Congress in seeking justice for Egypt’s Christians. Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to hearing of your support for this letter.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME AND SIGNATURE]