“And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.” — Barack Obama, Cairo, June 4, 2009
But of course, religious tolerance is one thing, and allowing a Muslim officially to register his conversion to Christianity is another.
An update on this story. “Maher Al-Gohari was refused his request to convert to Christianity on his ID card,” from United Copts, June 13 (thanks to Ibrahim):
The disappointing verdict by the High Administrative Court in Cairo today has dealt a severe blow to Freedom of Religion to Muslims who would like to come out of Islam and convert to Christianity in a country who persistently and relentlessly claims to be secular and apply “civil Laws”.
The judge Hamdi Yaseen rejected Maher Ahmed Al-Mo”tasem Bellah Al-Gohari application to change his religious affiliation from Muslim to Christian on his ID card; the verdict was based on the Islamic Sharia which prohibits conversion of Muslims to any other religion and “disruption to Public order”.
The Egyptian constitution carries the two paradoxical statements, article 2 stipulates that Islamic Shari”a, which prohibits conversions to any other religion is the main source of legislation while article 46 of the constitution states that the State guarantees the “Freedom of Religion”….
Al-Gohari and his daughter Dina 12, live in hiding in continuous fear since radical Islamists such as Sheik Youssef El-Badri and Dr Hamid Sardiq incited Radical Muslim mobs to kill Al-Gohari for his apostasy.