[Via FrontPage Magazine]
According to attorney Karam Ghobrial (“Gabriel”), his client, Bishoy Armia Boulous, a Muslim convert to Christianity, remains illegally incarcerated and has “vowed to starve himself to death,” reports MCN.
Bishoy, more notoriously known as Mohammed Hegazy, is the first Egyptian ever to try legally to change his religious identity from Muslim to Christian on his official ID card, prompting much shock and outrage in Muslim-majority Egypt (see Crucified Again, p. 107).
Ghobrial further cited that Bishoy’s detention—in the execution chamber no less—is illegal, prompted solely by malicious charges against him, all of which stem from his original attempt to formally change his religious identity.
In the words of his lawyer: “Bishoy is imprisoned in the execution room in violation of the law. Trumped up charges against him have not been proven and he is being treated even worse [than before]. He has not seen the light [of day] since being released from Minya’s misdemeanor court.”
Bishoy was arrested in July 2014. Then, the judge in Minya cited “disturbing the peace by broadcasting false information” as the reason for sentencing the apostate, who in the weeks before was documenting political unrest in Egypt brought on by numerous Islamic attacks on Christians. He was eventually released, but then immediately scooped up again by State Security acting on behalf of Cairo, now under the charge of “insulting the Islamic faith.”
Bishoy’s lawyer further said that “the [current] judge is behaving in a prejudiced manner in this case because Bishoy had publicly announced his conversion to Christianity.” He stressed the “need for attention to this case, and escalating it, so everyone knows what this convert is being exposed to.”
Bishoy has now been imprisoned for nearly six months, without any action being done in his case. He is being held on charges of “contempt to the Islamic religion” and reportedly spreading “false news” about the existence of State Security “torture chambers” where Muslim converts to Christianity are detained and tortured. Bishoy apparently refuses to recant this claim (quite possibly because he himself is now experiencing it first hand).
As lawyer Karam Ghobrial maintains, it is clear that the real reason his client is being tortured in prison—where he is being held illegally under ever morphing charges—has to do with what made Bishoy Armia, formerly Mohammed Hegazy, notorious in Egypt in the first place: his audacity not only to convert to Christianity, but to try formally to change his religious identity from Muslim to Christian on his ID card, prompting much enmity for him in Egypt.
In short, Bishoy is just another prisoner of conscience, just another born Muslim who wishes to be Christian—but whose actions have been deemed offensive to the state. His story occurs with great frequency all around the Islamic world. One need only recall the plight of Meriam Ibrahim, a Christian wife and mother in Sudan who, while pregnant, was sentenced to be executed on the charge of apostatizing from Islam. And in nearby Iran, for example, Iranian-American Christian pastor Saeed Abedini—also seen as an apostate agitator—continues to rot in prison.
cs says
While here they can do as much Dawa as they want.
Been There Got the Tee Shirt says
This kid is really courageous and deserves our prayers.
This will be a test of the Sisi government, to see just how much secularism it is willing to endorse. And on the populist front, just how much diversity the “moderates” in Egypt have the guts to tolerate.
In the last couple days we have seen proposals by know-nothings to study ecumenism between and among secular groups (IE Muslim vs. rest of world) in several nations, having expensive experts study the “problem” that has been adequately studied for centuries.
What happens to this young boy will clearly demonstrate what the answer to all these “studies” are seeking to manufacture.
Marty says
How incredibly brave this man is and how alone he must feel.
Egypt is one of the more “moderate” mohammedan states, think what the rest are like.
Meanwhile where are Christian leaders ?
In the UK, the ex Archbishop of Canterbury wants sharia incorporated in English Law and
the Bishop of Oxford wants koranic passages as part of the Coronation ceremony.
How can such people take money from Church funds ?
How can the Church pay them ?
voegelinian says
How’s that wonderful Egyptian “Revolution” going for you, Salah?
Salah says
The New Egypt is getting better by the day. It’s not perfect and it will never be until Islam is no more.
This case is unique and extremely important since it’s the first time a Muslim tries to, not only leave Islam, but also doing it PUBLICLY and insisting on changing his I.D. papers to “Christian.”
If he gets his way it would be a HUGE defeat for Islam since millions of Muslims will do the same. I hope he wins.
We must not forget that Egypt is STILL a Muslim country. We must not also forget that some non-Muslim countries are doing exactly the same; Nakoula Basseley – “Innocence of Muslims”, does it ring a bell? Do you have any doubts about him being a prisoner of conscience too?
Evil judges are everywhere.
gravenimage says
Salah wrote:
The New Egypt is getting better by the day. It’s not perfect and it will never be until Islam is no more.
This case is unique and extremely important since it’s the first time a Muslim tries to, not only leave Islam, but also doing it PUBLICLY and insisting on changing his I.D. papers to “Christian.”
…………………………………….
Where to start? For one thing, Bishoy Armia Boulous is *not* the first Muslim-to-Christian convert in Egypt to try to get his ID changed to Christian.
I imagine few long-term posters will have forgotten the harrowing story of Maher El-Gowhary and his young teenage daughter Dina. El-Gowary had his old Muslim ID invalidated, but was never issued a Christian ID.
This made it impossible for him to work or travel by train or plane, or to enroll his daughter in school. There were death Fatwas issued over his conversion, and so father and daughter were constantly on the run, never daring to stay with friends or attend church in the same place for more than a day or two.
There was a whole series of stories on their situation in JIhad Watch—this is from 2010:
“Christian in Egypt: ‘They try to kill us’”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/01/christian-in-egypt-they-try-to-kill-us
But *appalling* as the plight of this pair was, El-Gowary was *not* imprisoned and *sentenced to death*, as Boulous is.
So the “New Egypt” is **not** better—certainly not in this case.
More:
If he gets his way it would be a HUGE defeat for Islam since millions of Muslims will do the same. I hope he wins.
…………………………………….
I hope he wins, too—but given the fact that he is on death row on “blasphemy” charges, the chance of this seems further away than it did four years ago under Mubarak.
More:
We must not forget that Egypt is STILL a Muslim country. We must not also forget that some non-Muslim countries are doing exactly the same; Nakoula Basseley – “Innocence of Muslims”, does it ring a bell? Do you have any doubts about him being a prisoner of conscience too?
…………………………………….
The Basseley case is appalling, and was almost certainly politically motivated—but he was jailed on a legitimate technicality, albeit one that is seldom enforced. And he is *not* sentenced to death—this is a not an inconsiderable distinction. Surely you must realize that.
More:
Evil judges are everywhere.
…………………………………….
Does anyone believe that one “bad apple” judge could *sentence a man to death* for apostasy and blasphemy—things which are not even crimes in the civilized world—if the current Egyptian system did not allow for it? I certainly don’t.
About the best you can say for Egypt today is that it is not as gaudily horrific as, say, the Islamic State. This is the very definition of damning with faint praise, because I can’t honestly say anything more positive about it.
By the way, one of the few genuinely decent things to come out of the “Arab Spring” in Egypt was an oversight: Maher El-Gowhary and his daughter Dina were able to slip out of the country in the chaos of those fleeing the revolution, when authorities at airports were not checking passports closely.
They made it to Europe and were given asylum. They have since changed their names.
God knows, I hope that Bishoy Boulous is able to do the same, because I very doubt there is any future for this poor man in Egypt.
Joseph says
Starve MYSELF to death because someone ELSE is evil? Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. KILL anyone even remotely related to my incarceration? Ah, now that’s more like it.
Forgive me, I just never understood the whole: “I’ve been horribly wronged, therefore I am going to kill…myself” argument. Kill anyone and everyone even remotely connected to my being wronged? THAT makes sense. But you’re gonna slowly and painfully torture YOURSELF to death because somebody ELSE is a scumbag? Logic fail, Dumbass.
And duh I get it he’s trying to make a point. No kidding, really? My point is he can make that same point in OTHER people’s blood, not his own. Or die trying. THAT would make sense to me.
Aut Vincere Aut Mori
gravenimage says
Actually, this makes rather a different point.
But hunger strikes only work only where the society is generally civilized, but is not in that specific instance living up to its ideals.
This does not describe any part of Dar-al-islam.
Boulous’ only hope here is that his case will attract international attention and concern from the civilized world, which will then put pressure on Egypt. This does work occasionally—it has shamed Nigeria into reversing the sentences of several women slated to be stoned to death.
Countries that give “foreign aid” to Egypt—especially the United States—should be lobbying for this man’s release. Ideally, we would then grant him asylum.
Davegreybeard says
@Salah
“We must not also forget that some non-Muslim countries are doing exactly the same; Nakoula Basseley – “Innocence of Muslims”, does it ring a bell?”
Well, not quite EXACTLY the same, Salah.
Salah says
I agree, Davegreybeard. It’s not EXACTLY the same. Nevertheless, Basseley is in jail BECAUSE of the “Innocence of Muslims” video. He is a political prisoner, a prisoner of conscious. The same for this guy (I forgot his name) facing deportating from Spain for his “Innocence of Muhammad” clip.
We’re talking here of the “free” world kowtowing to Islam. Imagine a Muslim country!!!
Having said that, I must admit that I am ashamed of this Egyptian judge’s rule and I hope things will work out well for Bishoy Boulous.
I also hope that the new parliament (elections around March 2015) will fully implement the constitution and allow freedom of religion for all.
Wishful thinking? maybe. But I’m still very optimistic about the future of Christian Copts in Egypt.
cs says
Imran Firasat, who is a hero,may be deported.
mortimer says
This is a test of the Sisi regime and of the Egyptian judiciary. Are they going to recognize Egypt’s constitution or not.
This brave young man deserves to be removed from prison. The judiciary needs to take a stand on the right side or Egypt will never get out of its mess.
cs says
Oh boy yeah, they are just afraid of a tsunami of conversions, that is why they make it difficult.
Bill Hey says
Why hasn’t Hussein Obama has not been charged for changing from Muslim to Christian?
Is it because he never did. A good example of “taqyya”.
Jay Boo says
Islam does not condemn useful idiots until they become no longer useful.
Edison says
I can only imagine the horrors this young man has been exposed to. His only crime? Converting from Islam to Christianity. What religion of peace? Obviously not Islam.