Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 064 | Wed 14 Jul 2010

EGYPT: PERSECUTION STILL ESCALATING

In May 1980 Egypt amended its constitution to elevate Sharia (Islamic
Law) as ‘the principal source of legislation’. This provision is now
common in Muslim constitutions, including the new constitutions of
Afghanistan and Iraq. Constitutional guarantees of religious liberty
and equality before the law are illusory under Sharia. It forbids
apostasy (leaving Islam) and eliminates fitna (anything that could even
tempt a Muslim to leave Islam). Sharia also establishes dhimmitude: the
subjugation of Jews and Christians as second class citizens; systematic
discrimination; religious apartheid.

In Egypt, as in virtually every Muslim state, a person’s official
religion is displayed on their identity (ID) card. According to Sharia,
every child born to a Muslim man is automatically Muslim from birth. If
a Christian man converts to Islam, his Christian children are
automatically deemed Muslim. If a Muslim parent converts to
Christianity they lose custody of their children. Sharia mandates that
a Muslim girl may marry only a Muslim man, thereby ensuring that her
children will be born Muslim. (This is the main reason why some female
converts to Christianity dare to adopt falsified ID cards.)

In 2007 a Muslim-born convert to Christianity, Mohammed Hegazi (24),
applied to have his ID card changed. Not only did he want to have his
ID card reflect reality, he did not want his unborn child to be
officially deemed Muslim from birth. When his application was rejected,
Hegazi sued the Interior Ministry for his constitutional right to
religious freedom (Article 46). The court ruled against Hegazi on the
grounds that Sharia prohibits apostasy. Death threats resulting from
the publicity drove Hegazi, his wife and new-born daughter into hiding.
In August 2008 Maher el-Gowhary took up the same fight for the sake of
his daughter, Dina (14). El-Gowhary (55), who had quietly converted to
Christianity 35 years earlier, wanted his true religious identity
acknowledged and his ID card corrected before his daughter turned 16,
when she would be issued her own ID card.

Islamic religious leaders issued fatwas calling for Hegazi’s and el-
Gowhary’s blood to be shed and in September 2008 the men narrowly
escaped an assassination attempt. In June 2009 the court ruled against
el-Gowhary because Sharia prohibits apostasy and conversions would pose
a threat to the ‘public order’. When el-Gowhary and his daughter
subsequently tried to leave Egypt their passports were confiscated. In
April 2010 Dina el-Gowhary was attacked with acid, causing her jacket
to ignite. Fortunately she survived unharmed. On 5 July 2010 Maher el-
Gowhary was ambushed by two men on a motorbike who abused him as an
apostate, shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ and stabbed him in the neck. The
seriously wounded el-Gowhary is too afraid of the authorities to go to
hospital as Egyptian police are infamous for their corruption and
brutality.

Nagla Al-Imam (36), an Egyptian attorney, Sharia expert and prominent
human rights activist, publicly announced in 2009 that she had
converted from Islam to Christianity. In early July 2010 Egyptian
security officials detained Nagla, bashed and threatened her. On 8 July
she responded by posting an Internet video of herself (battered and
bruised) and her two young children singing a Christian lament
requesting Christ’s comforting and strengthening presence through the
high waves of persecution. Shortly after this, Nagla and her children
disappeared and the offices of Al-Tarek TV, from where she used to
broadcast, were vandalised by Egyptian security forces. (See
.)

WE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL:

* shield, protect, comfort and strengthen those Egyptian Christians
who, while embracing Christian freedom, are risking much to
challenge Islamic totalitarianism.

‘Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise
up against me; deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from
bloodthirsty men.’ (Psalm 59:1,2 ESV)

* redeem this suffering for the salvation of many and for his glory.

‘Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour
is not in vain.’ (1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV)

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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE

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PERSECUTION STILL ESCALATING IN EGYPT

Egypt’s Constitution elevates Sharia as ‘the principal source of
legislation’, rendering constitutional guarantees of religious liberty
illusory. In 2007 Mohammed Hegazi and in 2008 Maher el-Gowhary
courageously pursued the Interior Ministry for their constitutional
right to have their conversion from Islam to Christianity officially
recorded. They did this for their children who would thus be free to be
Christian. The courts, however, ruled that Sharia prohibits leaving
Islam (apostasy). Their lives are seriously imperilled with fatwas
issued against them. After Nagla al-Imam (36), an attorney and Sharia
expert, had publicly announced her conversion to Christianity, police
detained, bashed and threatened her in early July. She then posted an
Internet video of herself (battered) and her two young children singing
a Christian lament. The three have since ‘disappeared’. Please pray.

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We suggest that churches and fellowships using the above Summary might
also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their
worship by people who are leading in prayer.

This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious
Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international
religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC
team. Previous bulletins may be viewed at .

* For other articles, information and helpful links see Elizabeth
Kendal’s blog ‘Religious Liberty Monitoring’ at
.

* Update (July 2010) on Nagla Al-Imam (Statement on the Way TV):