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The Persecution Of Christians In Egypt: A Coptic-Christian Leader Speaks Out

Members of the American Coptic Association march in front of the White House in Washington, on July 16, 2008, protesting conditions in Egypt for Christians. (Ron Edmonds/Associated Press)

By JOSEPH PUDER, For The Bulletin

Friday, May 29, 2009
The American Coptic Association had planned a demonstration in front of the White House during the June 4 meeting between President Barack Obama and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, which has been cancelled due to the death of Mr. Mubarak’s grandchild.

Dr. Monir Dawoud, chairman of the American Coptic Association was therefore asked by this journalist to comment on what he had planned to say to both presidents. To President Obama, who plans to speak next month to the Islamic world from Cairo, Egypt, and who has made no mention of the human rights abuses committed against Coptic Christians and condoned by the Mubarak government, Dr. Dawoud, an Egyptian native, and retired heart surgeon from New Jersey, posed the following question: “Where is the change you promised during your campaign? Do you realize that by announcing that you will speak to the Islamic world from an Islamic country you are blessing the continuance of human rights violations against minorities in Islamic nations?”

According to Dr. Dawoud, Mr. Obama’s emphasis on Egypt as a “Muslim” country is “depriving Egyptian Copts of their basic human rights, and this will give the Muslim Brotherhood and other fanatical and radical Muslim groups the license to force the application of Sharia (Islamic) laws upon them.”

Dr. Dawoud pointed out that the Coptic community hopes “Obama will make the change he spoke of in his campaign towards democracy and not racism.” However, he is disheartened because attempts at outreach have been disregarded by Mr. Obama’s many Muslim advisors who seem to deliberately “hide the discriminatory actions of Muslim governments against Christians besides their injustices towards women, children, Bahais and other non-Muslim or non-Arab minorities.” Why, Dr. Dawoud asked, hasn’t the Obama administration hired people who would focus on the absence of rights among Christians and other minorities in the Muslim world?

Dr. Dawoud wants to sound an alarm about what he sees as the gradual Islamization of the USA, which he sees as part of a larger plan to Islamize the whole world. Speaking for the Coptic community he says, “They think that you (President Barack Obama) will let this happen because of your Islamic roots.”

In a direct appeal to Mr. Obama, Dr. Dawoud says, “We know that you are an American President and that you will work for America and will not allow this country to become Islamic. We are not against any religion but we oppose the barbaric behavior of fanatic Muslims, and we do not want another 9-11 attack on our beloved USA. We encourage more aid to Egypt —but as taxpayers — we do not want our money to be used against our own people.” Dr. Dawoud then added, “We disagree with your bowing down to the Saudi King even if you consider that an individual gesture. It is an insult to our country albeit through your innocent behavior. The Muslim media used that to announce that Islam will dominate the world!”

Joseph Puder: What would have said to President Mubarak?

Dr. Monir Dawoud: “Mr. President, don’t you see what is happening to the lives of your Christian subjects, their properties and dignity? We know that you are unhappy that we are demonstrating against the violations of the human rights of the Copts and other minorities, but a peaceful march is part of our human rights in accordance with international conventions, and is also acknowledged in Egypt’s constitution. You cannot blame us for expressing our concern for our persecuted people.

There is not a single case of Swine Flu in Egypt, and it is not spread through pigs. The destruction of pigs in Egypt is therefore an intentional way to crush the Christian community economically. It also confirms the deal you made with the Muslim groups to allow your son Jamal to become the next president, in return for actions to demolish the Copts.

More than 50 Coptic-Christians were murdered while your government is appeasing the fanatical Muslims at the expense of Copts. Why do you not establish justice, security, safety and equality at home first? You are trying to make peace everywhere and forgot your duty to serve your own countrymen. No Muslim is punished for killing Christians, and young Christian girls are being abducted and forced to become Muslims. There are no leadership positions allowed for Christians at all levels of public life. Discrimination in jobs, education, media presentations and Parliament is an apparent fact.

In today’s Egypt, many underage children are awarded to the father’s custody if he converts to Islam. The courts in Egypt apply these kinds of verdicts by relying on Sharia law, and that is one reason the Coptic community is angry.”

JP: The plight of the Coptic-Christians in Egypt who number 10 percent of Egypt’s 80 million people is little known in America, how are the Copts, who lived in Egypt centuries before the arrival of Islam, being treated?

MD: “The Copts real number is about 20 percent and the government never permitted an honest census. Indeed, we are the true Egyptian citizens as we are the descendants of the Pharaohs who had the first civilization more than seven thousand years ago!

The plight of the Copts is little-known in America because of many factors. Most important is that the Egyptian media is owned by the government, which instructs them to hide the facts and bar foreign reporters from looking into the Coptic situation. Copts in the diaspora are trying to expose this reality but the Islamic nations use billions of petro-dollars to control the U.S., and all Western media. Also, many Copts abroad may be rich but are afraid to disseminate the truth about Coptic persecution in Egypt because they fear that their relatives in Egypt would be harmed. It is also the reason why no support has come from rich Copts for a strong Coptic lobbying organization.”

Asked about religious freedom in Mubarak’s Egypt, Dr. Dawoud replied, “Yes, freedom of religion exists but only for one religion — Islam” “The second article of the Egyptian constitution,” he said, “acts as a sword applied against the necks of non-Muslims.” He provided examples of lack of religious freedom:

• Copts are still governed by an Ottoman decree known as the “Hemayoun Line” issued by el-Ezzabi Pasha, the Interior Minister in 1860. It is applied to stop alleged sectarian strife in Egypt. This measure has served to prevent Christians from building new churches or repairing damaged ones.

• Administrative courts in Egypt are loaded with over 2,000 cases of Copts who had converted to Islam and now seek to return to their original faith — Christianity. Appeals presented by Muslim lawyers refer to them as apostates and therefore subject to the death penalty.

• Earlier this year, a Muslim mob of more than 3,000 attacked the Church in Ain Shams, Cairo, alleging that it was a factory and not licensed to be a Church. This kind of intimidation is sanctioned by the Egyptian government.

The Copts have been marginalized, and there are only a handful of Coptic representatives in the Shurr’a council or the National Assembly. Dr. Youssef Botross Ghali was a token Copt in the Egyptian government.

Given the substantial foreign aid that Egypt receives from U.S. taxpayers, all Americans — not only Copts — should demand that Egypt respect its Christian minority and that equality under the law, freedom of religion and basic human rights be guaranteed to the Christians in Egypt as a condition for continued U.S. support. When he is in Cairo next month, President Obama should be made to remember that.

Joseph Puder can be reached at jpuder2001@yahoo.com

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