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Christian Solidarity International  Binz, Oct. 23, 2007
CSI Urgent Action Egypt: Support Christian Mohammed Ahmed Hegazy in demanding official recognition of his conversion from Islam to Christianity!
In a landmark case in Egypt, 24-year-old Mohammed Ahmed Hegazy, a born Muslim turned Christian some years ago, has demanded that the religious affiliation in his official identity papers be changed from “Muslim” to “Christian”.
In the course of the ongoing court case, already two of his lawyers have resigned following death threats from Islamic fundamentalist. ms. Mohammed Ahmed Hegazy, 24, a born Muslim from Port Said City, decided to convert from Islam to Christianity when he was 16 years of age. He was thereupon tortured for three days and later held for ten weeks at a prison camp by the authorities.
Moreover, despite Hegazy’s conversion, his religious affiliation was still designated as “Muslim” in his identity papers. The authorities thereby still considered him a Muslim.
On August 2, 2007, while his wife Zeinab was pregnant, he came to realize that any of their children, being officially considered as born of a “Muslim” father, would never be permitted to be baptized with a Christian name nor to attend church or a Christian school nor to be married in a Christian ceremony nor to receive a Christian burial. In order to make life easier for his offspring, Hegazy decided to have the religious affiliation mentioned in his official documents altered from “Muslim” to “Christian”.
But his request for such a change in religious identity was ignored by the authorities: Hegazy then brought his care before court in Cairo in October 2007. However, his lawyers, Mamdouh Nakhia and Rawda Ahmad, were so intimidated by Muslim extremists led by a certain Sheikh Youssef al-Badry that they withdrew, one after the other, from defending Hegazy.
Dr. Adel Fawzy Faltas and Peter Ezzat Mounir, members of the human rights organization “Middle East Christian Association” (MECA), who had interviewed Hegazy and published information on his case, were arrested on August 8, being sweepingly accused of bringing about his conversion from Islam to Christianity. Hegazy himself now leads an underground existence. Sources: www.compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=news&lang=en&length=short&idelement=5069&backpage=summaries (Compass Direct) www.opendoorsuk.org.uk/news_archives/001960.php (Open Doors UK) http://fe70.news.sp1.yahoo.com/s/ap/egypt_muslim_convert (Associated Press) www.christianpost.com/article/20070810/28847_Egypt_in_Uproar_Over_Christian_Convert_Case.htm (Christian Post) www.catholicnews.agency.com/new.php?n=10098 (Catholic News Agency) www.opendoorsusa.org/content/view/284 (Open Doors USA) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please send the following letter to President Hosny Mubarak in support of Mohammed Hegazy! (E-Mail:
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; Fax: (0020) 2239 01998) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- His Excellency Mohammed Hosny Mubarak President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abedine Palace Cairo Egypt Your Excellency, We are dismayed to learn that Mohammed Ahmed Hegazy, 24, a citizen of Port Said, has been forced to live an underground existence since early August 2007.
This is merely due to his desire to have his altered religious affiliation (from Muslim to Christian) be designated as such in his official identity papers. We are also alarmed that two of Hegazy’s lawyers, Mamdouh Nakhia aud Rawda Ahmad, have withdrawn from defending their client owing to massive intimidation by Islamic extremists. We urgently ask you to do all in your power to ensure the official registration of Mohammed Hegazy’s conversion from Islam to Christianity, thereby also guaranteeing his children’s freedom to practice the Christian faith. In this regard, we would like to call in mind article 18 regarding religious freedom of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, of which your country is a member. Yours sincerely and respectfully, (National Affiliate) |
