In Light Of Hosni's Recent Attempts...
I would have to call the following two headline/snippets rather interesting (always assuming that our Dear Leader does actually control all of Egypt)...
"COPTIC VISA-NIX SCANDAL
By NILES LATHEM Post Correspondent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 26, 2005 -- WASHINGTON — The State Department has launched an investigation into whether hard-line Islamic employees at the U.S Embassy in Egypt are working behind the scenes to deny visas to Coptic Christians, The Post has learned.
State Department officials are closely examining 15 to 20 Egyptian employees of the embassy's consular section after top officials received complaints from lawyers and human-rights groups about discriminatory behavior toward the Copts seeking visas to the United States, sources said.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, may have been wrongly denied visas, sources said...
Coptic Christians fear death if deported back to Egypt
by Simon Cheung
Spokesman says state sanctions persecution by the Muslim majority
Twenty Egyptian Coptic Christians who have been refused refugee status in Canada risk serious harm and possible death if they return to Egypt, a spokesman for the group says.
"They will be tortured. They will be beaten. [And] there is a big possibility that they will be killed," Reverend Majel El Shafie said.
The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada has rejected the Coptics’ claims that they fear persecution from the Muslim majority if they are returned to Egypt.
Rev. El Shafie said it is illegal in Egypt to convert from Islam to another religion and it is also unlawful to repair or build synagogues or churches.
(...)
He said he was one of the Coptics who disappeared in an Egyptian jail.
(...)
Robin Seligman, an immigration lawyer working for the refused claimants, said: "It appears that there’s no rhyme nor reason as to who’s getting accepted and who’s getting refused. In terms of the integrity of the system, I think it’s important to ensure that there’s no inherent bias."
Comment: The persecution of Copts in Egypt is such that the NY Post reported last month that the US State Department had to launch an investigation on Muslim employees working for the American Embassy in Cairo suspected of systematically denying entry visas to Copts. A Freedom House report on religious freedom in Egypt states among other things that:
The Copts are persecuted by radical Islamic groups and at times by local police and other security officials and they are discriminated against and have their freedom to worship hampered by the Egyptian Government. Specifically:
While the Egyptian government does not have a policy to persecute Christians, it discriminates against them and hampers their freedom of worship, and its agencies sporadically persecute Muslim converts to Christianity. In particular:
The government of Egypt enforces onerous Hamayouni restrictions on building or repairing churches, restrictions that do not apply to mosques.
The Copts’ ability to exercise their basic right to free worship is frustrated by Egypt’s complex, and frequently arbitrary, requirements for building and repairing churches or church-owned buildings. These culminate in the requirement that the State President must personally approve all building applications, and the Provincial Governors must approve all applications for repairs, even for something as small as repairing a toilet or a broken window.
The government of Egypt applies religiously-discriminatory laws and practices concerning conversion, marriage, parenthood, education, and clergy salaries.
The government of Egypt has effectively restricted Christians from senior government, political, military, or educational positions, and there is increasing discrimination in the private sector.
Copts are increasingly marginalized in the political system. There are currently six Christian members of the Assembly, none of whom is directly elected but are appointed by the President and are politically beholden to him.
Copts are also restricted in the upper levels of government. By custom, the following positions are occupied by Muslims: President, Prime Minister, Assistant Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, heads of the various branches of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Chairman of the People’s Assembly, Governors (of 28 Governors, all are Muslims), heads of all government service offices, chiefs of police, and presidents and deans of universities. Copts are also under-represented in ambassadorships abroad.
The government of Egypt subsidizes media which attack Christianity and restricts Christians’ access to the state-controlled media.
< end snippet >
Anyway, that's all for now, and keep it in mind until I write something prosaic and brilliant about it all.
"COPTIC VISA-NIX SCANDAL
By NILES LATHEM Post Correspondent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 26, 2005 -- WASHINGTON — The State Department has launched an investigation into whether hard-line Islamic employees at the U.S Embassy in Egypt are working behind the scenes to deny visas to Coptic Christians, The Post has learned.
State Department officials are closely examining 15 to 20 Egyptian employees of the embassy's consular section after top officials received complaints from lawyers and human-rights groups about discriminatory behavior toward the Copts seeking visas to the United States, sources said.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, may have been wrongly denied visas, sources said...
Coptic Christians fear death if deported back to Egypt
by Simon Cheung
Spokesman says state sanctions persecution by the Muslim majority
Twenty Egyptian Coptic Christians who have been refused refugee status in Canada risk serious harm and possible death if they return to Egypt, a spokesman for the group says.
"They will be tortured. They will be beaten. [And] there is a big possibility that they will be killed," Reverend Majel El Shafie said.
The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada has rejected the Coptics’ claims that they fear persecution from the Muslim majority if they are returned to Egypt.
Rev. El Shafie said it is illegal in Egypt to convert from Islam to another religion and it is also unlawful to repair or build synagogues or churches.
(...)
He said he was one of the Coptics who disappeared in an Egyptian jail.
(...)
Robin Seligman, an immigration lawyer working for the refused claimants, said: "It appears that there’s no rhyme nor reason as to who’s getting accepted and who’s getting refused. In terms of the integrity of the system, I think it’s important to ensure that there’s no inherent bias."
Comment: The persecution of Copts in Egypt is such that the NY Post reported last month that the US State Department had to launch an investigation on Muslim employees working for the American Embassy in Cairo suspected of systematically denying entry visas to Copts. A Freedom House report on religious freedom in Egypt states among other things that:
The Copts are persecuted by radical Islamic groups and at times by local police and other security officials and they are discriminated against and have their freedom to worship hampered by the Egyptian Government. Specifically:
While the Egyptian government does not have a policy to persecute Christians, it discriminates against them and hampers their freedom of worship, and its agencies sporadically persecute Muslim converts to Christianity. In particular:
The government of Egypt enforces onerous Hamayouni restrictions on building or repairing churches, restrictions that do not apply to mosques.
The Copts’ ability to exercise their basic right to free worship is frustrated by Egypt’s complex, and frequently arbitrary, requirements for building and repairing churches or church-owned buildings. These culminate in the requirement that the State President must personally approve all building applications, and the Provincial Governors must approve all applications for repairs, even for something as small as repairing a toilet or a broken window.
The government of Egypt applies religiously-discriminatory laws and practices concerning conversion, marriage, parenthood, education, and clergy salaries.
The government of Egypt has effectively restricted Christians from senior government, political, military, or educational positions, and there is increasing discrimination in the private sector.
Copts are increasingly marginalized in the political system. There are currently six Christian members of the Assembly, none of whom is directly elected but are appointed by the President and are politically beholden to him.
Copts are also restricted in the upper levels of government. By custom, the following positions are occupied by Muslims: President, Prime Minister, Assistant Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, heads of the various branches of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Chairman of the People’s Assembly, Governors (of 28 Governors, all are Muslims), heads of all government service offices, chiefs of police, and presidents and deans of universities. Copts are also under-represented in ambassadorships abroad.
The government of Egypt subsidizes media which attack Christianity and restricts Christians’ access to the state-controlled media.
< end snippet >
Anyway, that's all for now, and keep it in mind until I write something prosaic and brilliant about it all.
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