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Egypt: Threats Force Convert to Hide
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John Henry
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Aug 12, 2007 02:19 PDT
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THREATS FORCE EGYPTIAN CONVERT TO HIDE
Aug 11, 2007
By Maggie Michael
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - An Egyptian Muslim who converted to
Christianity and then took the unprecedented step of seeking official
recognition for the change said he has gone into hiding following death
threats.
Mohammed Hegazy, who sparked controversy when pictures of him posing with
a poster of the Virgin Mary were published in newspapers, was shunned by
his family and threatened by an Islamist cleric vowing to seek his
execution as an apostate.
"I know there are fatwas (religious edicts) to shed my blood, but I
will not give up and I will not leave the country," the 25-year-old
Hegazy told The Associated Press from his hideout Thursday.
Hegazy made a public splash when he took the unusual step of going to
court to change his religion on his national ID card. His first lawyer
filed the case, but then quit after the uproar; his second is still
considering whether it's worth pursuing.
Hegazy said he received telephoned death threats before he went into
hiding in an apartment with his wife, a Muslim who took the name Katarina
when she converted to Christianity several years ago. She is four months
pregnant.
He said he wants to change the religion on his ID for two reasons: to set
a precedent for other converts and to ensure his child can openly be
raised Christian. He wants his child to get a Christian name, birth
certificate and eventually marry in a church. That would be impossible if
Hegazy's official religion is Muslim, because a child is registered in
the religion of the father.
There is no Egyptian law against converting from Islam to Christianity,
but in this case tradition takes precedent. Under a widespread
interpretation of Islamic law, converting from Islam is apostasy and
punishable by death - though killings are rare and the state has never
ordered or carried out an execution on those grounds.
Most Muslims who convert usually practice their new religion quietly or
leave the country. Egypt is overwhelmingly Muslim. Only 10 percent of the
76 million population is Christian and converts are typically ostracized
by their families. If the conversion becomes known, they may receive
death threats from militants or harassment by police, who use laws
against "insulting religion" or "disturbing public
order" to target them.
Christians who become Muslim can get their new religion entered on their
IDs and face little trouble from officials, though they too are usually
thrown out by their families.
There have been a few similar cases in other parts of the Muslim world.
In May, Malaysia's highest court refused to recognize the conversion of a
Muslim woman to Christianity, saying the case should be handled by
religious authorities.
Hegazy, who took the Christian name Beshoy after an Egyptian monk,
converted to Christianity nine years ago and began attending church in
his hometown of Port Said on the Suez Canal.
"I started readings and comparative studies in religions," he
said. "I found that I am not consistent with Islam teachings. The
major issue for me was love. Islam wasn't promoting love as Christianity
did."
He said after his conversion was discovered, police detained him for
three days and tortured him. He said he was harassed several more
times.
Then, in 2001, he was arrested again after publishing a book of poems
critical of the security services. He said he was held for three months
on suspicion of sedition, disturbing public order and insulting the
president, though he was ultimately released without charge.
Hegazy's first lawyer, Mamdouh Nakhlah, told the AP he initially accepted
the case because of an editorial last month by one of Egypt's highest
Islamic clerics, the Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa. He wrote against the killing
of apostates, saying there is no worldly retribution for Muslims who
abandon their religion.
Gomaa's comments were sharply criticized by Muslim conservatives, who
claimed the remarks opened the door for Muslims to leave their
faith.
Nakhlah said he had hoped Gomaa's statement could signal a chance to set
a legal precedent. But he ultimately backed out saying "the
atmosphere is not suitable."
Hegazy's new lawyer, Ramsis el-Nagger, says he had not decided whether to
pursue the case, but is pessimistic about winning because of the conflict
around it.
If the case makes it to court, it will open an unknown realm of Egyptian
law. Earlier this year, a court rejected an attempt by a group of
Christians who had converted to Islam but then returned to Christianity
and sought to restore their original religion on their ID cards. The case
has been appealed.
Source:
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070811/D8QV0EC80.html
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"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them
which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body."
(Hebrews 13:3)
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great
is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were
before you." (Matthew 5:10-12)
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