In recent weeks, we have focused on the brutal persecution of religious minorities in Iraq and Syria by ISIS. In the meantime, violent attacks against Copts and other minorities in Egypt have decreased. But the systematic discrimination and persecution of minorities there continues unabated.
One area of such abuse in Egypt continues to be the use of blasphemy laws which prevent individuals from publically disagree with Sunni Islamic teachings or from converting away from Islam. Johannes Maker recently wrote in the Atlantic Council that:
“In March of this year, Alexandria’s local Chief of the Security Directorate, Amin Ezz el-Din, announced a taskforce charged with arresting Facebook users who openly identified themselves as atheists. Announcing a new initiative today, (Aug. 25, 2014) Minister of Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar said both his ministry and the Ministry of Culture are combatting “two extremes,” lumping atheism and extremism together.
The new campaign targeting Atheists is called “Think Again” and will utilize technology and social media to address questions that may have led individuals to leave Islam and embrace Atheism. Considering the state of Egypt’s economy and the persistent terrorist threat, starting a campaign to impose hegemonic belief hardly seems a worthy priority, not to mention the violations of religious freedom that very likely will accompany it.
In June of this year, an Egyptian atheist named Karam Saber, was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for writing a book that Egyptian authorities believe promotes atheism in the country. Saber’s book is titled, “Where is God?”
Joe Stork of Human Rights Watch commented on this case to the International Business Times stating:
“Although Egyptian authorities claim blasphemy laws maintain social peace, they often have the opposite effect. Prosecuting people for beliefs peacefully expressed validates, rather than combats, intolerance.”
Morning Star News has reported regularly on the case of Mohammed Hegazy, now called Bishoy Armia Boulous since he converted to Christianity. In July, MSN reported on Boulous saying:
A noted convert in Egypt was released on bail this week for the appeal of his disputed conviction for “inciting sectarian violence” was quickly imprisoned again on equally controversial charges from 2009 of “defaming Islam,” his attorney said.
Local security officials on Monday (July 21) turned Bishoy Armia Boulous, previously known as Mohammed Hegazy, over to the Ministry of Interior to face the blasphemy charges filed five years ago.
In 2009 two lawyers supported by a group of Islamists charged him with defaming Islam after he filed what became a very public lawsuit to force the Egyptian government’s Ministry of Interior to change the religious affiliation listed on his state-mandated national identification card from Muslim to Christian.
The blasphemy charges effectively amount to a charge of apostasy because his accusers said the very act of leaving Islam alone cast the religion into ill repute. Boulous, now 31, left Islam when he was 16 years old…
Karam Ghobriel, one of Boulous’ attorneys, told Morning Star News that the Ministry of Interior has charged Boulous with violating Article 98f, defaming a revealed religion, and violating Article 161, perverting a holy book or ridiculing a religious celebration. He has also been charged with two counts of violating Article 102, inciting public sedition.
The charges against Boulous were unexpected, Ghobriel said. On Tuesday (July 22), when he learned of the charges, Ghobriel was waiting for final confirmation that Boulous had been released from prison on appeal for the June 18 conviction for “inciting sectarian violence.”
“It’s very obvious because he’s a convert that they wanted to keep him in prison,” Ghobriel said.
While there are numerous, ongoing blasphemy cases in Egypt, these examples demonstrate that claims of religious equality under the Sissi administration have yet to be implemented.
_____________
LV/CS