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| Africa: North |
| Egypt Fails Effort to Prevent Reconversion Back to Christianity |
| 2004-05-27 |
| In an unprecedented verdict on April 13, an Egyptian court ordered the Interior Ministry to return formal Christian identity status to a Coptic Christian who had converted to Islam 11 years ago and then returned to her Christian faith. The decision resolved a six-month stand-off with state security officials and required them to return the Christian I.D. card of Mira Makram Gobran Hanna to her possession. Now 30, Hanna had signed papers in March 1993 to convert to Islam but obtained the approval of the ecclesiastical council to return to the Coptic Orthodox Church 13 months later. Last October, security police forcibly confiscated Hannaâs national I.D. card. Egyptian citizens 16 years and older are required to carry their I.D. cards at all times. The recent ruling in Hannaâs favor upholds the principle of freedom of belief enshrined in the Egyptian Constitution, according to her legal counsel Nagib Gibrael. âThis verdict indicates the reliability of the Egyptian courts,â Gibrael told Compass. Under the Egyptian governmentâs long-standing interpretation of Islamic law, Muslims have been forbidden to convert to another faith. |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #3 Fatwa in 5...4...3... Followed immedately by lynch mob. How dare that uppity woman spurn the Master Religion? |
| Posted by: N Guard 2004-05-27 10:16:05 AM |
| #2 Edward, I know the feeling... (Been keeping Count Dracula hours myself.) You know, that must have been some talk President Bush had down at Crawford with Hosni Mubarrak. |
| Posted by: Jen 2004-05-27 4:11:08 AM |
| #1 *surprise meter broken, the mercury seeps into Edward's brain and makes him more insomniac than he already is* |
| Posted by: Edward Yee 2004-05-27 3:19:51 AM |