Article 18 of the international Declaration of Human Rights states that "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom to express his belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance, whether in secret or with the Community" Article 46 of the Egyptian constitution states that the state guarantees the freedom of religion for every citizen regardless of religion, sex, language or gender.
Article 40 of the Egyptian constitution states that all people are equal before the law, both in the rights or duties.
This talk is very smooth by the words and meanings, but let us go into the land of the Egyptian reality, does this apply to all citizens who enjoy the Egyptian nationality?or at least, those who carry a national ID card to prove that they and they are Egyptian citizens.
We find in fact that these materials have only applied on those who convert into Islam, then he has every right to consider the state and governmental practices in the extraction with all support with documents and with ease and his identity papers is "declared as a convert into Islam" which, while an official paper issued by Al-Azhar is extracted without any fees or hallmarks, despite the fact that no official papers in accordance with the Law of the fees must be the hallmark of a governmental stamp of Forty pounds and then declare Islam also being adopted notary free of charge and then the second paper, an ID card," the national number, could it happen that four days are enough to allowed by the State for those who want to convert to a religion other than Islam to have his identification papers if he is to convert to Islam. Let us for the lack of your journey of suffering experienced by the adherents of a religion other than Islam in Egypt.
But the start of all I have to acknowledge that I address this subject in terms of freedom of religion, a subject related to my rights as a purely non-religions or followed as long as we defend against being subjected to our fellow Muslims citizens in their creed and that was evident during the blasphemous cartoons defaming Islam and much more.
But I've grown in deep rage and a rash in Egypt and been exposed to methods of repression that the security uses upon the discovery of a man or woman as non-Muslims as a religion and let me bring to your attention three events that expose the face of Egypt that we all love, in front of the international community, thus making what you say in public is contradicted to what is implemented on the ground of practicality .
The first case: -
It was precisely on Saturday 17/4/2010 in North Cairo Court, when I was selected as the head of a human rights organization and as a lawyer also said the meeting brought the opposition in the renewal of custody of a man who converted to Christianity I began my adrress to the court in front of three judges, which lasted for an hour initiated as follows: -
I come today not to defend the person who sits inside the iron cage, which is before you, and placed in his hands the iron handcuffs before entering to you, but I'm here to tell you also about the Constitution, as well as the verse that came in Islamic Sharri'a , Why do not you apply as provided in this Shari'a,"law", "it is no compulsion in religion, "" Do you force people upon what to even believe in"
"He wills of you to have faith is free, let him believe and whosoever will, let him disbelieve"
I added that the real criminal is not this young man, but the government that is involved in the crime, when the state prevented him from choosing his faith. And I was terminated, saying that your decision to evacuate for this young man or his continued detention would be an authentic mirror of the international community and whether the Egyptians have to choose any faith they wish, whether or not, The panel of the court were listener completely in the case and waited for a decision to protect the freedom of faith, but unfortunately the decision was issued to judges remanded in custody this young man for a period of fifteen days, which will expose me to such a system called in all the media and human rights organizations as to oppose the decision of a hearing on custody in the next court session.
In the second incident: -
When I was informed yesterday, I was to defend one of the defendants in the Giza Criminal Court which used to come from the prison vaults for women, a Muslim woman who found me she told me about the conditions of torture and bitterness experienced by girls who converted to Christianity and the Chief of Detectives of the prison officer who called Moataz tortured them and put them in a so-called prison of Discipline, The Penitentiary as I know a man of law is the room, approximately two meters in, where they are forced to defecate "in the small bucket in this room and the guard is to insult and received their dry bread through the ceiling of the room and in this room, we do not see the light or air except for a few minutes throughout the day and why, it is because they are non-Muslims.
and the officer mocks them and accuses them of proselytizing, I in this article telling the Minister of Interior of those facts in order to put the officer on a trail as well as making a complaint to the sovereignty attorney general who authorizes of the Chief Prosecutor in Qanater to search for this dire situation as not a human situation.
Third incident: -
This includeds a girl and an Egyptian citizen, who loves Egypt and faithful to her country, converted to Christianity a few years and, for not to harm the feelings of the siblings Muslims refused to take serious exception to Appear in any way by the media and refused to change any sheets of her identity papers, but preferred to leave Egypt to work in one of the countries outside Egypt, she came in a vacation to Egypt where she used to spend her annual leave in Egypt surprised by her arrest at the airport and the withdrawal of her passport and continued under investigation more than nine hours to bring a Sheikh trying to let her let the idea of converting to Christianity, but all attempts have failed with her personal belief of Christianity, One of the officers concerned gave a comment that this girl deserves respect as she is not targeting any other purpose.
Failed all the attempts to re-delivered her passport only when the security felt that this girl can step up things as it has looked in all the judicial organs did not find there is a resolution of both the Attorney General or the courts issued preventing her from traveling or watching her arrival and when the security surrendered her passport after More than a month I thought that there was no other problems and booked her a ticket but it was a great disaster that it also barred from traveling without justification and without giving any reason.
And finally the girl appealed for the President, Hosni Mubarak and the other to the Minister of the Interior, and for me.
As we now put these practices against the Constitution and the law, to the recognition of international conventions and to the Egyptian public opinion and the international levels.
I am sorry that I recalled those three facts, but is compelled to lay it down before, Minister. Mufid Shehab, Minister of State for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, who pledged in the meeting with the International Council for Human Rights in Geneva in February, while there was discussion of the human rights situation in Egypt, pledged to implement the recommendations of the most important human rights to choose, was," faith" and I think that such topics would be, if not resolved internally to review the legal issue of human rights in Egypt in June this year and I also lift the human rights violations to hold what he wants for his master, President Mubarak and provide to his sovereignty to what he says is always there is no difference between the Coptic and Muslim and Everyone, all equal under the flag of Egypt.
I also recall a lot of human rights organizations in Egypt and the head of the National Council for Human Rights What those organizations unfolding and fear when defending the right to choose faith and tell you That you scream night and day in defending human rights and have held Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights while you did not see more than one organization or two only support us to stand to defend the freedom of reconverts to choose their faith and convert to a religions other than Islam.
Nag_ilco@hotmail.com
22030009-0106095627
Cairo, 21/4/2010
D. Naguib Gibraeel
President of the," Egyptian Union", Organization for Human Rights .
Nag_ilco@hotmail.com
