Living in Fear: Coptic Christians in Egypt

Living in fear: Coptic Christians in Egypt
ICC Note:
“The ominously Sharia-leaning Muslim Brotherhood government of Egypt, headed by President Mohammed Morsi, has taken over the country from the oppressive – but slightly more tolerant – Mubarak regime,” Haaretz reports. As a result of the political rise of Islamists following Egypt’s 2011 uprising, Christians have increasingly been the victims of mob violence and of discriminatory government policies that hinder the religious freedoms of minorities. Currently in Cairo, a Constituent Assembly—most seats of which are held by Islamists—is debating Egypt’s new constitution which may establish the principles of Islamic Sharia law as the primary source of the country’s legislation. In this article, Ashraf Ramelah, a Coptic Christian leader, describes how Christians are dealing with the new Islamist reality in Egypt.
By Dr. Ashraf Ramelah
10/14/2012 Egypt (Haaretz)- As al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri calls for renewed protests against the U.S. and Israel in the wake of reaction to the film about Mohammed, it is the ancient Christian community of Egypt, the Copts, who are in the greatest immediate danger. Ashraf Ramelah, a Coptic leader, describes how Copts are dealing with the new Islamist reality in Egypt.
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