Pat Dollard

Tweet

Coptic Christians in America, with the support of other Americans, are concerned for their counterparts living in Egypt. Also in danger could be people of other faiths, including Muslims of unpopular sects.

A Coptic Christian is an Egyptian, living in Egypt or abroad, who believes in Jesus Christ. “Coptic” means Egyptian. Coptic Christians follow either the Orthodox, Catholic or Protestant form of Christianity.

Coptics are concerned that while President Barack Obama invited the Muslim Brotherhood to participate in forming a new Egyptian government, neither he nor others in his administration specifically invited Egypt’s Christian population or other religious groups to the table.

Although White House spokesman Robert Gibbs’ Jan. 31 speech called for “nonsecular” participation in discussion of a new Egyptian government, the only religious group invited by name was the Muslim Brotherhood.

Voice of the Copts is a representative body of Coptic Christians in the USA. Its website criticizes Obama’s refusal to admit the Muslim Brotherhood is not a threat while he himself states the Brotherhood is well-organized with anti-American ideas. Voice of the Copts informs that there are many kinds of people in Egypt and all must be considered.

By various reports, there are ten to twelve million Coptic Christians in Egypt. This is 15 percent to 20 percent of the population. The fear is, that if the Muslim Brotherhood turns out to want Sharia law (Islamic religious law) to become state government law, what will become of these Christians?

And what will become of Muslims who are the “wrong” sect of Islam? In countries currently governed by Sharia law, a Muslim can be an unpopular type of Muslim, depending whether leaders in the regime are Shia or Sunni. They can be shunned from employment, dispossessed of their homes, persecuted, tortured or killed just like any other religious minority.

Severe persecution of Christianity and other faiths already happens under Islamic law in Iraq and Iran. Victor Davis Hanson, American military historian and Middle East commentator, warned in a National Review article that with this call for a new government in Egypt, we could see a repeat of 1979 when the Shah of Iran was overthrown. Just when we thought there would be a “democratic” regime in Iran, the Ayatollah Khomeini took over and made Iran into an Islam-governed state.

President Mubarak never declared Sharia law as the government law of Egypt, but there are some aspects of Sharia law in Egypt’s constitution. According to the National American Coptic Assembly, these laws are regularly used to allow the persecution of Coptic Christians. The website explains Mubarak avoided fostering Christian/Muslim relations during his 30 year dictatorial reign.

Over the American New Year’s holiday, more than 20 Coptic Christians were murdered during a raid on their church. Mubarak’s regime had evidence this was committed by al-Qaida. But his government has proven inefficient or unwilling to punishing perpetrators of such events.

The New York Sun reported in May 2010 that Coptic Christians have been unable to obtain an audience with President Obama to discuss religious persecution in Egypt. They don’t mind Obama’s hand extended to the Muslim community, but the fact that their own is ignored is extremely frustrating.

Khaled Fahmy is head of a department at the American University in Cairo and a self-proclaimed secularist. He wrote in a CNN Opinion piece that while he feels the Muslim Brotherhood deserves some sort of participation, many Egyptians in all walks of life still feel that the Brotherhood would want to establish an Islamic state and disallow women’s rights. The organization seems to have taken moral high ground lately. But he warns the Brotherhood could be re-radicalized if their voice isn’t invited in.

http://is.gd/fdBxhL