Egypt: Muslim converts to Christianity, faces trial before terrorism court

It could have been worse. The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law. It’s based on the Qur’an: “They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89)

A hadith depicts Muhammad saying: “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57). The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence.

This is still the position of all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, both Sunni and Shi’ite. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the most renowned and prominent Muslim cleric in the world, has stated: “The Muslim jurists are unanimous that apostates must be punished, yet they differ as to determining the kind of punishment to be inflicted upon them. The majority of them, including the four main schools of jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali) as well as the other four schools of jurisprudence (the four Shiite schools of Az-Zaidiyyah, Al-Ithna-‘ashriyyah, Al-Ja’fariyyah, and Az-Zaheriyyah) agree that apostates must be executed.”

Qaradawi also once famously said: “If they had gotten rid of the apostasy punishment, Islam wouldn’t exist today.”

“Egypt Refers Christian Convert to Terrorism Court,” Coptic Solidarity, April 13, 2026

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2026 /Standard Newswire/ — Coptic Solidarity is raising urgent alarm over the case of Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, an Egyptian Christian convert who, after months of detention and interrogation by Egypt’s State Security Prosecution, has now been referred to trial before the First Criminal Terrorism Circuit Court in Badr. The proceedings are scheduled to begin on April 21, 2026.

At issue is not merely due process, but the nature of the prosecution itself: a religious conversion is being prosecuted as an act of terrorism.

By referring Mr. Abdelrazek to a terrorism court on charges such as “joining a terrorist organization,” Egyptian authorities are effectively recasting a matter of personal belief and conscience as a national security threat. This represents a profound distortion of both law and logic, raising fundamental concerns about the instrumentalization of counterterrorism mechanisms to suppress religious freedom.

The case also exposes a deeper contradiction. Egypt’s Constitution affirms that “freedom of belief is absolute,” and the country currently serves as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Yet in practice, conversion from Islam is routinely penalized, and in this case elevated to a terrorism offense—revealing a stark, and systematic, gap between declared commitments and actual practice.

The prospect of a fair trial is, in any case, highly questionable. Authorities have refused to grant defense counsel access to the case file or supporting evidence, effectively preventing any meaningful legal preparation. Such restrictions strike at the core of basic fair trial guarantees. Mr. Abdelrazek is scheduled to appear before Judge Mohamed Saeed El-Sherbiny, a jurist associated with severe sentencing in high-profile and politically sensitive cases.

Mr. Abdelrazek’s case stems directly from his conversion from Islam to Christianity—a fundamental right protected under international law. Since his conversion in 2016, he has faced sustained persecution, including arbitrary detention, torture, forced divorce, separation from his child, and ongoing surveillance. The terrorism charges brought against him are widely understood to be pretextual, serving to criminalize his religious identity and peaceful expression of belief.

The case is further aggravated by a clear breach of international protection norms. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had previously determined that Mr. Abdelrazek is in need of international protection due to a credible risk of persecution. In addition, a court in the Russian Federation issued a binding order on July 17, 2024, prohibiting his deportation. Despite these safeguards, he was forcibly returned to Egypt, where he was subsequently detained.

“This is not only a case of arbitrary detention—it is the direct consequence of unlawful refoulement carried out in defiance of both international protection mechanisms and a binding judicial order,” Coptic Solidarity’s president stated….

“Mr. Abdelrazek’s only ‘crime’ is choosing his faith,” Coptic Solidarity stated. “Failure to act risks normalizing the treatment of religious conversion as terrorism.”