This is being widely reported — as here — as the justice minister saying that he would jail Muhammad. That could indeed be what he meant. However, it is reported elsewhere that he said he would jail anyone who does wrong, “even if it’s a prophet, God’s peace and blessings be upon him.” That report […]
Egypt drafts bill to ban face veil for women, says it’s Jewish tradition
Yes, that’s why you see so many Jewish women wearing face veils. But labeling something “Jewish” in Egypt is likely to get more people to oppose it; that could be Amna Nosseir’s strategy. In reality, the niqab and burqa arise from the assumption underlying the idea that a woman must cover her hair. Muhammad did […]
Muslim jihadis distort Islam just as Western homosexuals distort Christianity, claims leading sheikh
As a way to exonerate Islam of the violence habitually committed in its name, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb—the grand imam of Al Azhar University—recently engaged in some interesting sophistry. According to published statements on Arabic media, Tayeb said that “It is extremely regrettable that some heads of churches in the United States conduct [homosexual] marriages. I […]
Egypt: Christian teens get five years prison for mocking Islam
They were actually making fun of the Islamic State’s execution videos. But even though everyone knows that the Islamic State has absolutely nothing to do with Islam, they got prison sentences anyway. This kind of thing will be in the U.S. before too long, as people with the intellectual honesty and respect for dissent that […]
Egyptian government closes 50 Christian churches for being “security threats”
On February 1, Tharwat Bukhit, a Coptic Christian member of Egypt’s parliament, said that “there are approximately 50 churches in Egypt that are closed for reasons of security.” In 2011—when the “Arab Spring” began—the nation’s Christians had compiled a list of 43 churches that were shut down by local authorities over the years. This list […]
Egypt: Another Christian found shot dead in his military unit
Another young Coptic Christian conscript has allegedly committed suicide in his unit in Menufia, Egypt, says a February 17 report by MCM (actual date of incident not indicated). According to Maj. Gen. Muhammad Mas‘ud, the 20-year-old Copt known only as Michael “shot a bullet from his firearm into his chest, dying instantly.” He supposedly killed […]
Egypt: Church waits years for construction permit, finally gets demolition permit
On February 1, the priest Awad Flemon of Al-Iman Church in Alexandria explained how officials closed his church five years ago, leaving it partially constructed. Although the congregation had been hopeful that the church would eventually reopen, local officials have now taken the decision to demolish the building, prompting Fr. Flemon to “issue an appeal […]
Egypt: “Extremists reject having a church in the village”
Several Coptic Christian leaders and priests recently discussed the closures of their churches. For example, Fr. Stephen Shehata, undersecretary of the diocese of Samalout, Minya, explained how three of the diocese’s churches were shut down because they did not have the required licenses. When the diocese recently attempted to build a church in Abu Hannas, […]
Egypt: Coptic Christian tombs are being turned into “garbage dumps,” laments Christian leader
As often happens to Christian cemeteries in Muslim nations — whether at the hands of “ISIS” or the hands of “angry youth” — “the tombs of the Copts [Egypt’s indigenous Christians] are being turned into garbage dumps.” This was the urgent and recent message from Fr. Ayoub Yousef, who heads the Coptic Catholic church of […]
Egypt: Christian students on trial for insulting Islam — for mocking the Islamic State
“The 30-second video, filmed by the teacher, showed the students pretending to pray with one kneeling on the floor while reciting Quranic verses and two others standing behind him and laughing. One waved his hand under a second’s neck in a sign of beheading.” This was clearly mockery of the Islamic State beheading videos. We […]