Washington Conference Examined State of Christian Minorities in Muslim Countires
By Mary Abdelmassih
(AINA) -- The second Annual Conference of Coptic Solidarity International, an NGO for the support of the Christian Copts in Egypt and the protection of their fundamental rights, was held in Washington, D.C. on July 8-9, under the main theme of "Will Religious and Ethnic Minorities Pay the Price of the 'Arab Spring?" The main objective of this conference was to understand the implications of the current upheaval in the middle East and to offer present and future support to the Copts, and other minorities, in this difficult period.
Bill limiting sharia law is motivated by 'concern for Muslim women'
Lady Cox, the proposer, says aim is to prevent discrimination against Muslim women and 'jurisdiction creep' in Islamic tribunals
Bill limiting sharia law is motivated by 'concern for Muslim women'
Lady Cox, the proposer, says aim is to prevent discrimination against Muslim women and 'jurisdiction creep' in Islamic tribunals
Whitechapel High Street in east London. The area is predominantly Muslim; just over half the population is of Bangladeshi descent. Photograph: Mike Kemp/Corbis
Islamic courts would be forced to acknowledge the primacy of English law under a bill being introduced in the House of Lords.
The bill, proposed by Lady Cox and backed by women's rights groups and the National Secular Society, was drawn up because of "deep concerns" that Muslim women are suffering discrimination within closed sharia law councils.
DUBAI // A 40-year-old tourist who insulted Islam and called the Prophet Mohammed a terrorist was fined Dh3,000 yesterday.
AG, a Briton, was charged on May 18 in the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours.
In his court appearance last month he was sent away after appearing in shorts. He was ordered to be suitably dressed before being allowed to enter a plea and deny the charges.
European Court to rule on Christian discrimination cases
In a significant legal development, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has requested that the British Government state whether they believe that the rights of Christians have been infringed in recent cases where individuals have been penalised for expressing their faith in the workplace.
An international interfaith conference has revealed that 105,000 Christians are being killed every year simply because of their faith.
Reuters/Juda Ngwenya
This file photo shows a sign pointing towards a church burned down by riots in northern Nigeria.
The shocking figures revealed at the “International Conference on Inter-religious dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims,” held in Hungary, show that a Christian is killed every five minutes somewhere in the world because of their faith.
On 7 June 2011 Baroness Cox introduced a new Bill in the House of Lords intended to outlaw the use of Sharia law where it conflicts with English law. In proposing the new Bill she said:
“Equality under the law is a core value of British justice. My Bill seeks to preserve that standard. My Bill seeks to stop parallel legal, or ‘quasi-legal’, systems taking root in our nation. Cases of criminal law and family law are matters reserved for our English courts alone.
“Equality under the law is a core value of British justice. My Bill seeks to preserve that standard. My Bill seeks to stop parallel legal, or ‘quasi-legal’, systems taking root in our nation. Cases of criminal law and family law are matters reserved for our English courts alone.
The International Christian Concern (ICC) (www.persecution.org) a Washington D.C based Christian advocacy organization is petitioning the interim government to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of Coptic Christians, and to repeal current laws that stifle religious freedom for all Egyptians.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said that he was disturbed by clashes between Christian Copts and Muslims in Egypt, days after fresh violence in Cairo that left 12 people dead.
AFP - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that he was disturbed by clashes between Christian Copts and Muslims in Egypt, days after fresh violence in Cairo left 12 people dead.
Egyptian Coptic Youth Protect Cathedral During Pope's Sermon
(AINA) -- Egyptian police and armed forces were heavily deployed around St, Mark's Cathedral in Cairo yesterday as Coptic Pope Shenouda III delivered his weekly sermon to nearly 10,000 church members. The sermon was also attended by the media and Muslim journalists to show their opposition to the Salafis and the actions against the church. A large number of veiled Muslim women were also in attendance.
Religious freedom report criticizes Egypt and Obama
WASHINGTON — Egypt has been added to a list of the world's most severe violators of religious rights. The list was released today in the 12th Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)/, an independent and bipartisan group that advises the State Department on religious liberty worldwide.
The 380-page report also criticized the Obama administration for not taking action on previous recommendations to add offending countries to its list of "Countries of Particular Concern" or CPCs.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
President Barack Obama gestures while speaking to reporters about the controversy over his birth certificate and true nationality, Wednesday, April 27, 2011, at the White House in Washington.
According to the commission, CPCs are governments that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom that are "systematic, ongoing, and egregious including acts such as torture, prolonged detention without charges, disappearances, or other flagrant denials of rights."
"CPCs are nations whose conduct marks them as the world's worst religious freedom violators and human rights abusers," said Leonard Leo, USCIRF chair, in an email. "In the case of Egypt, instances of severe religious freedom violations engaged in or tolerated by the government have increased dramatically since the release of last year's report, with violence, including murder, escalating against Coptic Christians and other religious minorities. Since President Mubarak's resignation from office in February, such violence continues unabated without the government's bringing the perpetrators to justice."
Coptic Christians in Egypt Rally for Secular Constitution, Civil Rights
(AINA) -- Nearly 100,000 Christian Copts staged a rally today in Egypt. The rally began with a 5 mile march from the Coptic Shubra district to Tahrir Square. Many Muslims joined the march, as well prominent Coptic activists and heads of Coptic human rights organizations.
Egyptian military warns troops not to join Friday protest
By Ivan Watson and Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, CNN
An Egyptian demonstrator shouts slogans during
protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square on April 1.
Egyptian military apparently issues warning in response to internet videos
A video was posted by a man who says he was an air force officer
He calls on fellow soldiers and officers to join a demonstration on Friday
Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Egypt's ruling military council issued a stern warning Thursday, threatening immediate prosecution before a military tribunal for any troops seen participating in a planned protest in Cairo on Friday.
Anger over court’s decision to acquit suspects in Coptic killing case
by Brian Hutt:
Egyptian Coptic Christians light candles during morning mass inside the Saints Church in Alexandria, Egypt, Sunday, January 2, 2011. The church suffered a deadly bomb attack on New Year's Day AP
Six Christians were killed in January 2010 as they left their church in Nag Hammadi after celebrating Christmas Eve mass. The church’s Muslim security guard was also killed in the attack.
قامت الجمعية الوطنية للتغيير بالإسكندرية بربط علم مصر بين كنيسة القديسين و المسجد المقابل فى إحتفالية ضمت كل طوائف الشعب المصرى فى الإسكندرية. و ذلك رداً على الجريمة التى قام بها بلطجية الحزب الوطنى بقتل قس بصعيد مصر لضرب ما تم إنجازه بعد الثورة الشعبية المصرية. و أبلغ دليل على إن الحزب الوطنى المهزوم هو من قام بها, هى إنه و خلال الفترة من 26 يناير حتى 11 فبراير لم يكن هناك أمن فى الشارع المصرى و لم ترتكب جريمة واحدة تحت مسمى طائفية. و الدليل الآخر هو إن الفاعل لم يترك دليلاً من بصماته على الخزينة بل وجدت مادة مطهرة أزالت البصمات من على كل الأماكن بعد إرتكاب جريمته النكراء.
* Statement does not take into account recent upheaval
BRUSSELS, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The European Union denounced attacks against Christians and Muslims on Monday, having previously failed to agree a statement that included Christianity among persecuted religious faiths.
The EU began a debate about religious violence after an attack on a Coptic Christian church in northern Egypt at the end of December left 23 people dead and dozens wounded.
* Biggest gathering yet in movement that began on January 25
* Egyptian president issues decree forming committee to oversee constitutional changes ahead of elections later this year
CAIRO: Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators flooded Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square and towns across Egypt on Tuesday as the nation’s embattled President Hosni Mubarak took a step towards democratic reform in another bid to appease opponents.
In Cairo, the immense crowd hailed as a hero a charismatic cyberactivist and Google executive whose Facebook site helped kickstart the protest movement on January 25 and who has since been detained and held blindfolded for 12 days.
Egypt: Internet down, police counterterror unit up
AP – General view showing Egyptians protestors clash with anti-riot policemen in Suez, Egypt, Thursday, Jan.27,
By HAMZA HENDAWI and SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press – 29 mins ago
CAIRO – Internet service in Egypt was disrupted and the government deployed an elite special operations force in Cairo on Friday, hours before an anticipated new wave of anti-government protests.
The developments were a sign that President Hosni Mubarak's regime was toughening its crackdown following the biggest protests in years against his nearly 30-year rule.
Pro-democracy advocate returns; Mubarak's party dismissive of protesters: "The minority does not force its will on the majority."
CAIRO — Egypt's ruling party said Thursday it was ready for a dialogue with the public but offered no concessions to address demands for a solution to rampant poverty and political change heard in the country's largest anti-government protests in years.
At the same time, the grass roots protest movement was getting a double boost likely to energize the largest anti-government demonstrations Egypt has seen in years. Mohammed ElBaradei, a Nobel peace laureate and the country's top pro-democracy advocate, was returning to the country Thursday night and declared he was ready to lead the protests. The country's largest opposition group — the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood — also threw its support behind the demonstrations.
(AINA) -- Egyptian police and armed forces were heavily deployed around St, Mark's Cathedral in Cairo yesterday as Coptic Pope Shenouda III delivered his weekly sermon to nearly 10,000 church members. The sermon was also attended by the media and Muslim journalists to show their opposition to the Salafis and the actions against the church. A large number of veiled Muslim women were also in attendance.
