In years past, the price of refusing Islam—for Copts in Egypt, anyway—included either paying the Jizia (Humiliation Tax), or dying by the sword. And, in the interest of furthering the new “Official Language of Islam,” Arabic, Copts were forced to learn this new tongue—unless they felt like having theirs ripped out.
Gruesome images, I know. But unfortunately, we’re only getting started with the horror show. See, a young man, Hani Sarofim Nasrala Issak, who was a soldier in the Egyptian Army until very recently, has departed this earth.
Denis MacShane is Labour MP for Rotherham and worked at the Foreign Office as PPS and minister, 1997-2005
At long last, the debate on Islamism as politics, not Islam as religion, is out in the open. Two weeks ago, Jack Straw might have felt he was taking a risk when publishing his now notorious article on the Muslim veil.
Silence has been the notable response from the bishops of the Church of England to the decision by British Airways to forbid employees from visibly wearing even a tiny cross on a necklace.
Suddenly, Britain seems to be developing into a cultural and religious battleground.
Hard on the heels of Jack Straw's criticism of the Muslim full-face veil, local government minister Phil Woolas has said that Aishah Azmi, the Dewsbury teaching assistant who insists on wearing such a veil in her primary school classroom, should be sacked.
Five Years Later: The Terrorists' 2001 Victory Over "Infidels." By Sally Bishai (09/11/2006)
Most people past the age of 13 can probably remember where they were and what they were doing on September 11th, 2001. And if people remember the tragedies as they occurred (as well as their own reactions), they might also remember the inconveniences that began soon after the acts of Twin Terror:
June 19th marked the first day of the Fourth International Coptic Conference. The event was attended by many great thinkers and writers, both "Middle Eastern" and American, both "Coptic" and not.
In fact, one of the discussions swirling about during the coffee breaks was “What is a Copt, anyway?”
The decision by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s government to try two senior judges for blowing the whistle on vote rigging in last autumn’s parliamentary elections has rocked the country. Massive crowds have gathered to support the judges – and have caught Mubarak’s regime completely unaware.
Source Daily Mail
Most people past the age of 13 can probably remember where they were and what they were doing on September 11th, 2001. And if people remember the tragedies as they occurred (as well as their own reactions), they might also remember the inconveniences that began soon after the acts of Twin Terror:
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