Copts Urge El-Sissi to Implement Equality for All Egyptians

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- President El-Sissi addresses the UN this week. We support the overall progress he has brought to Egypt and recognize the plethora of issues he has to address.  Yet, Copts remain disappointed with the lack of attention given to the systematic discrimination under which they live. 

Millions of Copts, along with Egyptians of all creeds, participated in the demonstrations of June 30, 2013 that toppled the Muslim Brotherhood totalitarian regime, and subsequently supported the El-Sissi presidency. We are pleased that El-Sissi has restored general stability in Egypt, despite the constant terrorist threats from Islamist Jihadists. He has dynamically engaged in various developmental efforts to improve the economy. It is also encouraging that he appointed five Copts out of a fifteen-member scientific/technical advisory board of Egyptians living abroad.

Yet, we are quite concerned by the ongoing, state-sponsored, imposition of an Islamist agenda on the public sphere, including in state institutions, education and cultural life. Furthermore, the "Coptic Issue" has still been treated as a "security" problem by El-Sissi, just like it was under prior regimes. Some specific areas that require El-Sissi's immediate attention include:

• Flagrant bias against Copts by the police and state security, whom often oppress victims, absolve aggressors, and force the innocent to drop their rights, thus helping perpetuate the impunity which Muslim radicals feel toward Copts. The recent barbaric aggression by police on Copts' homes in the village of Gabal El-Tir is yet another of a long list of sad episodes of such violent aggressions.
• The kidnapping of Copts for ransom and the disappearance of over 500 Coptic women and girls since the popular uprising in January 2011, with evidence that radical Muslim groups are targeting them for kidnapping, forced conversion, and marriage. Collusion by the police is often suspected.
• In August 2013, 80 Coptic Churches and institutions were demolished or set ablaze by Muslim Brotherhood supporters. One year later, Phase -1 of the restoration, promised by the Army, has yet to be completed.
• El-Sissi has not issued a single presidential church-building permit, and should abolish this discriminatory, centuries- old, procedure that prevents Copts from repairing and building churches, an essential component of religious freedom.  Further, the practice of closing churches in order to appease Islamists is occurring more frequently.
• The glass ceiling on the participation of Copts in state bodies has actually worsened under El-Sissi. Copts' entry into institutions such as judiciary and the diplomatic corps is stuck at 2%, while entrance into the military and police academies is an even more dismal 1% of total entries. There is not a single Copt in the Supreme Military Council, in the leading positions of the Ministry of Interior nor in any other "sensitive" state organs.
• There has been a substantial increase in arresting those vaguely accused of 'derision of religion,' resulting in convictions and imprisonment of scores of people, mostly Copts.

It is our expectation that Mr. El-Sissi will quickly and aggressively address these, and other, areas of institutionalized discrimination that have relegated over ten million Egyptians to life as second class citizens. It is time for him to treat national unity and citizenship rights as fundamentals of Egypt's political order.

Coptic Solidarity is non-profit organization dedicated to leading efforts to achieve equal citizenship for the Copts in Egypt and minorities in Middle East. For more information, contact Lindsay Vessey at 202-695-0506 or [email protected]

SOURCE Coptic Solidarity

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