Ex-Muslim Girl in Egypt Sends Plea to Obama

CAIRO, Egypt -- A 15-year-old Egyptian girl who converted from Islam to Christianity sent a plea to President Obama, complaining of mistreatment by the Egyptian government and asking for his mediation.

Dina el-Gowhary warned that Christians are a minority in Egypt and "treated very badly."

"You said that the Muslim minority in America are treated very well, so why are we not treated here likewise?" she asked in the letter. "We are imprisoned in our own home because Muslim clerics called for the murder of my father, and now the Government has set for us a new prison, we are imprisoned in our own country."

The handwritten Arabic letter, posted on Coptic websites, also said "I am 15-years-old, but I still have hope that my message will reach President Obama."

The el-Gowhary family was barred from leaving Egypt Sept. 17, without any legal reason. They were told, however, that the order came from a higher authority.

Dina, is the daughter of 57-year-old Maher el-Gowhary, also known by his Christian name Peter Athanasius, who embraced Christianity secretly 35 years ago.

In Aug. 2008 he filed the second ever lawsuit of a Muslim-born Egyptian against the Egyptian Government to officially alter his identification documents to reflect his new Christian identity. He lost the case in June 2009.

According to the Court ruling, the religious conversion of a Muslim is against Islamic Sharia law and poses a threat to the "Public Order" in Egypt.. He appealed the ruling.

Maher and Dina have been living in hiding ever since he filed his lawsuit because Muslim clerics have called him an apostate and several Fatwas , for 'spilling his blood' have been issued. He frequently changes where he lives to evade being killed, and friends supply him with food. "We cannot sleep, eat or go out in the street," he said. He believes that the authorities are putting pressure on them to re-convert back to Islam, "but this will never happen, even if we have to live on the streets. We love our Lord Jesus, and we have left Islam for good."

The International Humanist and Ethical Union , in conjunction with Copts United, presented el-Gowhary's case to the UN Human Rights Council in its 12th session in September 2009.

Maher visited the Canadian Embassy to see if he can get religious asylum. He found an Egyptian receptionist there in her Hijab, so he left. The Egyptian staff at Western embassies in Cairo are under the control of State Security.

Maher lashed out today at the Egyptian Government, asking for his Egyptian nationality to be taken away if it is the reason why the Government is adamant on depriving him of his basic rights as an Egyptian citizen. He told Copts United "if the Egyptian nationality is the cause of my imprisonment within my home and being unable to move, then I do not want it." He added that it would be more honorable for him to hold the nationality of any other country rather than the Egyptian one "Where I live together with my daughter suffering imprisonment within the walls of my apartment and without any freedom."

CBN News Thursday, November 19, 2009

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Christian
• faith
• Christianity
• Jesus
• Bible
• martyr
• suffering
• martyrs
• voice
• convert
• revert
• apostate
• apostasy
• islam
• islamic
• muslim
• persecution
• oppression
• martyrdom
• fastest
• growing
• religion
• jizyah
• human
• rights
• rape
• torture
• massacre
• slaughter
• harassment
• Egypt
• Copt
• Coptic
• ex-muslim

[ceeker248]

@angelic9889 Dude do you think about what you say before you say it? If anyone who holds to religion can not be a historical source according to you, then who were these secular post modern "ancient historians" ? , know such people existed in the ancient world...know such historians existed until the enlightenment around 1500-1600 AD

[ceeker248]

Documented early Christian creed widely used as early as 35 A.D

watch?v=LHP3tL_C8GE&feature=ch­annel_video_title

[ceeker248]

@angelic9889 I think you are done

[ceeker248]

@angelic9889 what do " people with doctorites in the field " use to investigate history?

[angelic9889]

@ceeker248 and people have also testified to being visited by aliens.that leaves too much room for speculation my friend.that would be an F on a history midterm.try again

[ceeker248]

@angelic9889 lol ..at this point it seems like you are just ready to say anything

[ceeker248]

@angelic9889 People during the first century testified to Jesus existing in written form this appeared in a document( a fixed summery of basic Christ beliefs about Jesus) written in 33 AD and was being widely memorized and recited by all Christians by 35AD..myths develop over centuries not months, years or decades.

[angelic9889]

@ceeker248 i'll give u time to research the topic.the celtics are playing the maverics tonight and im missing the first quarter.take as much time as u need.good night my friend

[angelic9889]

@ceeker248 based on ur logic ancient historians are not viable sources.but based on the standards of tge historical community (people with doctorites in the field) they are viable but the bible and religious texts are not.u wanted to play the history game, well those are the rules as set up by the historic society.now, If ur done id like to remind u that u still havent provided historical evidence.

[ceeker248]

@angelic9889 you are inconsistent logically because you want post modern secular proofs from the ancient world in order to prove Christ existed when the two people you said existed in history don't have any such proofs to prove their existence..in other words you are asking for a proof that could never possibly exist , so you should logically not believe anything about the ancient world.