The Myth of Islamic Tolerance and Peaceful Coexistence - Egypt's Coptic Christians (1 of 7)

Egypts Coptic Christians: The Experience of the Middle Easts largest Christian community during a time of rising Islamization

July 18, 2008, 12:00 - 2:00 PM - Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters

Bishop Thomas and Nina Shea - The Center for Religious Freedom - recently held a luncheon discussion by Bishop Thomas of Upper Egypt.

His Grace, Bishop Thomas of the El-Qussia and Mair Diocese in Upper Egypt became a monk in 1983 and was ordained a priest in 1987. Bishop Thomas works tirelessly to strengthen religious freedom and human rights in the face of personal risks. He was the first recipient of the St. Stephen Prize, a human rights award given by The Norwegian Mission to the East, for his efforts to speak out against the oppression of religious communities. Bishop Thomas is active in building schools and developing educational programs in Egypt's Coptic Church. In 1999 he built the Anaphora Farm and Retreat Center in Wadi el-Natrun, where many of the monastic communities of the desert fathers lived 1500 years ago.

ooo OOO ooo

In Egypt the government does not officially recognize conversions from Islam to Christianity; also certain interfaith marriages are not allowed either, this prevents marriages between converts to Christianity and those born in Christian communities, and also results in the children of Christian converts being classified as Muslims and given a Muslim education.

The government also requires permits for repairing churches or building new ones, which are often withheld. Foreign missionaries are allowed in the country only if they restrict their activities to social improvements and refrain from proselytizing.

The Coptic Pope Shenouda III was internally exiled in 1981 by President Anwar Sadat, who then chose five Coptic bishops and asked them to choose a new pope. They refused, and in 1985 President Hosni Mubarak restored Pope Shenouda III, who had been accused of fomenting interconfessional strife. Particularly in Upper Egypt, the rise in extremist Islamist groups such as the Gama'at Islamiya during the 1980s was accompanied by attacks on Copts and on Coptic churches;

these have since declined with the decline of those organizations, but still continue. The police have been accused of siding with the attackers in some of these cases. And in Southern Egypt, there were problems in which involves terrorists going into monastaries, harrassing, capturing, and torturing monks (such as the 2008 attacks on the monks of the Monastery of Saint Fana).

Source: Wikipedia

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[ReligionKills1]

The worst thing is, the Saudis are funding the building of thousands of mosques across Europe and the states, but they ban any places of worship in Saudi Arabia except mosques, no churches allowed, and then they lecture us about religious tolerance.

[MrChickyBee]

Egypt is just a sample of what could happen to Europe unless we put 'the brakes on'! There is no freedom of religion in Egypt and more has to be done about this.

[bigshirtblue]

africa is not the middle east,,,egypt is in africa,,why do people keep saying it's the middle east..the commentator is ignorant

[GAMESTERA13]

I AM A PROUD COPTIC ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN. THERE'S NOTHING ANYONE CAN DO ABOUT IT.

[GAMESTERA13]

@alshayal their will.

[GAMESTERA13]

@fgq25fsi3 what you say is true, we almost exclusively know about the terrors our people have suffered under the had of Islam. However, you do not properly represent our faith with such hatred. I find it hard as well, but we both must control our anger and show everyone the true meaning of Christianity. We should not wish anyone to hell. May Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ keep you my brother.

[GAMESTERA13]

@MrISLAMistheTRUTH Escuse me? you protected us? You invaded our land, killed our people, and are still killing them today. You constantly ridicule us, even though we did nothing to you. We are the real egyptians. Copts were here way before you came. We were Christian then, and we are Christian now. You can do what you want. We will NEVER surrender. The cross is our light, our way, and our life. You will never break us.

[Abbadon380]

@MrISLAMistheTRUTH stfu up ISLAM IS NO BETTER THAN ANY OTHER RELIGION PROTECTION IS MURDERING THEM PERSECUTING CONVERTS AND SO FORTH PROTECTION ONLY A COMMON CAUSE WILL UNITE EGYPTIANS AFTER THAS OVER U PPL START KILLING THEM IS THAT HOW YOU REPAY PEOPLE WHO HELP EGYPT ISLAM WILL FALL TO RELIGIONS LIKE BUDDHISM HINUDISM,CHRISTIANITY or even atheism (not religion)YOUR FUCKING PEDOPHLLE PROPHET HAVE NO PLACE IN THIS FUCKING WORLD SECULARISM RULESSSSSSSSSSSSSS SO FUCK U

[fgq25fsi3]

@ramesnashat1

You are 100% right, and this is islam no more and no less.

Jesus be with you brother.

[fgq25fsi3]

@MrISLAMistheTRUTH

Sometimes the truth is very bitter

[fgq25fsi3]

@MrISLAMistheTRUTH

No one in the world knows better than the Middle East Christian people the real story of Islam and their alleged messenger Mohammad. So, don’t try to imagine new stories and pictures about Islam and their Mohammad.

May God Jesus send you to hell where you belong to, you and the all muslims terrorist.