Egypt’s jihad against converts to Christianity

by Richard Shulman
The Examiner

Here is a case of Egypt’s jihad against converts to Christianity.  Islam authorizes capital punishment for Muslim converts to Christianity.  Islamic law is the basic law of Egypt, but Egypt applies punishment differently.  Egypt initially harasses, beats, and confines apostates to the house.

Apparently Nagla Imam, a prominent female lawyer and human rights activist in Egypt already confronted Islamic abuses while still a Muslim.  She campaigned against polygamy.

Ms. Imam called in to the weekly Arabic satellite station Tarek TV show, I Was a Prisoner, whose host, Nabil Bissada, was imprisoned and tortured in Egypt for helping Muslims convert to Christianity.  The program explores human rights deficiencies in Muslim countries, as does program guest and source of this article, Raymond Ibrahim of Pajamas Media. http://www.meforum.org/2688/nagla-imam

Imam related having been fired for converting.  She was not allowed to change her ID to “Muslim.”  [Should ID identify one’s religion?]  She organized other converts to Christianity into a public demonstration against the government over this.  Police beat, threatened, and dispersed the demonstrators, and a mob assisted.  A girl whose arm was broken was denied medical treatment.

The Saudi TV station, Al Arabiya, displayed a video of her suggesting that Jewish women be harassed sexually.  Imam denies it, accusing the station of doctoring the film.  [Her denial is consistent with her being a feminist and a brave human rights activist who believes in freedom of conscience.]

A couple of weeks ago, she was arrested.  The official in charge beat her badly and told her to stay in her house.  He threatened to send people to assassinate her, if she did not return to Islam.

Her Muslim relatives abandoned her and her two children.  Neighbors bang on her house and cut off her electricity.   Al Azhar University declared her a heretic who must not leave her house.  She has disappeared, whether voluntarily or involuntarily is not known  (IMRA, 7/19/10).

Compare the angry accusations that Israel is a theocracy, though it is a mixture, with the harsh reality of Egypt.  Will anger be spared for those who beat and murder apostates?