Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets Coptic Pope Tawadros II in the Abassiya Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt April 13, 2017The Egyptian Presidency/Handout via REUTERS
Ashraf Ramelah – Egypt’s story reinforces Coptic minority oppression
Below is a brief review of Egypt’s modern history and politics showing the reasons for Coptic minority oppression and persecution.
The Egyptian government reports a population figure for Copts of seven million. Since Nasser, the government reports an annual figure for Copts between seven and 12 million. However, the true number is roughly 23 million. It is derived from church figures. The record kept by the Orthodox Church is accurate and based on marriages, newborn baptisms and death certifications.
The Egyptian government has an interest in maintaining the low number. For them it reinforces the minority status of the infidel, and this, in turn, by Islamic thinking pre-empts any voice from rising up to ask for equal rights. So this deception continues.
Today, there remain a few villages in Upper Egypt that are Coptic majority. These villages are under constant attack by Muslim gangs. Their goal is to reduce the number of Coptic families as they flee from violence or as mandated by arbitration courts to vacate their properties and have the remaining Copts in minority status.
Prior to Egypt’s 1952 coup, and in the first years of Nasser’s administration, Copts and Muslims were living under the country’s laws together largely without discrimination. This was a status similar to western democracy; in fact, the entire Egyptian legal system (criminal and civil laws) was introduced to Egypt by the French during Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion (1798-1801).
Basically, Nasser began the Islamization of Egypt as he struggled against the Muslim Brotherhood for power. He began by forcing Jews to leave, and slowly Copts started as well to immigrate to the US, Australia and Canada.
Sadat followed as president and began the revival of Islam as he opened the prison doors to free the arrested Muslim Brotherhood. The Sharia law was added to the Egyptian constitution. Discrimination and oppression of Copts reached open persecution of Copts with destruction of their homes, businesses, places of worship and forced immigration.
When Mubarak came to power his concentration was focused on protecting his position and increasing his family’s power. The status of Copts deteriorated. When Mubarak fell due to the January 2011 uprising the Muslim Brotherhood came to power overtly with the presidency of Morsi. Copts had no hope under his rule. This was a move by outside forces to increase Islamic power in the Middle East, and Egyptians were disgusted by this backward direction upon the bloodshed of the people.
Plan B was put into place when a general named Abdul Fatah al-Sisi, Mubarak’s head of military intelligence and after that Morsi’s defense minister, befriended and defended the protesters in the street and became “reluctantly” a candidate in Egypt’s 2013 elections winning the presidency.
Al-Sisi is merely a subtle version of Morsi. His higher education and good manners allow him to capture the sentiment of Egyptians and in particular the hearts of the Coptic people. This closet Islamist has used the Taquiya principle of his ideology very well to communicate and do enough to be convincing without the personal charisma that once made Nasser so appealing.
Under al-Sisi, “the freedom and democracy” president, the following still exists as holdover interests from the previous era. For instance, his arrest of Muslim Brotherhood member operators in 2013 is static today without court verdicts. He has allowed the extreme Islamist Salafi Al Noor Party to illegally operate as a political party despite the clear language of the constitution forbidding religious political parties. Nothing is being done by his government to alleviate discrimination against Copts, and their murderers go unpunished. Coptic girls and women are under daily threat of kidnapping and conversion to Islam.
Impressing Copts with reforms of church construction laws, the president turns a blind eye to forced church closings by local thugs and complicit police. He does nothing about forced internal immigration practices of Islamic arbitration courts which skirt the criminal courts and force Coptic victims to be brought before them for double jeopardy. At least 87 old and ancient churches remain in rubble after terror bombings murdered parishioners. Al-Sisi’s public relations efforts have served to lure Coptic Church leaders already fearful of the system into becoming state puppets.
Dear Friends of Voice of the Copts
Voice of the Copts (VOTC) is a 501c3 human rights organization in the U.S. and Italy. Through education and outreach to the public our mission is to raise the level of awareness about the ongoing persecution of Christian Copts in Egypt. Our hope is that through our various reports and interpretations of events change will be instigated to alleviate persecution. One such way is through charitable programs.
What is La Casa Futura?
To this end, Voice of the Copts recently initiated the La Casa Futura refugee youth project in Rome, Italy. La Casa Futura is to be a six to 18-month long co-educational program in a dormitory facility housing roughly 100 Coptic refugees (ages 15 through 22). Refugees who fled religious persecution in Egypt are now held in temporary camps throughout Italy with no hope of working or assimilating into the Italian culture – until now. VOTC will recruit applicants from these refugee camps.
Support and commitment for La Casa Futura
Voice of the Copts began its search in late 2014 in the Lazio region of Italy for an appropriate facility to house La Casa Futura. A vacant building has now been promised to VOTC for this purpose. It is located in the outskirts of Rome and was once used by the Catholic Diocese as a hotel. We are ready to sign the official documents and take ownership.
Our surrogates in Rome have worked with the Italian Interior Ministry to receive their commitment for support of La Casa Futura once the project is started. Voice of the Copts and La Casa Futura are now pre-approved as we begin to raise funds for initial costs.
Our immediate need
Voice of the Copts is seeking funds for the La Casa Futura building rehabilitation as the initial stage of the project — architectural designs, permits and construction modifications — which is estimated at $250,000.
Our gratitude
Voice of the Copts is grateful to all those who have responded to the La Casa Futura project with enthusiasm. Through their diligent work and support, VOTC has been entrusted with commitments for the core ingredients now in place for this worthy project.
Contributions we receive today will activate the process and enable La Casa Futura’s building rehabilitation to launch. If we reach our fundraising goals by the end of this year, La Casa Futura can begin to house refugees by mid-2019 with programming to follow shortly after.
The La Casa Futura project can’t begin without your help
Please consider making a financial gift to Voice of the Copts today. This will enable the promise of La Casa Futura to become a reality and enhance the lives of many who risked their lives to escape oppression and persecution. La Casa Futura will be the only program of its kind to exist as a real solution for young Christian Egyptian refugees fleeing from religious oppression and persecution.
Young Christian men and women refugees from Egypt have done nothing wrong but to stand firm in the worship of their faith. The La Casa Futura opportunity will reinstate their confidence in practicing their faith freely as they begin new lives. Your generous gift today will make all the difference in the success of this program.
Please donate today at the link below.
Thank you.
Sincere regards,
Ashraf Ramelah Founder and president
