Obama urged to remember persecuted Christians in Egypt
US President Barack Obama has chosen Egypt as the site of his promised major speech to the Muslim world. Christian Freedom International (CFI) hopes he will not overlook Egypt’s atrocious record of trampling on the religious liberties of Christians.
According to [CFI President Jim] Jacobson, “When it comes to human rights and the treatment of minority Christians, Egypt has an extremely poor track record. The president should have a lot to talk about with Egyptian president Muhammad Hosni Mubarak, one of the longest-serving leaders in the Arab world. We hope he uses this as an opportunity to speak out for persecuted, minority Christians in Egypt.”
Most recently, Egypt’s State Council has expressed outrage at the attempt by an Egyptian convert from Islam to Christianity to have his conversion legally recognised, calling the case “a threat to societal order” and a violation of sharia.
Doug Bandow reminds us that Christian persecution is an ever-present reality throughout the Muslim world.
[N]o [interfaith] conversation will have any meaning if it does not address Islam’s brutal reality: the consistent persecution of Christians, Jews, and members of other minority faiths.
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[P]ast Western dialogue with Islam has consistently missed the elephant in the room: Pervasive religious persecution.
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In fact, it is unusual to find an Islamic nation where religious minorities are not discriminated against, both legally and socially. One of the best predictors that a government persecutes, or fails to protect religious minorities from persecution, is that the majority faith is Islam.
We shall see whether Obama cares about “Islam’s brutal reality” and the plight of Christians in Muslim nations when he delivers his speech on 4 June.
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