CAIRO (AFP) – An Egyptian who converted from Islam to Christianity has launched a bid to have the change recognised officially in what is believed to be the first such case, he told AFP on Thursday.
Coptic rights group the Al-Kalima Centre brought the case on behalf of Mohammed Ahmed Higazi, 25, who said he wanted to have his conversion recognised officially so that his child would be born Christian.
In light of the current controversy of the Mufti’s flip-flopping on conversion and the more general concern over growing sectarian tension in Egypt, this could be explosive. I would not be completely surprised if State Securtity intervened to keep this matter out of the courtroom, considering their habit of turning every sectarian issue into a security one. It could also agitate the more unhinged Islamists out there.
“In light of the current controversy of the Mufti’s flip-flopping on conversion …”
‘Flip-flopping’?
from: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070726/wl_mideast_afp/egyptreligion_070726175007
“His original remarks were picked up by the press who interpreted them to mean…[Gomaa] didn’t mind Muslims converting to another faith, necessitating a statement from the mufti Tuesday condemning apostasy that APPEARED (my emphasis) to contradict his Washington Post remarks”.
“Some members of the press and the public understood this statement as a retraction of my position that Islam affords freedom of belief. I have always maintained the legitimacy of this freedom and I continue to do so,” he said.
Correct me if I am wrong but according to the article which you linked to, to support the “flip-flopping” assertion, it would appear that the apparent flip-flopping was created by the media who mis-interpreted his original comments. Their mis-representation of his comments caused them to appear to be contradictory, when they were not.
Noor Hammad
http://www.counterpunch.org/day07262007.html“ rel=”nofollow”>”I Don’t Know That the Police Look at Us as Human”: Apartheid Americana
[Counterpunch.org]
Two of my friends were just beaten and arrested by Brooklyn police. My friends, Michael Tarif Warren and Evelyn Warren, are African-American attorneys whose work consists, in part, of defending victims of police violence. I want to tell you about how police punched and humiliated these good people on the corner of Vanderbilt and Atlantic, in their own, predominantly Black neighborhood on June 21st; about Tarif’s clothes being torn almost off–I don’t want you to miss a thing.
…
“At approximately 5:45pm, petitioner and his wife were in their vehicle, stuck in traffic, when they saw members of the New York Police Department apprehend a young man, handcuff him, and physically abuse him while he was prone on the ground. Petitioner and his spouse exited their vehicle to inquire why police were engaging in that behavior, but immediately returned when ordered, without getting near the police or the young man. Sergeant Steven Talvy, however, approached the petitioner and his spouse and, after they identified themselves as attorneys, proceeded to strike petitioner numerous times in the head and face and strike petitioner’s wife in the face.”
“We were lined up against the wall with other prisoners. Tarif’s clothes were ripped and falling off him. I will never forget, there was this blond officer in Talvy’s unit–they were laughing together–and the guy said, ‘What’s this, a strip show?’
“You have to remember that Tarif and I were involved because the police were kicking this young man viciously. He was Black; probably around 18. His face was a bloody mess. Obviously, Talvy thought he could get away with it because he said, ‘Well, it’s your word against mine. Let’s see what happens.'”