Sunday, April 12, 2009

Target: Egypt's Coptic Church issues conversion certificate to convert from Islam

Will this make Maher al-Gohari even more of a target for those who take seriously Muhammad's dictum to kill those who leave Islam? Muhammad said "من بدّل دينه فاقتلوه" -- "whoever changes his religion, kill him." Islamic Tolerance Alert: "Egypt church issues first conversion certificate," from AFP, April 11 (thanks to Ibrahim):

CAIRO (AFP) — Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church has for the first time issued a certificate of conversion to a Muslim-born Christian, his lawyer said, in a country where religious conversion is highly sensitive.

Maher al-Gohari, who is seeking to change his religion on his official documents from Muslim to Christian was asked by a court to provide a conversion certificate from the Egyptian church.

"He handed it in today," Nabil Gabriel told AFP. "It is the first time the church provides this sort of certificate."

In Egypt, citizens are required to carry their personal ID cards at all times. Without an ID card, one has no access to basic services.

It is only the second time that such a request has been formally made in a country where converting to Christianity, while not illegal, is practically impossible.

Last year, a court rejected a request by a Christian convert from Islam, Mohammed Higazi, to have his new religion written on his identity card.

Highlighting the sensitivity of the topic, the church would not comment on Gohari's case specifically....

Not surprising. More lives could be at risk than just Gohari's.

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