- Community OutreachCopts
- September 16, 2011
- 4 minutes read
Coptic Intellects in Egypt Reject US Religious Freedom Report
Coptic intellectual and former MP Gamal Assa’d rejected a US report on religious freedoms which labelled Egypt for the first time as a “country of particular concern,” citing “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom” and for downgrading the country from the “watch list” status.
US State Secretary Hilary Clinton, expressed concern for the minorities in the region following the Arab Revolutions in the report. The State Department annual report on religious freedom stated that “The Arab Spring revolutions could enable sectarian and religious violence in countries where civil society has collapsed”.
According to Assa’d, we should not accept these interferences nor give a chance for another country to pressure the Egyptian government through the religious discrimination issue.
“Since the writing of these reports, the US has issued accusations reminiscent of the crusades and French imperialism, in order for US and Israel to control the Mid-East region”, he said.
“The US is using the minorities report to pressure the Middle Eastern countries in order to portray Israel as a leading nation in the region. We have also witnessed what the US intervention has caused in Sudan and Iraq”, he said.
He highlighted in the case of alleged violating rights of Copts in Egypt, the issue should be solved without outside intervention.
Freedom and Justice Party VP Dr. Rafiq Habib agreed stating that the report is yet another manoeuvre by the US to intervene in Egypt’s affairs. “The report falls nothing short of methods to jeopardise the relationship between the Muslims and Copts”.