FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE IN EGYPT & IRAN

APOSTASY: CURRENT ISSUES IN EGYPT & IRAN

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Islam's founder, Muhammad, once decreed: 'Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him.' (Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol. 9:57) This hadith (saying of Muhammad) is the basis for Islam's law that deems apostasy (leaving Islam) a capital offence. Islamic states generally do not execute apostates but they do tolerate 'honour killings' and the Sharia-enforcing violence of Islamic vigilantes. Because religion is regarded as a state matter in most Muslim countries, a person's religion is stated on the identity (ID) card. This then determines what rules they must follow: for example, a woman with a Muslim ID may legally marry only a Muslim man. This intolerance is being questioned in places with more openness.

* EGYPT: An apostasy debate is presently simmering in Egypt over the merits or otherwise of religious liberty vis-a-vis Islamic apostasy laws. A group of Coptic Christians who converted to Islam for pragmatic reasons (such as marriage or jobs), or were deemed Muslim by official decree, are seeking the right to have their identities restored as Christian. On 2 August 2007 Mohammad Hegazi (24) became the first Egyptian-born Muslim to sue Egypt's Interior Ministry for his right to leave Islam and be registered as a Christian. In January the court ruled against Hegazi and declared that a Muslim may not convert. Hegazi plans to appeal the ruling. Meanwhile, he and his wife and baby daughter have been forced into hiding. Even his own father has publicly threatened to kill him. Despite Hegazi's trials, on 4 August 2008 Maher Ahmad El-Mo'otahssem Bellah El-Gohary (56) became the second convert to launch a court challenge for his right to leave Islam. Like Hegazi, he is acting not only for his own right but for the benefit of his family: he also doesn't want his daughter deemed Muslim.

* IRAN: Iran is a Shi'ite revolutionary police state. The only apostasy debate (known to us) taking place in Iran is about whether to make the death sentence for apostasy mandatory instead of optional (at the judge's discretion). The draft Internet Crime Bill which is presently being debated in the parliament will, if passed, make apostasy and promoting apostasy (even through Internet articles and weblogs) a mandatory capital offence on the grounds that it harms the 'mental security' of society.

Meanwhile, on 30 July, Abbas Amiri (62) died in hospital after being beaten on Sunday 27 July by police who raided his house church meeting. His wife, Sakineh Rahnama, died on 3 August 2008 from a combination of injuries sustained in the raid and heartbreak. On 29 July, 16 converts were arrested during a house church baptism ceremony. Another convert, Mohsen Namvar (44), is suffering severely physically and from memory loss after torture throughout June by Iran's secret police trying to extract information on the church.

Upon his 'temporary' release, Namvar and his family fled Iran. This was the second time Namvar had been tortured in detention.

Compass Direct also reports that Christians Mahmood Matin (52) and Arash Bandari (44) have been jailed since their arrest on 15 May on suspicion of apostasy. In June, a newly converted couple, Tina Rad (24) and her husband Makan Arya (31), were detained and ferociously beaten over four days leaving Rad unable to walk. Upon their release they were threatened that if they ever again attended a house church they will be charged with apostasy and lose custody of their 4-year- old daughter. They are experiencing intensive persecution from neighbours and family.

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