Hearing held in wake of Coptic human rights amendment approved by House Foreign Affairs Committee
WASHINGTON, July 25, 2011 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Human rights abuses against the Coptic Christian community in Egypt was the topic of a hearing by the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) Friday, July 22.
"Coptic Christians have long been marginalized, disadvantaged, and faced harsh discrimination, persecution and even violent attacks – both by the Egyptian government and by Muslim society in Egypt, where they constitute roughly 8 percent of a population of about 82 million people," said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), sponsor of the amendment and chairman of both the Helsinki Commission and the House Africa, Global Health and Human Rights Subcommittee. "The plight of the Copts has been well-documented, including by the State Department's International Religious Freedom Reports and its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, and by the reports of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The most recent International Religious Freedom Report said that the Egyptian government's respect for this human right is 'poor.' Given developments in Egypt, we have to be deeply concerned about what the next report will say." To read the Congressman's opening statement at the hearing,
click here.
The hearing, which aired lived Friday, July 22, 2011, is entitled "Minority at Risk: Coptic Christians in Egypt." It was broadcast several times over the weekend. It can be viewed by
clicking here.
On the previous evening of July 21, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved an amendment addressing human rights violations of the Coptic community in the north African nation. Smith offered the measure, which was unanimously included in H.R. 2583, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, and now moves to the House floor. To read Smith amendment on Egyptian Coptic Christian human rights,
click here.
The Republic of Egypt is a participating partner in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Recent popular upheaval and mass protests leading to the end of Hosni Mubarak's 29-year long rule offers both potential promise as well as possible significant instability. While the role and influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and militant Islamic groups in post-revolution Egypt remain an open question and a source of some concern, violent attacks targeting Coptic Christians and their churches have escalated. Serious concerns have arisen over reports of disappearances, forced conversions and forced marriages of Coptic Christian women and girls.
The witnesses at the hearing were:
· Jean Maher, President, French Office, Egyptian Union for Human Rights Organization; Representative, French Coptic Associations;
· Michele A. Clark, Adjunct Professor, Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University; and
· Caroline Doss, J.D., Vice President, Coptic Solidarity.
Smith is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He is an executive member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China co-operated by the White House and Congress.
