American Coptic Union Calls for Equal US Respect for Egyptian Presidential Candidates

The American Coptic Union (ACU) protests the recent statement by US Department of State Egyptian Desk Director Nicole Chapman regarding the current Egyptian political spectrum. Chapman said, “[her] country would not support Mohamed ElBaradei if he decided to run in Egyptian presidential elections slated for next year.”

This apparent washing of the hands in the name of dubious impartiality is actually an endorsement of a regime that maintains its power through intimidation, violence, and genocide. A claim of “non-interference”, when the issue is justice and human rights, should be exposed as the endorsement of repression that it really is.

Chapman also told US reporters that the US was not concerned with “specific personalities.” However, she singles out ElBaradei, but does not say the same about Mubarak.

At the same time Chapman stated that the US would not support ElBaradei, she failed to say that the US would not support Mubarak in the presidential election. This clearly demonstrates US hypocrisy and favoritism regarding Mubarak and the Coptic genocide in Egypt.

Coptic Christians, as well as Muslims, see ElBaradei as the only hope to end Mubarak’s “reign of terror” for crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide against the Copts.

The Egyptian people see the United States of America as the last great hope of the world, the symbol of freedom, liberty, and democracy. However, with the current statement, the US has narrowed its interests to fit the interests of Mubarak’s despotic regime and his family, while the needs of the Egyptian people are ignored.

We would like to offer Ms. Chapman a small thanks for acknowledging anti-Christian sentiment in Egypt. However, she then went on to say, “What happens to the Copts is intimidating.”

That is very soft language for an outrageous and violent repression of human rights. The Mubarak regime kidnapped and raped Coptic girls, raided villages, killed innocent Copts, and burned Coptic homes, businesses, and churches. Her mild criticism is not even a slap on the wrist and that actually facilitates Mubarak’s campaign of terror and genocide.

Coptic Christians wish to hear the US Department of State speak on behalf of releasing the Coptic blogger, Hany Nazeir, who has been imprisoned for more than three years and is being tortured in attempts to convert him to Islam. Mr. Nazeir’s ominous fate has never been mentioned in any official US statements. How is such repression in Egypt any different from the often protested repressions of similar individuals in China, Russia, Myanmar and other dictatorships?

The ACU is looking for Ms. Chapman and the US Department of State to correct her recent statements and to fairly readdress the election issues by affirming that the US will treat all presidential candidates equally. Furthermore, the ACU and the Coptic Community in the US, Egypt, and abroad hope that the US Department of State will demand an immediate end to genocide against the Copts and end its own policy of silence that tacitly approves continued human rights violations in Egypt.

Source(s): Al-Masry A l-Youm

Urgent Letter to White House, Department of State, and Congress

The American Coptic Union (ACU) and the Coptic community in the United States of America demand the expulsion of Sameh Fahmy, Egypt’s ambassador to the United States.

Mr. Fahmy’s recent incendiary comments and involvement in controversial activities would result in retaliation by Islamists and terrorists against the defenseless Coptic Christians of Egypt. More massacres, rape, and kidnappings will surely follow.

On Saturday, March 13, 2010, he informed an Arabic newspaper, Alquds, of his discussion of some Egyptian dissidents without any pretexts. This will inflame and intensify the genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity against the Copts.

The Ambassador expressed undesired and unrequested issues regarding the Copts, such as “autonomy separation” and the hiring of Blackwater Security forces for protection. Blackwater, notorious for its war crimes in Iraq, is hated in the Middle East. If they “protect” the Copts, terrorists will surely target more Coptic people and villages. The Copts cannot even pray in their own homes, let alone ask for security. Mr. Fahmy wants to portray the Copts as traitors and separatists.

The issues of autonomy and protection are excuses for the Mubarak regime to continue committing crimes against Copts. They will incite Islamists and terrorists to kill more Copts, raid more villages, and kidnap and rape more women. The regime’s survival is based on Coptic genocide to distract the general public from government actions, or lack thereof.

The regime is also using the Coptic situation to take attention away from independent presidential candidate Dr. Mohamed El Baradei. He is set to challenge widely unpopular incumbent President Mubarak, or his son, Gamal Mubarak.

The regime is painting Dr. Baradei as a Coptic sympathizer in order to stump his popularity. Last week, Islamists and Mubarak’s National Democratic Party (NDP) sabotaged a rally in Al Fayum City, accusing Dr. Baradei of supporting Copts instead of his own country.

The United States’ interests in the Middle East are already in jeopardy. Continuing to deal with Mr. Fahmy, and Mubarak regime will result in more instability in Egypt and would further jeopardize US interests.

Therefore, the American Coptic Union is seeking the following:

1. The immediate expulsion of Mr. Fahmy from United States.
2. Despite our repeated request for the US Congress to take serious actions against the regime for its violations of human rights, our calls are go unheard. Therefore, we request the US Congress to reconsider relations with the Mubarak regime and put US interests first. The US Coptic community is frustrated because of US foreign policies of “Anti-Christianity” and “Anti-Copts,” and seeks the reversal of treating Copts as if they were “Al-Qaeda”.
3. We still see President Obama as the most serious defender of human rights. Thus, we call upon him to interfere on our behalf and put an end to the violation of human rights by the Mubarak regime.

Press Release for the White House

The American Coptic Union (ACU) would like to thank United States President Barack Obama for his support for Coptic Christian human rights in Egypt.

Recently, the United Nations Human Rights Council reviewed the status of human rights and freedom of religion in Egypt. No recommendations or resolutions arose from the UN  to make the Mubarak regime to comply with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights treaties. The ACU and the Coptic community in the United States  still hope President Obama, Congress, and the United States government will help ease the genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Coptic Christians in Egypt.

Mubarak, however, continues to defy these human rights treaties. He did not delete the second amendment of the Egyptian Constitution, which rules the government through Sharia, or Islamic, law. He did not nullify the laws that do not criminalize terrorists for massacres on Coptic villages. On January 6, 2010, Islamic extremists opened fire on a Coptic church in Nag Hammadi, killing six Copts and wounding dozens more. Although the Egyptian government brought the terrorists to trial, the “justice” quickly ended. The police arrested, tortured, and killed dozens of Copts who witnessed the massacre. This is a blatant violation of civil, political, and human rights.

After the Nag Hammadi massacre, American delegates from several human rights commissions visited Egypt and met with government officials regarding the Coptic situation. Until now, however, no comprehensive report of their findings was sent to the Department of State and no necessary action was taken to curb the oppression against the Copts. The regime showed no intention to improve the situation nor amend current laws that systematically persecute Copts.

The ACU and the Coptic community in the United States requests the following from the White House:

1. President Obama speak on behalf of the voiceless victims to restore their unalienable rights and to demand the return of more than 500,000 Coptic girls kidnapped by terrorists under the cover of the regime.
2. White House address the anti-Christian movement in the Middle East. Take necessary measures to stop illegal actions against Christians in the Middle East. United States go to the UN to protect Christian rights and pressure countries to pass laws criminalizing those who commit anti-Christian crimes.
3. Adjust or change foreign policy and curb anti-Christian movements in the Middle East.

We hope the White House takes these requests into consideration to end the oppression against the Copts, the native people of Egypt. Thanks and God Bless.